"Can you smell the sap rising?"
"Yes. The sap rising, and the warm earth in the sun."
"There is something about being in the wild, adapting to it. Like sex, it forces us to peel back the layers quickly." He pressed a kiss on the side of her neck, and his voice lowered as he continued. "Whenever I see you, I want you."
She rested her head back against his shoulder, swaying, melting inside. "I didn't know."
"In the city, we wear invisible masks. Out here, we can leave those behind, don't you think?"
She nodded. It was so true, and it was what she wanted, too. He felt really hard now; she could feel his cock against her bottom. She wanted to rub herself against it but he still held her tautly, his hands locked around her arms just above her elbows, pinning her to the spot in his grasp.
"When I've gone, take off the blindfold and follow the path ahead. Sometimes it's hard to see, but you'll know which way to go. I will find you." He paused. "Do you trust me?"
Now, there was a loaded question. There was a lot to this man, but deep down she did trust him, and she wanted to know more about him. "Yes, I do trust you."
He squeezed her gently and she felt him kiss the top of her head. "In the city you are the epitome of elegance, but you've always seemed to me to be a rather wild creature underneath it all. Tamed and trained to behave in a controlled environment. I like to see you that way, but I also want to see you stripped down and raw…I want to see you acting purely on instinct."
When he said "acting on instinct", he drew her hard against him. She knew what he meant. Stalking. Hunting. Mating. She wanted it too.
She lowered her head. "I understand."
He responded to her acknowledgement by letting go of one arm and stroking her hair in a tender, caring gesture. "Show me what you're made of, Alexa."
Chapter Three
His challenge still echoed through her mind when he moved away, his footsteps fading, a faint and distant brushing sound through the long grass. Undoing her blindfold, she dropped it to the ground. Blinking in the bright sunlight, she didn't even look around to see where he had gone. Instead, she focused on the dusky path ahead. Winding in between the trees, it seemed both inviting and full of the unknown. As she set off on the trail, her pulse raced. How quickly would he follow? What would he do?
The path led her into the heart of the forest and sometimes hard to discern, as if barely used. Her senses were on high alert and the color and texture of the forest seduced her; the moss, bracken, and wild grass underfoot, the myriad trees like silent, watching sentinels as she passed amongst them. Where it filtered through the foliage, she enjoyed the sun on her back a moment, and then she darted on as quietly as she could.
Was Tomas ahead of her, or behind? If he knew the place and could skirt it, he could step out in front of her at some point ahead. The idea of it made her hurry along excitedly and before long she found herself running, the exhilaration making her giddy. A maze of trees lay ahead, but she sought out the path.
I will find you.
He would, but she was going to do her best not to make it easy for him. She was fast on her feet and sped along the path, occasionally glancing back over her shoulder. A bush snagged her dress and she heard it rip, but didn't care. Shortly after, she came to a fork in the path and paused, catching her breath as she did so.
To the left she could see the trees began to thin out into an open plain in the distance. To the right, the path became overgrown where it weaved along the side of a rocky outcrop. What would he expect her to do? What would he do? She thought about how he dealt with things in his business. He always said the easiest options weren't always the most profitable. Smiling to herself, she took the right path, following it into the densely wooded area against the side of the jutting rocks.
The foliage grew heavier but the sun broke through in patches, creating a dancing carpet of color on the forest floor. She had to negotiate her way carefully, which slowed her down somewhat. Then, the skin on the back of her neck prickled. She stopped dead.
He was somewhere close by and watching, she sensed it. Closing her eyes, she tried to figure out where he could be. She heard no sound; just that feeling… Her eyes flashed open. She glanced up and to her right and there on the higher ground she saw him, crou
ching on the rocks, watching her intently. Over his shoulder he carried a length of rope. The sight of it made her body tense with expectation.
A smile played around his mouth as he got to his feet and headed down.
He was after her, and he had a rope. He really did mean to tie her up.
Adrenalin rushed through her veins, her heart beating wildly as she darted off again, breathless, giddy laughter escaping her. Suddenly she didn't know whether she wanted to be caught, or whether she wanted him to work a little harder. A heady sense of elation hit her as she realized she loved this as much as he did, and she was every bit the hunter, too. By running, willingly, she was drawing him into a trap, a trap where she intended to have him as much as he wanted to have her.
Soon, she felt him closing at her back. She sensed him before she heard anything, and then the sound of a twig snapping somewhere behind her confirmed it. Glancing over her shoulder, she caught sight of him and darted over to a tree, backing against it, her palms flat on the bark as she watched how and when he moved.
"Come on, come after me," she whispered under her breath. Sweat tickled her breastbone and strands of her hair clung to her neck.
He slowed, as if aware of her different tactic. He looked so hot, so horny, and it was only a matter of time. She stared at him, her breathing shallow, her mind working over which way to go. He moved stealthily, eyes watchful and filled with lust. The hunter, through and through. She squeezed her thighs together, anticipating his approach. He was ready to pounce and only twelve feet away. He closed on her. Darting off, she weaved quickly amongst the trees. When she heard him roar and his footsteps thundering after her, her spirit soared.
All her early morning jogging was paying off. She was fast on her feet, and when she saw a shadowed enclave under the rocks up ahead she darted into it, hoping he hadn't seen her go in there. Quelling her breathing, she flattened against the wall of rock and listened for footsteps.
Nothing.