Crown of Lies

My teeth caught his bottom lip, dragging a slip tide of violence and need from him. He growled into my mouth, nipping and licking exactly like the starving wolf I thought he was.

“Fuck, what—what are you doing to me?” His breathless grunt did things. Glorious, delicious things. His voice created knots and bows with my insides. It filled my stomach with whirlwinds; it affected my core until my panties grew as damp as the grass we lay upon.

I loved knowing I affected him the way he affected me. Adored that we were in this craziness together—tripping into whatever rabbit hole we’d found and deciding to kiss and kiss until we splatted against the bottom.

His hands roamed, skating over my sides, keeping to the boundaries of pleasure. I arched, twisting a little to intercept his fingers as they swooped up and found my breast.

We both gasped, stealing oxygen from each other’s lungs and sharing a moan-filled shudder. My hands felt empty—I needed to touch something of his. Something I’d never touched before and didn’t know how but I wanted to. So. Damn. Much.

Lights appeared again. I was delirious with need but with no experience or knowledge on how to relieve such desire.

I wanted him to do something. Touch something. Remove this tingling sparkling supernova deep in my belly. But he tore his lips from mine, his head flying upward in a rain of messy hair and smeared chocolate.

“Shit.” He pulled away, leaving my body wanting and unsatisfied. “We’ve got to go. Now!”

The lights were brighter with my eyes open.

It wasn’t him.

It was security.

“Hey, you!” A flashlight shone directly on us.

Kissing forgotten, he jumped to his feet and grabbed my hand. He hauled me effortlessly upright and yanked me into a run. “Go!”

I didn’t hesitate.

My sneakers dug into the grass, propelling me as fast as I could.

“Stop!” The security guard gave chase, his flashlight bouncing erratically. He skirted the outside of the baseball field but most likely had keys as he jogged breathlessly toward the stands rather than try to out-run us as we bolted for the other side of the fence.

Reaching the chain link, the nameless man I’d just kissed grabbed my hips and boosted me a foot into the air. “Climb. Fast.” His voice wasn’t out of breath but throbbed with urgency. He rippled with the need to bolt.

I clutched the metal and scurried as fast as I could with my shoes barely fitting into the holes. The fence wobbled as he scaled it faster than I could, swinging over the top and dropping down.

“Come on!” he hissed.

I climbed faster, curling myself over the top.

He paced below, holding his arms out. “Jump. I’ll catch you.”

“What...again?” That he’d already demanded to catch me twice in our short relationship almost made me laugh. Had we formed habits already?

Hysteria at being chased made jumbled emotions run riot. Laughter became nervousness. Attraction became anxiety.

“Do it, Elle.” His tone gave no argument.

The security guard had vanished, but it didn’t mean he wouldn’t pop up any second. Clinging to the other side, I looped my fingers tight.

“I’m here.” He braced his legs, waiting.

Giving him one last glance, hoping to God he was a man of his word, I squeezed my eyes and let go.

The fall set my stomach tangling with my throat. I landed awkwardly like a bride who’d fallen from the altar into her groom’s arms.

He grunted, pulling my horizontal form into his embrace. He stumbled but didn’t drop me. Our eyes met; a half-smirk hijacked his lips. “Couldn’t stay away from me, huh?”

I swatted his shoulder. “You’re the one who told me to jump.”

His face darkened. “I’m also the one who kissed you.”

A flashlight appeared; a garbled shout was closer.

“Shit.” He let my legs go, swinging me to vertical. The instant my feet touched the ground, he grabbed my hand and yanked me forward.

We ran.

Air and speed and night-sky.

More flashlights appeared from other ends of the park, dancing with rays of righteousness as back-up guards arrived, chasing us like hounds.

“Oh, my God!” I yelled. “What do we do?”

“Keep running.” He pulled me forward, slipping into a faster gear.

I wasn’t unfit (thanks to my regular gym sessions) but I couldn’t keep up with his pace. My lungs burned. My mouth opened wide, gulping at unhelpful air.

A security guard appeared to our left, bursting from the night-shrouded bushes. Behind him ran four men in uniform.

Police.

Holy shit.

Why are the police involved?

We hadn’t vandalized property or hurt anyone. We’d gone for a stroll and kissed under the moon. What was so wrong with that?

“Fuck!” Nameless squeezed my hand, doing his best to drag me faster. “Come on!”

I shook my head, stumbling, dragging him back. “Ca—can’t.” Tugging on his grip, I did my best for him to release me. “My legs are cramping. Let me go.”

“No.” His fingers locked tighter. “I won’t let you get arrested because of me.”

Arrested?

That awful word and terrifying implications gave me a final shot of energy. I ran as fast as I could, for as long as I could. The flashlights slowly lost ground but then sped up to match us.

It’s no use.

Lactic acid built up and up until I limped rather than ran. He had no choice but to either let me go or slow down. I didn’t want him to leave, but I also didn’t want him to face a situation he didn’t need to.