With nothing to lose at this point, I decide to be bold. “Are you hunting tonight?”

His eyes snap to me, so fierce that I wonder for the millionth time in the last month how I talked to him at the Christmas party without noticing how fuckable he is. It’s not just that he’s good-looking. Tons of men are, and I don’t want to fuck them. It’s an energy. A wildness thrumming beneath his skin, a barely contained brutality waiting to be freed. Now that I know it’s there, I’m drawn to it. My own vicious side needs embarrassingly little coaxing to come out to meet his. Sitting here but knowing what we could be doing is agony.

“Do you want me to hunt tonight?” he asks.

Interesting.

“I want you to do what you want. But it is the last night…”

Ask me for another thirty.

Ask me for something.

Let me know I’m not imagining this.

Shane’s nod is slight but there. “Would you want to try something different?”

My heart stops.

He’s quick to add, “You can say no. The contract states all sexual activities are to take place outside. But I don’t want you out in the storm again.”

“Wait, what?” The words come out in a rush of relieved laughter. “You haven’t been hunting the last few days because you don’t want me to get wet?”

A corner of his mouth curls into an almost snarl, calling attention to the fact that he didn’t shave today. He looks annoyed, but I’m not sure why. “Your lips were blue when you got back the other night.”

“They aren’t blue anymore.”

He scoffs.

“How about an indoor hunt?”

That seems to change his mood. The scowl’s been replaced with interest, and he tilts his head to the side as if considering whether I’m a worthy opponent for an in-house adventure. I wait. At last, Shane gives me a wicked smile, one that makes my stomach flip-flop with anticipation.

“Three minutes.”

TWENTY-FIVE Shane

The instant Claire’s three minutes are up, I’m on the prowl. It’s a big house, but there are only so many places to hide. I can’t imagine she’d make the mistake of being trapped in a room with a single exit, so I check the shared spaces first.

Kitchen.

Dining room.

Gym.

No Claire.

As I step into the library, I hear a soft thud. Stalking through the room, I approach the desk on the far side. I can’t see Claire, but she must be underneath. It’s the sole hiding spot in the room. Though the desk blocks me from seeing her, it allows me to sneak up on her.

Tension hums through my body, but I force myself to keep my steps light as I round the corner. My cock aches with anticipation. Claire is so close, all I have to do is—

“Mr. Underwood? Do you have a minute?” Margot’s voice breaks my concentration. Claire squeaks beneath the desk. I make a mistake and look back at Margot.

Claire bolts. She’s out the other door in a blur. Seeing her run like that and not chasing her is torture. But the hunt will last longer if I give her another lead. Turning to face Margot, I try to mask my irritation.

“Yes?”

She flushes, but there’s a smirk on her face that makes me wonder if she was trying to give Claire an escape. “Gage Stanton would like to have lunch with you this week. He says you can pick the day.”

Lunch. I’m standing here with a throbbing cock because of lunch.

“I’ll let him know what day works for me.”

She nods. I’m running after Claire before Margot even leaves the library. I decide to circle back and recheck the living room, dining room, and kitchen.

Nothing.

Then it’s back to the library, then into the gym, and finally, Claire’s room. No luck.

Fuck.

I should be balls-deep inside her right now, not still trying to find her.

Would she go outside?

A boom of thunder makes me hope she didn’t. After another tour of the house turns up nothing, I’m forced to accept that she’s outside somewhere.

Fuck.

If only I’d grabbed her when she was under the desk. I need to go get her. Go fuck her. But first, I need shoes. Flinging open my bedroom door, I hurry to the closet. I flip the switch. The light comes on, and I smile.

Found her.

Claire

Well, going into Shane’s room wasn’t one of my sharpest decisions. I knew it was a bad call as soon as I came in, but then I heard him. All I could do was huddle in the corner and hope he didn’t need anything from the closet. Of course, he did.

He’s staring at me like he’s trying to decide what part of me to eat. I squeeze my thighs together. My pussy wants to be first on the list of things he tastes.

Don’t be boring.

Be a challenge.

Here goes nothing. I charge him. Hard, fast, and with absolutely no plan except getting out of the closet and then trying to outrun him. Shane shifts to block my exit. Ducking, I go low in an attempt to evade his reach. It doesn’t matter. He snatches me around the waist with one arm while his other hand grips my hair tight at the back of my head.

“I thought you went outside.” He sounds happy, relieved. “Of all the places, you chose my room?”

In the moment, the choice seemed smart. It seemed like somewhere he might not look. Now it feels foolish. Very foolish. My bare feet squeak on the hardwood floor as he manhandles me toward the bed. Its massive black leather headboard makes me think of a tombstone. It isn’t made—the dark green duvet and matching sheets are in disarray. I would have thought he’d have Gretchen make his bed for him.

Kicking at his legs, I try to get loose without leaving a handful of hair behind. It’s not going to happen. We move closer to the bed, and I get more desperate to make this interesting, to keep him guessing. I grab his cock. He freezes.

Shane’s gray sweatpants don’t do a thing to hide how hard he is. My fingers wrap around him, and I squeeze gently. This is the first time I’m doing the touching. It feels different, but I like it. I start to massage him, just a little. The hand in my hair loosens. So does the one at my waist. He’s watching me touch him, fascinated as if I’m doing something much more X-rated than fondling him through his pants.

I pull down his sweats and discover he isn’t wearing underwear when his cock bursts free, smacking against his stomach. He looks good. Delicious. There’s a drop of arousal on his tip, and when I run my hand down his length, he inhales like it might be his last breath. I do it again. And again. His eyes begin to close as he bucks into my grip, letting out a hoarse “Fuck” under his breath. He looks so blissful that it almost makes me change my mind about what I’m preparing to do. Almost.

Think about thirty more days.

Releasing his cock, I run. Behind me, Shane roars my name.

I run faster.

• • •

I’m racing back to the library when the power goes. At first, I think Shane’s done it to take the hunt up a level. Before I can wrap my head around that idea, I hear his voice booming through the house.

“Claire? Margot? Everybody good?”

Margot responds in the affirmative from downstairs. I say nothing.

“Claire?” he calls again. I don’t answer, and he chuckles low under his breath.

I sneak through the dark, trying to get farther away from him. Who knows when the power will come back on. I better use the dark while I have it. Tiny shuffling steps carry me toward where I think the library is. If Shane would talk again, I’d feel braver, know I’m not about to walk right up to him in the dark.