Page 9 of Pounded in the Patch
I climb out of the car slowly, savoring the sound of my boots on gravel. Each step is a countdown to her awakening, to the moment when she realizes that her darkest fantasy has found her whether she was ready for it or not.
Fear is the ultimate aphrodisiac when you control every variable.
And she is safe. Safer than she's ever been in her life.
Because I would kill anyone who tried to hurt her.
I would burn down cities to keep her from harm.
But I'll also ensure she never escapes from what we're about to become.
I just have to break her a little… to help her understand.
The night air is cold but not painful, carrying the scent of woodsmoke from the fire pit I had installed at the center of the patch. The fog machines are working perfectly. Even the moon is cooperating—full and bright above the trees like a spotlight on our stage.
It’s coming together exactly as I envisioned.
I circle the car slowly, taking my time, letting her wonder what I'm doing out here in the darkness. Through the windows, I can see her trying to feign unconsciousness, but her pulse is hammering visibly at her throat. Even in the dim light, I can see the rapid flutter of her heartbeat, and it makes something possessive and primal rise in my chest.
She's mine.
She's always been mine, from the moment I first saw her.
Tonight I'm just going to make it official.
I check my watch one more time—10:52 PM. The night is young, and I have so much planned for her. The grand finale will elevate everything that came before. But first, she needs to experience the fantasy fully. She needs to run and be caught and pleasured and claimed by a stranger who wants her more than anything else in this world.
She needs to surrender completely.
My hand finds the small remote in my pocket—the one that controls the lighting at the patch center, the one that will transform our hunting ground when the moment is right.
When I reach her door, I pause with my hand on the handle. This is the last moment before everything changes. The last second of anticipation. After this, there's no going back.
I hope you're ready, baby.
I hope you're ready to discover what you're really capable of and how far you’ll fall into darkness.
I hope you're ready to be hunted by someone who's already decided you'll never get away.
I open the door and let the cool night air rush in, carrying with it the scent of my stage. The combination creates an atmosphere that's both familiar and otherworldly, natural and supernatural.
"It’s time to wake up, my night monster."
The nickname feels perfect on my tongue—she looks like a vampire princess in that skimpy little costume, all pale skin and dark lashes and blood-red lips. But tonight,I'mthe predator. I'm the one who hunts.
I can see her trying to control her breathing, trying to maintain the illusion of unconsciousness, but her body betrays her completely. The rapid pulse, the tension in her shoulders, the way her fingers curl slightly even though she's trying to stay limp.
She's terrified.
And it makes my cock strain harder.Fuck.I need her.
"I know you're awake, beautiful. Your pulse is racing."
I reach out and press my fingers to her throat, feeling the frantic flutter of her heartbeat against my fingertips. I can feel how warm she is, howaliveshe is. The sensation sends heat straight to my fucking cock.
This is about fulfilling my darkest fantasies too.
"There's no point in pretending anymore. We have work to do, you and I."
