I caught my breath, pausing in the paddling to step back and admire my work so far. There was a small glossy puddle of arousal on the concrete floor, and I shifted to allow a little streak of light to land on Khell's cock. Watching his stav work in the stiff sleeve of his length, the swollen glide up and down, always mesmerized me.

"More," my mate rasped. Khell's back was heaving with breath, head bowed down to his arms.

"We need to get back to the house," I said, shifting the paddle to my left hand so I could press my right to the marked flesh of his ass.

Khell groaned, pushing back into my bare palm. "Finish me, please, mate."

I pursed my lips, brushing my fingertips up and down Khell's ass. "Hmm…I don't know."

"Sunny," Khell growled—a warning.

To be fair, he usually took care of me after a spanking and before guests arrived. But somehow when he got his way like this, I always felt like he was still in charge, still leading the game.

"I don't think I will," I murmured, tiptoeing my fingers between his cheeks and rubbing them down his crack to his hole.

Khell gasped, his entire body trembling at the minuscule touch. "Petal, please."

And this time, his begging was in earnest.

"I'll make a deal with you," I said, a grin growing on my face. "You can come…if you can catch me."

Khell stiffened, head lifting and turning to glare at me. "Catch—"

"Are you ready?" I asked, backing away from him slowly.

"Sunny, I am chained—"

"Get set."

Khell stood and glared down at the chains that he and I both knew he could get out of with little effort.

"Go," I whispered.

I darted for the door of the cabin, and Khell let out a snarling laugh behind me. I would give myself a decent head start, maybe thirty seconds, maybe less. And we still had a good twenty minutes before anyone might be expected to show up. It was risky and ridiculous and entirely the kind of game we liked to play.

I left the door hanging open, darting up the stairs and into the woods, gasping at the roar that echoed from the hidden cabin behind me. We had a good ten acres of woods behind our house—situated just far enough from Chicago to afford us real space—and no neighbors directly next to us. It was private enough for an orc and his mate, and perfectly suited to Khell and me.

I ran, giggling already, heading directly for the house, and I knew the moment Khell had escaped. He made no effort to sneak up on me, growling and grunting and snapping fallen branches under his stamping feet. My legs and lungs burned as I bolted down the path, heading for the brilliant edge where the shadows of the woods broke into our backyard, rosy and glaring with the setting sun.