I stalk after her, slow at first with measured steps that give her the illusion of safety. But she knows. She knows I’m coming, and she wants it. Needs this just like I do. I always knew we were the perfect match, but I didn’t expect this.

I can still see her footprints in the snow. Small, fast, erratic. She’s quick, but I’m built for this with long strides. I’m a lethal combination because I’ve been trained for the chase and starved for the kill.

Branches whip past me as I move faster, breathing in the trail she left behind. Her scent. Her heat. Her need. I can sense her. She’s everywhere.

She’s mine. Every fucking inch of her and I’m about to prove that to her.

The woods are still and silent except for the crunch of my boots.

I could grab her now, but I’m enjoying this. I want her exhausted and panting when I finally get my hands on her.

I slow down just enough to watch her. Her wavy blonde hair is flying behind her and then there's the determined twist of her hips as she darts between trees. Every move she makes feeds something primal inside me. I’ve never wanted anything the way I want her. She’s wild. She wants me as much as I want her. She’s so willing to be chased that it makes me almost come in my jeans thinking about it.

Lakynn’s nervous laughter echoes, and it’s the most perfect sound I’ve ever heard. It vibrates through my chest and settles in my bones. I feel her in every step I take. She’s always been the pulse beneath my skin. The hunger in my gut.

And tonight, I get to feed that hunger.

She’s a few yards ahead, panting, glancing back over her shoulder to look for me. Her lips are parted, her cheeks flushed, her eyes wild.

Perfect.

I launch forward at a dead run, and she screams. It’s part thrill, part anticipation. She tries her hardest to throw me off, veering deeper into the trees, but I’m not holding back anymore. I catch her just as she rounds a thick pine, tackling her into the ground and pinning her body beneath mine.

She gasps, laughing breathlessly as I press my weight down.

I grip her wrists and pin them above her head.

“You ran, baby,” I growl against her ear. “You knew what would happen if you ran.”

Her body arches under mine but doesn’t say a word