Page 22 of Wicked Temptations
The crowd erupted.
Jude was right there. His eyes were wild, pupils blown wide, and his hair was everywhere, the ends curled against his collar and sticking to the paint across his forehead. He looked like he was desperate to devour me and fuck, I’d never wanted anything more.
I was out of my depth, and I knew it. I’d been obsessing over this man for months, built him up in my head until he became something larger than life, and now that I’d had him, I just knew I’d never get him out of my system.
And Jude? He’d probably forget about me the moment someone else caught his eye.
I was doing it again. Finding someone unattainable and pretending this time would be different.
Bad boys and shades of gray that hide their pain.
Jude was going to wreck me. I knew it. And still, I couldn’t bring myself to run. It was so much more fun to play the antagonist.
“Getting tired?” I chuckled, backing away.
“Not even close.”
He lunged. I dodged, barely, and then I bolted down another row of spooky set pieces.
We Hunters had zones. Designated areas where we were supposed to fight, where the choreography unfolded under the blood-red lights and smoke machines, all set to our own theme music. Each sector had a stage or platform, places for the guests to gather and watch while the other scare actors prowled around them, building atmosphere.
Jude and I had abandoned all that two zones ago.
Now we were tearing through the entire park, and the guests fucking loved it. They scattered when we came barreling through the fog, then turned to watch, phones out, capturing the madness. The regular scare performers stepped aside, recognizing us, letting us pass. One of them grinned and pointed in the direction Jude had gone, no doubt trying to skirt around me.
I flashed them a grateful nod and kept running. My lungs burned. My cock throbbed. This was insane. We were in public, surrounded by guests who had no idea that the tension between us was real. That every move was infused with something raw and hungry, and that there’d be real stakes if he caught me.
They’re watching. Everyone’s watching, and thank fuck none of them knew how much I wanted Jude to catch me.
The realization should have sobered me up. Instead, it made everything more exciting. It made my skin feel too tight and my blood run hotter. I could hear Jude behind me again now, relentless, and part of me wanted to just stop. Just let him takeme down.Take me.It was what I’d wanted long before I’d signed the employee contract here.
But pride and the sheer thrill of the chase kept me moving.
I rounded another corner too fast, and only then did I realize my mistake.
This wasn’t part of the generic scare zones. It was a different set with different lighting and performers.
Riley was in the middle of her routine, skating in tight circles around a terrified couple. The rest of her crew flanked the edges, playing their roles: laughing dolls with freaky, blood-splattered makeup, cupcake dresses, and baseball bats.
I’d just crashed their show.
Shit.
Professionalism kicked in hard. I skidded to a stop and forced myself to stay in character while turning my abrupt entrance into a part of the act. Really, I just had to act like I’d been running from something and stumbled into the wrong territory, not like I was in the middle of some weird, animalistic and twisted flirting.
Riley’s eyes flicked to me, sharp and calculating. She didn’t miss a beat. Just grinned that unhinged grin and spun toward me like I was fresh prey.
“Lost, little hunter?”
Behind me, Jude emerged from the shadows. He moved like smoke, all controlled aggression, and the crowd went fucking ballistic again. He was always the favorite. Jude had that emo-goth-boy-who-could-kick-your-ass-and-hold-you-down aesthetic perfected, and half the damn crowd here were probably Instagrammers thirsting after the obvious trap.
Riley’s crew shifted to accommodate us, and suddenly we were all part of the same performance. Jude circled me slowly, eyes locked on mine, and I felt the weight of his gaze like a physicaltouch. I felt a phantom hand around my throat, and it made me want to drop to my knees and beg for more.
We played it up. Stalking each other, closing the distance, letting the tension build until it was almost unbearable. Then Riley shrieked, a sound that cut through everything, and the lights shifted.
That was our cue to fade and get the fuck out of her scene.
Jude melted into the smoke on one side. I backed off on the other, disappearing into the maze of set pieces. The crowd’s attention shifted fully to Riley and her routine, and I found myself pressed against a wall in the shadows, breathing hard.
