I looked to my right, seeing room 1332. A little farther.
“Annnnnnd…go!” Will shouted.
I didn’t wait to see what anyone else was doing. Spinning around, I ran down the dark hallway, hearing laughter and squeals behind me as I raced to 1312, pushed open the door, and quickly whipped my head left to right to see if anyone was in here.
But it was empty. Yes.
Feeling the vibrations of the other girls running down the hall, I ran to the bed and gently climbed on top, stepping behind the three rows of soft, cool pillows propped up against the headboard. Holding the pillows up and keeping them in place with one hand, I slid behind them, lying down across the top of the bed with my back to the headboard. I sank behind the pillows, quickly reaching out and feeling them to make sure they still stood propped up, not giving me away.
My heart raced, and my lungs seemed like they were getting smaller. I could barely breathe out of fear. I wasn’t so sure I was scared, though. It was just the chase.
But I knew I had a good hiding spot. It was in plain sight.
One morning when I was younger I woke up to Damon in a fit. Somehow, during the night, I’d gotten burrowed back in the pillows, and I was still pretty little at thirteen. Skinny. He’d woken up that morning and didn’t see me in the bed, big as it was. He thought I’d gotten up already. However, when he went downstairs and couldn’t find me, he’d searched the house and the grounds, calling for me.
By the time I woke up to all the commotion, and crawled out of where I’d been sleeping the whole time right under his nose, he wasn’t happy.
I think he was a little scared that day. I also realized he might actually care about me.
I heard the door swing open all of a sudden and bang into the wall, followed by giggles. I tensed, stopping my breathing.
“Behind the drapes!” a girl whisper-yelled. “I’ll see if I can fit in the cabinet.”
Another squeal followed, and I heard shuffles, the squeak of a hinge, and a thud. The music still drifted through the walls like a subterranean echo, and I clenched the pillow at my side, trying to stop my shaking.
And then I heard it. Howls from somewhere distant.
And then there was thunder. Like the heavy footfalls of a dozen guys charging down the hallway.
I closed my eyes. Five rooms. Unless they ripped this place apart, they wouldn’t find me.
Doors slammed against walls, sounding like they were being kicked open, and deep voices called out, but I couldn’t make out their taunts. More doors opened, each one sounding closer than the last until finally…
The door to my room was thrown open, the doorknob hitting the wall again, and I jerked in fright. My blood raced, and I froze.
“Come out, come out, wherever you are,” a smooth voice teased.
And I heard a giggle from somewhere in the room.
That’s it. Lead him to you. I just had to stay here until they found the others and got busy doing whatever they wanted to do.
Various sounds drifted in from the hallway, as well as a yelp from some girl in another room. Someone had been found.
“Check in the closet,” someone else said.
There were two in here.
I kept as still as possible, but then I heard a shuffle, and I trained my ears, listening.
“No!” One of the girls laughed. The rings on the curtain slid down the rod, and I knew one of the guys had found the girl in the drapes.
“Piss off,” she snapped. “I don’t mess around with juniors.”
“Well, lucky for you,” he replied, “I like older women.”
I heard a scoff from her, and a chuckle from him.
“There’s a girl in the cabinet. Go for her,” she told him.
Just then, wood hit wood, and it sounded like the metal handle of a cabinet jiggling. “Bitch!” I think the other girl hiding in the cabinet exclaimed.
“Hey, thanks,” the other dude said. I heard some more shuffling and protesting, a door slamming shut (the bathroom?), and then footsteps.
Silence followed, and then the voice of the girl who’d been hiding in the drapes spoke up. “Don’t tell anyone about this.” The bed dipped under me, and I jostled side to side, my eyes going wide with alarm.
“Don’t worry,” he told her. “You’ll want to tell everyone about this.”
And I felt them both moving and shifting on the bed.
I held onto the pillows, trying to make sure they stayed covering me, as they started going at it. Heavy breathing, constant rolling, kissing, and a few moans from her, and then suddenly the headboard hit the wall.
Jesus! For a girl who doesn’t mess around with underclassmen, she was certainly giving this her all.
My body rocked back and forth, and shook my head. I couldn’t stay here while they had sex.
Turning onto my stomach, I dug my elbows into the bed and pulled myself off the side, sliding onto the floor. I crouched down on the carpet, still for a moment and listening for their moaning and kissing.
It was still going.
They didn’t notice me.
Crawling around the bed, I headed for the door to see if the hallway was clear. Everyone had to have been discovered by now.
But just then the hotel room door swung open again, and a young guy, his mask pushed up on top of his head, immediately spotted me.
“Well, well.”
Oh, hell, no.
I pushed myself to my feet and barreled past him, running into the hallway.
And right into someone else’s arms.
I screamed, drew back my hand, balled my fist, and popped the guy right in the face of his mask.
He stumbled back. “Shit!”
Pulling off his mask, he let it drop to the floor and grabbed his nose with both hands.
Will Grayson.
I backed away, maintaining my distance. But I kind of wanted to laugh. These people had been grabbing me all night. It was only a matter of time.
A few hoots of laughter filled the hall, and Will pulled his hands away to check for blood.
“Can’t you take her, man?” someone shouted.
People laughed, but I kept my eyes on him, ready. I wasn’t getting caught.
“Well, what do you want me to do?” He held out his hands, arguing with his buddies. “I can’t hit her back!”
“No, you can’t, can you?” I egged him on.
And the crowd went wild.
He shook his head at me. “You little shit.”
And I smiled even though my hands were shaking. This was more comfortable for me. I was used to rough housing with guys.
But he inched forward, threatening, “I’m going to get you in a closet for that.”
“Not if you can’t catch me.” Then I sucked in a breath and stepped forward, launching my fist toward his face, but he knocked it away. I quickly shot my left palm up under his jaw, sending his head jerking backward.
Oh, shit, it worked!
He stumbled and growled, grabbing me by the sweatshirt, yanking me in, throwing me over his shoulder. Not again!
“Is that the only way you can win, huh?” I barked, squirming as the bystanders reeled with enjoyment. “You pick up the guys you fight, too? Or do you like your men bent over, is that it?”
Laughter filled the hallway, but then I was flying again, and I squealed, my ass crashing into the ground. What the hell?
The wind was knocked out of me, and I coughed, trying to get in a breath.
Will came down on top of me, pushing me onto my back and grabbing my wrists. I fought, struggling my burning muscles against his hold, but he eventually forced my hands above my head, holding them there. I wasn’t strong enough. Son of a bitch.
I shifted under his weight, the crowd howling around us as he pinned me to the floor.
Will grunted, the stench of beer all over his breath as he struggled to keep hold of me. “This is what you really want, isn’t it, runt?”
“Eat shit!”
; I thrashed under him, but he just busted up laughing.
They were all laughing. My brother was right. This was what it always turned into with women. I was reduced to being on my back, no doubt where Easy Cheese here thought I belonged.
I belted out a growl, throwing all my weight up into him, and flipped him over. I landed one punch, knocking him in the nose, before he threw me off. I landed on the ground, and we both scrambled to our feet, him holding his nose and wincing.
I launched for him again.
But someone caught my sweatshirt from behind and an arm wrapped around my waist, lifting me up off my feet.
“Whoa, there, Tiger.” The broad chest at my back shook as the man behind me laughed.
I breathed hard, jerking my head to get a look.
I came face to face with a silver mask. The hood of his black hoodie was down, but I met his eyes as they gazed down at me and saw his dark hair.
Kai.
He looked ahead, jerking the chin of his mask. “What the hell are you doing?”
I looked to Will, his head tilted back, his finger under his nose, and blood trailing down to his top lip. “Getting the shit kicked out of me,” he grumbled as the crowd’s amused chatter surrounded us. “She’s a scrapper.”
“I only got hits in, because you let me,” I spouted off. “Let’s finish it. For real this time.”
Will rolled his eyes, and Kai tightened his hold, but I heard his breathy laugh behind me.
“No one wants to see you hurt, babe,” Kai said, lowering my feet to the ground and coming to stand at my side, looking down at me. “You okay?”
I pushed my hair behind my ear, pausing when I realized my hood had come down. I glanced left to right. Please, let Damon not have spotted me here.
I pulled up the hood, covering myself as much as possible.
“Are you from another school?” Kai asked. “This is a Thunder Bay party. Are you supposed to be here?”
He didn’t recognize me.
The make-up. I’d forgotten about the make-up I was wearing.
Plus, I was in my pajamas and a sweatshirt, different clothes than at the cemetery.
I started to back away.
The longer I stayed, the bigger chance I’d be discovered. It was time to leave.
“Wait a minute,” he said, stepping toward me. “This is a private party. Who are you?”
My gaze flashed to the people around the hallway, seeing them watching us.
“I can call you a ride,” Kai offered, slowly advancing as I backed away. “Do you have a car? How old are you?”
“Kai, let her go. Come on!” Will called, heading into another room.
I took a step, holding Kai’s eyes and my heart pounding. “Old enough to have seen and heard worse,” I told him.
And he stopped mid-step.
A shot of thrill swelled in my throat, and my legs burned with the urge to run.
He stared at me, his chest rising and falling faster. He remembered. I was scared he wouldn’t. Maybe I’d dreamed the confessional this morning, and it never really happened.
But he cocked his head, and it felt like he was zoning in.
Shit.
I took another step back, past the crowd, and kept going.
“Michael brought me here.” I swallowed, my mouth so dry. “It has nothing to do with you. I don’t even want to be here.”
I stumbled over something on the floor, looking away to find my footing and quickly looking back at him. But he just stayed rooted in his spot, watching me.
Wasn’t he going to say anything?
I continued backing away, afraid to turn my back on him.
And then he took a step.
I sucked in a short breath. “What are you doing?”
He took another step. “Giving you a head start.”
My stomach leaped. “But I don’t…I didn’t want to play!”
“Oh, you’ve been playing with me all night,” he said, a growl lacing his voice. “Run. Because I turn into a very different person when no one’s looking.”
I lost my breath and whipped around, taking off. The lobby. There would be people in the lobby. And desk clerks. I raced to the end of the hall, past the elevator, without looking back and bolted through the Exit door leading to the stairwell.
Bright light blinded me, and I grabbed onto the railing as I ran down the stairs, swung around the bannister, and leaped down the next flight. I heard the door above slam shut, but then a loud gong echoed in the stairwell, and I knew it was the sound of it swinging open again.
I choked on a breath and swooped down another flight, jumping stairs as I did. But I couldn’t not look back. Twisting my head over my shoulder, I searched for his shoes or any movement, but nothing. Not even the sound of steps being taken.
But then, all of a sudden, he landed with a loud thud on the landing one short flight up, having leaped over the railings and two flights.
He straightened his bent knees, standing tall again, and his dark eyes pierced me through the horrid mask. My heart lodged in my throat, and I squealed, racing faster down the stairs and feeling him on me like the clothes on my back.
The muscles in my legs burned, and sweat covered my brow, but God, I was excited.
I wanted him to catch me.
Launching myself down, down, down, the stairs, I could hear his jumps getting closer and closer. But I didn’t look back. I didn’t want to see him coming. I just wanted to feel it. Feel his arms wrap around me and danger take hold, forcing me to face it.
I sucked in short, shallow breaths, every inch of my skin desperate to be grabbed, squeezed, kissed, bit, and sucked. God, what was he doing to me?
Reaching the lobby, I swung open the door, catching sight of black out of the corner of my eye and smiling, almost delirious, because I was so fucking scared he was damn near right behind me.
I ran through the door, into the lobby, and looked around, seeing a few stragglers still sitting around the dimly lit hotel. No clerk stood behind the desk, and I swung around, not seeing any security guards or janitors or anyone. Not that I was planning to run for help, but I assumed what Kai would or wouldn’t do depended on who was watching.
Whipping around, I stumbled backward, watching the door and the white wall of the stairwell visible through the small rectangular window suddenly turning black as his form covered it.
A raging heat burned low in my belly, and I stopped breathing as he swung the door open and stepped through, locking eyes with me.
He seemed so much bigger now. He was already tall, but I was scared, and the fear had me gauging his size to mine. He could probably wrap his arms around me nearly twice.
Do it, I dared him with my eyes. It had been a fucking long day, and I was so tired, but fire coursed through my veins, never making me feel more alive. I wanted to see everything he was made of. Quiet, pondering, stoic, and reserved Kai Mori. Come on. Fuck with me.
I dipped my tongue out, licking my lip and tasting the sweat on my skin.
And he shot off, rushing me.
I gasped, spinning round and darting for the first doors I saw. I ignored the attention we’d attracted from the people sitting in the lobby and ripped open the door, rushing through.
It slammed behind me, and I dashed across the ballroom and scrambled behind a set of black drapes, just as the door swung open again.
I clamped my hand over my mouth, desperate for air, but I couldn’t stop gasping. It was too loud. The door shut again, and I couldn’t hear anything else, my heart was pounding in my ears so hard. Was he in the room?
Did he give up?
I wanted him to find me, adrenaline from the chase heating my blood, but I was so scared, too.
“You feel it, don’t you?” he called out.
I closed my eyes, shaking uncontrollably.
“I’m already inside you.”
My clit throbbed, aching, and I reached down, holding myself between my legs. Oh, God.
“I know you’r
e in here,” he continued. “I see the drapes moving.”
My hands fell away, landing on the window seat behind me as I fell back and stared at the black cloth in front me.
“I want something that’s not mine,” he growled, and I knew he was right there. “But we’re not here, are we?”
What?
“We don’t exist, and this isn’t happening,” he told me.
I bit my lip to keep from smiling. Damon would never know, and what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt me.
“We’re not here,” I whispered back, following his lead.
And then the drapes swiped open, and he came at me, mask off, and grabbed the back of my neck and pulled me in.
I whimpered, my mouth crashing to his, and suddenly he was everywhere. Squeezing my neck, a hand gripping my ass, my arms around his neck, and his narrow waist pressing achingly hard between my thighs, I struggled to get closer. I wanted him all over. His mouth covered mine, and we kissed, going hard and fast, eating each other alive. He tasted like everything I’d ever need.
I bit his lip, dragging it out between my teeth as I fumbled with his belt buckle.
“I only want you,” I breathed over his mouth, our soft lips taunting each other. “It’s not like that with him. I only talk to you.”
He pushed me back, shoved up my sweatshirt and shirt, and started sucking on my breast as he nestled himself between my legs, grinding forcibly.
I closed my eyes, groaning. Fire blossomed on my nipple and spread over my skin. Oh, God.
“We’re not talking right now,” he gritted out, moving to the other one. His tongue was so hot and lit a bonfire between my legs.
Jeans open, he grinded on me, and I rolled my hips to meet him again and again. The thick ridge under his briefs teased my clit and as it rubbed over it again and again.
I cried out, and he planted a hand over my mouth, dry-fucking me as he leaned in close and bit my ear.
“I can feel it,” he whispered, his other hand gripping my hip. “You want me, don’t you? You want this?”
I nodded, grunting, sweating, and rubbing harder, trying to chase my orgasm that was cresting.
“I’m gonna sneak these legs open and fuck you in every corner I can get you in.”
Groaning again, I turned my head and snatched up his mouth, so fucking hungry. His words. God, his words. “Fuck me,” I breathed out. “Chase me, steal me, and fuck me. Hide me, I don’t care.”