Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

SLOAN

M y lungs burn with each breath of frosted air, and my legs shake with exhaustion, but I've never felt more alive. The tree farm materializes out of the darkness like something from a fever dream – endless rows of evergreens standing tall in the moonlight. Snow blankets everything, pristine and untouched, reflecting the silvery light until it seems the whole farm is a mirage of diamonds and shadows. The church lies somewhere beyond the silent forest, and with it, either my victory or my sweet surrender.

Pulling my phone from my pocket, I check the time.

Thirty minutes until midnight.

Half an hour until this game ends – assuming I win it. There’s no telling how long Alex will keep me in the church if he wins. Afterall, nothing is off-limits if he catches me again. He’s faster than I am, so I have no doubt he’ll be able to beat me to the church if he catches me for the third time.

My boots sink deeper into the snow with each step, making my thighs scream in protest. But it's nothing compared to the other aches in my body – the delicious soreness that reminds me of Alex's touch, of the way he's shattered every preconception I had about him tonight. My scalp still burns where he held my hair, a stark contrast to the biting cold of the winter air.

Who knew he had such a dark side?

The thought of him sends liquid heat through my veins despite the freezing temperature. No more than a few hours ago, I thought I knew Alex Adams. Thought I understood the careful way he moved through the world, all straight lines and sharp edges, just like his father.

Now... God, now I'm not sure I ever knew him at all.

I weave between the trees, trying to make my path as unpredictable as possible while fighting against snow that reaches halfway up my legs. Each step is a battle – lift, push, sink, recover. The cold penetrated my boots hours ago, turning my feet into blocks of ice, but the rest of me burns for his touch. For his transformation. For the way proper, controlled Alex became something animalistic and hungry in the darkness.

My breath comes in frosty puffs as I push forward, each exhale a cloud of crystallized desperation. The silence is deafening – the kind of quiet that only exists in snowfall, where the whole world seems to stop. I can't hear anyone following me, can't see any signs of pursuit, but that means nothing. I've learned that lesson twice tonight already.

The memory of the gingerbread house with its mechanical elves and twinkling lights sends another wave of heat coursing through my frozen body. The way he looked at me there, like something primal had finally broken free of its chains. The sounds he made... God, I never thought I'd hear sounds like that from a man who follows God so closely.

Focus, Sloan. Get to the fucking church. Win the goddamn game.

But do I want to win? The question hits me as I pause behind a particularly large pine, leaning against its thick branches to catch my breath. My heartbeat thunders in my ears, equal parts exertion and anticipation. The church means the end of the game. The end of this wild, kinky version of Alex who seems to find me no matter where I hide. The end of discovering just how deep his darkness goes.

Unless I lose. Unless I surrender to him, and then… maybe this is only the beginning.

How am I supposed to celebrate Christmas with his family after this? How can I sit across from him at his mom’s dining table, making polite conversation about the weather, when I know what lurks beneath his perfect manners? When all I’ll want to do is lay across the table and let him have his way with me.

The silence wraps around me as I rest against the tree. Every muscle in my body trembles with fatigue, but beneath the exhaustion is anticipation. The moonlight peeking through the clouds creates strange shadows between the trees, making every dark space look like it might be hiding him. The thought should be enough to get my legs moving again. Instead, it makes my pulse quicken, makes heat gather between my thighs despite the bone-deep cold.

I scan the darkness behind me, seeing nothing but endless rows of evergreens and undisturbed snow. The only footprints are my own, which are already being covered by the falling snowflakes. No movement. No sign of the predator I know is out there somewhere. The Alex I knew yesterday would never trudge through snow this deep in his expensive shoes. But this Alex? The one who's been hunting me through the night? I'm starting to think there's nothing he wouldn't do.

When I turn back around, he's there.

My heart stops, then explodes into a frantic rhythm as I stare into eyes that barely look human anymore. He's breathing hard, his perfect posture gone, snow dusting his shoulders. His eyes make my knees weak as I stare at him through the black ski mask.

Every cell in my body is screaming yes .

"Alex," I breathe, but that's all I manage before he moves. One moment I'm standing alone, the next I'm pinned against the tree trunk, its bark rough against my back even through my overcoat. His body cages mine, radiating heat that makes the winter air between us disappear entirely. The contrast is dizzying – ice at my back, fire at my front.

"Now I get to fuck you," he growls, and God, his voice . When did proper, controlled Alex start sounding like that? Like he's barely holding onto his humanity? Like he's two seconds away from burning the world for me?

Alex’s cock presses against me through his pants, and I let out a breathless gasp, my hands clutching at his shoulders through the layers of his coat. The intensity in his gaze sends shivers down my spine, forcing a moan to slip through my lips. My eyes flutter at the feel of the rough fabric of his ski mask against my skin when he leans in closer, his lips so close to mine yet unable to touch.

Desire rips through me, igniting every nerve ending in my body as I arch into him, begging for more. His hands roam over my body, firm fingers tracing my curves through my red sweater dress. My torn black tights leave my pussy exposed to the cold air, making me need him that much more.

Without words and without hesitation, Alex hikes my dress up over my hips, exposing my bare pussy even more. The cold air bites down on my skin, making me cry out.

“I need you,” I whimper, gripping him tighter. “I need you to fuck me right now.”

Alex doesn’t make me wait. He unfastens his pants, freeing his cock. My mouth waters as he strokes himself a few times. It’s so cold, but he’s so fucking hard for me.

Lining himself up with my entrance, he rubs the head of his cock over my clit and through my slick folds several times before pushing his way into me. My head falls back with delight as he slides inside of me, filling me so fully that I think I might burst.

“Oh fuck,” I cry out. “You’re so fucking big.”

Alex slams into me harder, making me take every delicious inch of him. He grunts against my neck as he leans into me, pounding me into the tree. We’re shaking the tree so violently that the snow is falling from the branches, covering our shoulders in white. But I don’t care. All I can think about is how fucking good his cock feels inside of me. And how much I fucking love this side of Alex. I’ll gladly get on my knees for him every day for the rest of my life if he feeds me cock this good. I’ll never tire of the way he thrusts inside of me, stretching me fuller than I thought I could take.

I meet his strokes, pushing off the tree each time he buries himself inside of me. He feels fucking perfect. Like his cock was made to fill my pussy perfectly.

Groaning, Alex pulls his head back from where he had it buried in my neck, and he fists his fingers through my hair, forcing me to watch him as he fucks me. I meet his intense stare, watching them through his ski mask. My lips part, my jaw dropping when I see flecks of gold in Alex’s normally brown eyes. They’re almost glowing against the moonlight, and suddenly I don’t feel like I’m staring at Alex.

It’s like he notices my hesitation, and he breaks our stare, spinning me around to face the tree trunk so that he can fuck me from behind. My mind immediately wanders away from the change in his eyes, getting lost in the feeling of his cock slamming into me again.

I grip the tree trunk, letting the bark scrape against my fingers. Alex’s hands are on both sides of my hips, and he’s using his hold to thrust me into him harder. My ass bounces off of him with each stroke, and soon we’re making a loud clapping sound that breaks the dead silence of the tree farm.

Snow and sex. The only two things filling the air.

“Fuck,” I moan, using what little strength I have left to hold myself up against the tree.

“Take it,” he growls, pushing into me harder. “Fucking take it.”

And I do. The walls of my pussy clench around his cock, baring down as an orgasm hits me out of nowhere. Alex roars against the night, spilling himself inside of me so furiously I come twice, back to back waves of pleasure that steamroll their way through my body.

Alex steps back after his last stroke, letting his cock fall. He slaps my ass so hard it makes me yelp and arch my back, which makes my pussy involuntarily clench, missing the fullness of his dick.Tucking himself back inside his pants, he helps me pull my dress back down and secures my overcoat around my body to trap my body heat inside of it.

When he finally steps back, we're both gasping. Snow continues to fall, silent and steady, already covering our footprints. His eyes are still wild, pupils blown wide, and I realize with a start that I love this version of him. Love the way he's completely unleashed, totally present.

"Ten minutes," he says without having to check the time, his voice rough like gravel. "Get to the church before me or you're mine."

The words send electricity down my spine. Aren't I already? Haven't I already lost the game entirely? There’s not a chance in the world I’m going to beat him to the church. All I can do now is prepare myself for what happens when I arrive there. For what happens when I surrender to him and give myself to him entirely in the one place I never expected to.

"Run," he commands, stepping back, and the sudden loss of his heat makes me shiver violently. "Run, Sloan. This is your last chance before there’s no turning back."

My legs feel like jelly as I push away from the tree. Every muscle protests – too much running, too much tension, too much pleasure. The cold air hits my heated skin like a slap, making me inhale sharply.

I force myself forward through the deep snow, each step an uphill battle against exhaustion and gravity. Behind me, I hear nothing – but in reality, that means nothing. I've learned tonight that Alex can move like a ghost when he wants to, appearing and disappearing like a fucking shadow.

The moonlight breaks through the clouds above the trees, casting enough light to find my way. My breath comes in sharp pants. Less than ten minutes to make it through this silent forest of Christmas trees, to find the church, and to win this game. I can’t give up now. Not when I’m so close to the church.

But my mind keeps dragging me back to the tree, to his touch, to the way he growled my name like it was something both sacred and profane all at once. Each memory of his cock thrusting inside me makes it harder to run, harder to focus on anything except how wet I am.

Focus , I think, shaking my head at myself. It’s fucking pathetic how worked up I am right now. I’m like a bitch in heat who can only focus on one thing: dick.

But God, I don't want this night to end. I don't want to go back to the way things were before today. Not to the stale-by-comparison Alex who doesn’t let this darkness so much as peek through the cracks of his facade.

The snow is falling faster now, thick flakes catching in my eyelashes, making the world blur at the edges. Or maybe that's just exhaustion. Maybe that's just desire. Maybe that's just what happens when you've been thoroughly claimed by someone you thought you knew, only to discover you never really knew them at all.

I stumble in the snow, but I catch myself and quickly recover, forcing myself to keep moving. My legs are trembling with fatigue, but I can’t stop now.

Part of me wants to fall. Wants to let him beat me to the church. Wants to discover what he's been saving for the end of this game.

Through the trees ahead, I catch a glimpse of something – a spire, maybe, dark against the night sky. The church? Hope and disappointment war in my chest as I collapse in the snow, unable to take another step. Pulling out my phone, I check the time.

11:59 pm.

Fuck . One minute. I won’t make it.

Alex is probably already there. Watching. Waiting .

I’m not even mad. Just exhausted and cold.