Truth or Dare (His Wicked Games #2) by Ember Casey Read Free Book Online Page B

I’m glad
to have worn a scarf and thick tights with my dress. I lean against
his warmth, and he slides his arm around my waist.
    It’s strange.
    Strange to be a normal couple walking through
a normal park. I mean, this is the guy who once had sex with me up
against the wall of a dungeon. Well— cellar , if we’re getting
technical about it. My time on his estate was intensely erotic, and
this feels so ordinary by comparison.
    I glance up at him. The afternoon sun makes
his skin glow and brings out the bluish undertones in his dark
hair. There’s a muscle working in his jaw, but when he senses me
staring, he looks down and smiles.
    “How was your week?” he asks. “Discover any
burgeoning Van Goghs in one of your classes?”
    I remember the subtle shift in his mood the
last couple of times I talked about the Center. I know he’s only
trying to be polite.
    “I don’t want to talk about work,” I tell
him. I want to pull him away from the dark places in his mind. I
want to remind him of the wild, passionate couple we were, back on
his estate.
    I stop on the path and look out across the
lake.
    “See that dock?” I say, pointing to the
small, wooden structure protruding into the water from the far
shore. “I’ll race you to it. Loser has to make the other one
dinner.”
    His eyes darken at the challenge. “Are you
sure that’s a good idea?”
    “Afraid I’ll win?” I tease. “Because you
should be.”
    Before he has the chance to respond, I turn
and sprint down the path.
    “Cheater!” he calls after me, but it’s not
long before I hear his footsteps in pursuit.
    Adrenaline pumps through my veins as I race
through the trees. There are only a handful of people in this
section of the park, and they glance up at me in confusion as I run
by. Calder is right on my heels. His footsteps grow louder, closer,
and then he’s near enough that I can hear his ragged breathing.
    Once, he’s close enough to reach out and grab
the back of my dress. I stumble and almost fall, and by the time I
recover he’s pulled ahead.
    “Who’s the cheater now?” I yell after
him.
    A passing jogger looks at me sharply, but I
curse under my breath and start running again.
    Calder has a good lead on me now, but I’m not
about to let him win, not this time. Up ahead, a small creek enters
the lake, and our path curves away from the lakeshore to a small
bridge slightly upstream. Calder follows the path, but I head
straight for the creek. I run through the brush, leap over the
water, and manage to regain the path some paces ahead of
Calder.
    We’re close. I can see the end of the dock
through the trees ahead. Calder is just behind me, and though I
hear him reach for me, I manage to twist out of his reach before
he’s able to pull the same trick on me twice.
    But I underestimate him. Just as we break
through the trees and hit the shore, he lunges, catching me around
the waist. We both land on the sand, twisting and tumbling over
each other.
    I’m so close. Calder tries to hold me down,
but I manage to free my arm. I reach out, grappling for the dock,
and I’m rewarded when my fingers hit nearest wooden post.
    “I win!” I gasp as I cease struggling.
    Calder seizes the opportunity to pin me to
the sand beneath him.
    “You owe me dinner,” I say, gazing up at
him.
    “Is that so?” He’s breathing heavily and his
hair is a mess—like we’ve been taking part in a very different sort
of physical exertion.
     
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