Chapter 39

THIRTY-NINE

He stood under the cover of the trees, waiting for her. It wasn’t lost on him that she’d chosen to run through the city park alone. He was certain that she knew he’d been following her. It was obvious in the way she occasionally stopped and tilted her head, as if she was listening to a melody only the two of them could hear. He’d given her time, waiting for the perfect moment to claim her, but she’d stayed too close to other people and cameras. Even when she parked her car, she chose the spot nearest the building she was entering.

Until today.

Once he knew which path she was jogging along, he raced ahead, cutting across through dense woods so that he could meet her in a more remote spot.

The sound of sneakers pounding against the asphalt trail startled him from his thoughts. Seconds later, she appeared, her sprint slowed by exertion and the heat. He stepped out in front of her. She screamed, one hand flying to her chest. His fingers tingled with the compulsion to touch her. The girl he loved was only a memory now but this one—she was here in front of him. There was no way she would have gotten into his car last week, then led him to her apartment after she got out unless she wanted him. Jogging alone was a clear invitation.

“Come here,” he said.

She shook her head. “No.”

He smiled and she shrank back. Still playing hard to get. It must have been her favorite game. “No?”

“I don’t want to…be with you. I never wanted to be with you.”

He didn’t believe her, but he could see by the way she shifted from foot to foot that she would run at his first advance. It only turned him on more. He let his fists hang loosely at his sides. “You found me,” he reminded her.

She glanced around but no one was going to ruin this moment. “That was a mistake. I just—I don’t want to see you again.”

Anger flared hot in his chest. He flexed his fists. “Don’t lie to me, bitch.”

Eyes wide, she reminded him of a deer caught in headlights. Except when he took a step toward her, she turned and ran.