37. Erotic Hide and Seek
Chapter thirty-seven
Erotic Hide and Seek
Nyomi
Seconds later, the bathroom had transformed into something otherworldly.
Steam curled so thick it blurred the gold rims of the mirrors and swallowed the far-off walls until the room itself felt erased.
Candlelight bled through the haze in ragged strokes, flickering soft glows across marble and water, bending shadows into grotesque shapes that seemed to move on their own.
In fact, the flames painted the steam in strokes of gold and rose, turning the air into a living canvas where shadows prowled and terror looked beautiful, carved from shimmer and mist.
So. . .is he going to jump out and scare-fuck me? Or am I supposed to find him?
I checked behind me.
Nothing.
I quickly looked from right to left, taking in the space.
Nothing.
And even more. . .now the steam wasn’t just lingering. It was multiplying. Rolling heavier. Curling so thick it blurred out the floor.
What is going on?
That’s when I heard it.
A low hiss, steady and constant, cutting through the muffled rippling of the bath.
My gaze flicked toward the far right, where the glass shower stood.
Aww. I see what he did. He turned the shower on. That’s why there’s so much steam in here right now.
Through the haze I stared at the shower. Spray hammered against the tiles.
He’s crazy.
He’d filled the room on purpose, so a veil of steam would be thick enough to hide him anywhere. At this point. . .with all the steam. . .he could be five feet away, and I wouldn’t see him until he wanted me to.
My chest tightened.
He wasn’t just hunting me—he was building a hunting ground. Every hiss of the water masked his breath. Every drifting curl of steam swallowed his shadow.
Very clever, Kenji. So. . .you want to jump out and scare-fuck me. Nope. I don’t think so. I’ll catch you first.
I narrowed my eyes, trying to pierce the haze, but the shower was a wall of silver spray, shapes bending and vanishing behind it. He could be in there now, standing utterly still, watching me struggle to find him while the steam kept him cloaked.
I held my breath, just for a beat, to hear past the hiss of the shower, listening for the softer sound of his breath hidden under it.
Hmmm. I don’t know. . .
A thrill ripped through me, mixed with fear and aching.
Alright. . .if he is in the shower, I can slam the glass door shut, trap him in the steam and make him beg to get out .
My heart boomed in my ears.
Okay. . .I’ll see if he is in the shower first. Then, I’ll get something to protect me. I’ll teach him to mess with a tiger.
I had to think of this like an investigative assignment for a top paper. I mapped the bathroom like a crime scene in my notes—steam clouding the evidence, shadows moving like suspects, the shower staged as the most obvious culprit.
If I were going to get caught, I’d at least make Kenji work for the headline.
Looking from side to side the whole time, I slowly walked forward, shifted my weight to the balls of my feet, and softened my steps so even the marble wouldn’t hear me.
One step.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Being hunted wasn’t just a game.
It was a spark striking tinder, heat spreading everywhere at once until there was a wildfire racing through my veins, licking across my skin from the inside out.
Five steps.
Six.
Seven.
A sound cracked the silence—soft, sharp, like tile creaking under shifting weight.
What was that?
My pulse didn’t live in my chest anymore. It banged in my throat, in my wrists, in the hollow between my thighs.
The hiss of the shower swallowed everything, but that creak rang louder than thunder. My breath dragged out harsh, and suddenly it was the only sound I could hear, a desperate signal betraying me in the dark.
Eight steps.
Nine.
Ten.
Every curl of steam looked like a shadow moving, every flicker of candlelight like his body about to break through.
Fuck. I have to stay on guard.
My only plan was that if he lunged out to grab me. . .maybe I could drop and roll. Then. . .have the mist hide me too.
I almost wanted to laugh at that.
What the fuck did I know about stalking prey through steam and shadows?
Kenji had way more skill at this than I did. He’d built the terrain, set the stage, cloaked himself like some seasoned predator who had all the time in the world.
But still. . .my lips curved.
This was fun.
Twisted, erotic fun.
A thrill I could taste in the back of my throat, hot and sharp. My heart might be racing, my body shaking, but the fear only made it sweeter.
Sexier.
So what if he was the Dragon and I was supposed to be his prey? I could play that game. I could lean into the hunt.
I would give this a try and be the Tiger. The predator.
Even if I lost—and oh, I probably would—I’d make damn sure it was exciting.
Eleven steps.
Twelve.
Thirteen.
Then. . .to my shock. . .the overhead lights blinked out.
Just like that.
What?!
Darkness slammed down around me. Not the gentle kind of dark one eases into, but sudden, brutal, and absolute.
Oh shit.
Fast, I crouched to the floor, unsure of what could happen next.
The only light left was the uncertain flutter of candle flames around the tub, twisting through the hazy steam in weak, trembling strokes.
Panic hit me.
Shallow, stuttering breaths dragged through my chest.
The steam and heat wrapped around me so thick it became touch—slick, greedy, everywhere at once.
Moisture slid down my thigh like his finger dragging slow toward my pussy.
The damp air clung to my nipples until the fabric turned into suction, teasing and pulling like a hungry mouth desperate to taste me.
My own skin betrayed me, flushing hot, trembling, reacting to caresses that weren’t there—yet—and aching for the ones I knew were coming.
Okay. Think.
I licked my lips.
My pussy throbbed, but my head forced me to focus.
The switch is by the door. Had he been near the door the whole time? But. . .I didn’t see him.
I remained low to the ground and as quiet as I could be.
The large tub at the room’s center gurgled softly. The sound was innocent and ordinary, but in the dark, it became monstrous.
My pulse ricocheted, not in my heart anymore but in my wrists, in my neck, in the hollow between my thighs. Heat pooled heavy there too and my pussy got wet.
I couldn’t even understand why I was so freaked out and turned on at the same time.
Don’t speak. Don’t say shit.
Silence was my only defense. If he didn’t know exactly where I was, I wouldn’t hand him the advantage.
But another thought came to me too.
I bet he already knows where I’m at.
I forced myself to turn my head slowly, eyes straining through the haze. Nothing behind me but clouds of candle lit steam rolling in lazy waves against the far wall.
I swallowed and turned the other way.
My gaze scraped the gloom, searching, begging for an outline, a shadow, any sign of him.
That trick with the lights. . .he hadn’t been in the shower at all.
He’d been closer.
By the door.
Probably right behind me when I first entered.
I shivered.
How had I not known?
I glanced over my shoulder and couldn’t make out anything but darkness, steam, and candlelight flickering.
But. . .I looked back and he wasn’t there. What the fuck? Had he been on the ceiling?
The thought was ridiculous. And yet. . .I tilted my head back anyway. The haze parted just enough to show the ceiling.
Is he that crazy and capable?
I thought I made out wet streaks on the ceiling, but that could have just been condensation.
Where the hell are you? And. . .if you catch me. . .what are you going to do?
A shiver clawed down my spine, sharp and electric. My body tightened in terror, but my thighs pressed together too, betraying my rising intoxication.
Terror and arousal tangled within. It was an exquisite noose around my neck. God help me, the fear wasn’t just regular fear. It twisted, melted, slid into something hotter.
I knew I had no control.
He was the hunter, growing larger in my mind.
Yet, being prey to him meant I was chosen.
Obsessed over.
Worthy of hunting.
That knowledge spread like fire through my nerves.
My thighs shook, not just from fear but from the pulse of fiery lust.
Adrenaline and desire.
Being hunted felt like standing on the edge of a cliff, wind in my face, the fall certain and terrifying—and all I wanted was to tip forward.
Even more, my body knew before my mind could admit it that he wasn’t just chasing me.
He was stalking, waiting, and savoring the moment I broke.
And God help me, a large part of me wanted to be broken by him.
Okay. . .new plan. . .I’m going to hide my ass in the shower. . .
I dropped lower and began to slowly crawl across the marble. Chill seeped into my palms and knees. Steam clung heavy against my skin, curling damp tendrils into my hair.
The irony of this all crashed into me.
I smirked.
Hours ago, I had made him crawl. And now, without saying a single word from his lips, he was making me crawl.
Naughty Dragon.
A low chuckle almost left me.
Was this what we would always be like?
I take him down.
He submits.
Then, he rises and takes me higher, darker, rougher.
The thought made my nipples tighten hard against my robe. They were now aching points that begged for his mouth, his bite, his claim.
Alright. Not too bad. He’s in control but. . .he still hasn’t caught me.
Still. . .every shift of my robe whispered against marble, every knee on the slick floor made a faint wet sound that echoed too loud. Even the drag of my breath scratched at the silence.
Fuck.
I froze, convinced he was listening to every tiny movement, savoring how my body betrayed me.
When I got around four feet toward the shower, the air shifted.
He’s definitely near. What do I do?
Now with all this darkness and steam, the shadows were alive, thickening at the corners of the large room. Somewhere in them, the Dragon watched me. I could feel the weight of his gaze, the slow hunger of it, stretching over my skin.
God. It was thrilling.
A crazy, erotic hide-and-seek game where I was both terrified and giddy, certain he’d find me and desperate for him to try.
Slowly, I rose from the ground. My knees trembled, but I pushed through it.
Okay. He hasn’t caught me yet so. . .that has to count for something. Maybe I am outsmarting him.
I pressed my back to the cool marble wall near me and scanned the space.
Left to right.
Up and down.
Then, left to right again.
Okay. Go in the shower.
Then, I froze.
Wait. What if this is exactly what he wants me to do? Did he turn the shower on so that I would go to it? Damn it, Nyomi. Did I just fall into his trap? Or am I paranoid?
The idea hit sharp and sudden, sinking deep. He’d set the terrain, built the stage. Of course he’d leave me only one obvious option—the steam-shrouded shower.
The trap.
The cage.
The place where he could have me cornered and defenseless, stripped down to nothing but trembling skin and a racing pulse.
Heat pooled low in my belly, twisting tight. My thighs pressed together as though they had a mind of their own.
Well. . .damn. . .
Of course I was turned on by the thought.
The candlelight thinned around me, curling like a signal toward the ceiling.
I looked to my right.
For a heartbeat I swore I saw his shadow in the haze, towering, muscular, and waiting, but when I blinked. It was gone.
My thighs clenched.
My heart thundered.
Fuck it. Let’s see if I’m right or wrong.
I headed into the shower.
One foot in.
Then, the second foo—
Fast, massive arms wrapped around me from behind, before my other foot could even hit the tile.
A scream tore up my throat but died in the clutch of his palm, as he sealed his hand around my mouth.
Holy fuck!
The shock was so sudden, so brutal, my knees buckled. He hadn’t been in the shower at all. He’d been waiting and close enough to taste me the moment I dared to think I was safe.
Oh shit. Oh shit.