Page 34 of Stranded
Tears prick the corners of my eyes. “You don’t own me, Maddox!” I protest again, my voice strangled. I muster all my courage. “Let me go.”
For a moment, silence hangs between us. Then Maddox finally speaks, “I told you before we went down this path that I’m the villain, and villains don’t do stupid shit like let the woman they love go.” His grip on my throat loosens, but he doesn’t let go, his dark eyes holding mine captive.
The world seems to stand still as his words echo in the room. “Love…” I whisper, tasting the word and feeling it roll off my tongue. “We’ve known each other for less than two weeks, Maddox. It’s crazy that you’re saying you love me.” Deep down, I know I love him too, even if it is crazy.
“But I do,” he counters, his voice a dangerous whisper. His grip relaxes around my throat, his hand sliding down to rest over my pounding heart. “Can’t you feel it? It’s crazy, but it’s real.” His gaze is intense.
“I need to go,” I say, pulling away from him.
He watches me with a clenched jaw. “And if I chase you?” he asks, an odd gleam in his eyes. “Would you run?”
“I’d run fast,” I reply, my voice filled with defiance.
He’s got a predatory glint in his eyes. And I realize the only way to get out of here is to run. So, I turn and sprint out of the cabin, my feet crunching in the freshly fallen snow.
Behind me, I can hear the echo of his laughter, a chilling sound that sends a shiver of anticipation down my spine. “Let the hunt begin,” he calls after me, his words fading into the cold winter air.
My heart beats like a wild drum in my chest as I run, the cold winter air stinging my cheeks. Somewhere behind me, I hear Maddox, his heavy boots crunching in the snow. A part of me is terrified, the fear a living, breathing thing that shivers down my spine.
Yet, there’s another part of me that is excited. My blood sings with it. The last thing I should be is excited after our argument, but I can’t help it. This man has an inexplicable hold on me, which I can’t shake. Not even when he acts like a raving lunatic and tells me he’s never letting me go.
“Ivy!” Maddox’s voice booms through the snow-laden forest. “You can’t run forever, angel!” His words are a taunt. “When I catch you, I’m going to make you mine repeatedly.” His words make my heart pound harder. “I’m going to make you beg for my cock,” he calls out, his voice closer.
I push harder and faster, sure my lungs will burst.
“Maddox, you’re insane!” I scream back.
He laughs in response. “You’re going to beg me to stop,” he calls out, the promise in his voice making my heart hammer in my chest. “You’re going to beg me, but I won’t stop. Not until you’re screaming my name, not until you’re shattering under my touch.” The crunching of snow under his boots is closer.
My legs carry me further and further, but I know I can’t outrun him. And I don’t want to. The idea of being caught and fucked again, like the first time against a tree, drives me wild.
His laugh is a low rumble closer now. “And you’ll love every second of it, won’t you?”
“No!” I shout back. My voice bounces off the snow-laden branches.
The cold air pierces my lungs as I push faster. My brow furrows as I no longer hear the crunch of his boots in pursuit, putting me on edge. I dodge behind a thick tree trunk, catching my breath and trying to be quiet, but it’s impossible.
Suddenly, a strong hand wraps around my throat, yanking me away from my makeshift sanctuary. Maddox towers over me, his eyes wild. His grip is firm and punishing. “Found you,” he growls.
Fear and excitement bubble within me as I meet his gaze through another of his masks.
I was so slow he had the time to pull on a shirt and a mask and still catch me. My stomach drops as this was never a fair game, but I don’t want it to be fair. I want him to take me against my will. The lines blur between our role-play and reality as our argument was real.
Maddox is silent, his hands moving with a predator’s efficiency as he peels my jeans down, exposing me to the icy air. He hoists me against the tree, the icy, snow-covered bark biting into my skin through my shirt.
“Stop,” I whisper, though the tremor in my voice betrays the excitement coursing through me.
We both know that he only stops if I use the safe-word. And right now, I don’t know if he would stop. His eyes are too feral. He’s lost to any rhyme or reason. I could test him, say it, but for some crazy reason, I still want this, even as he tells me I’m his prisoner.
His hand leaves my throat only to unzip his pants. I steal a glance, and my breath hitches as his size always intimidates me.
My heart thumps wildly as I’m torn between fear and arousal, my body reacting to his. I push my hand against his hard chest, the heat of him contrasting with the biting cold that nips at my exposed skin. “No,” I protest weakly.
His eyes flash at my resistance.
“You can’t have me,” I say.
His hand tightens around my waist, his body pressing against mine. My fear and desire are so entwined I can’t tell them apart. Whether I admit it or not, I'm his, and all I can do is brace myself for the storm that’s about to come.