Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 101427 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 507(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101427 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 507(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
He’s crazy.
He’d filled the room on purpose, so a veil of steam would be thick enough to hide him anywhere. At this point. . .with all the steam. . .he could be five feet away, and I wouldn’t see him until he wanted me to.
My chest tightened.
He wasn’t just hunting me—he was building a hunting ground. Every hiss of the water masked his breath. Every drifting curl of steam swallowed his shadow.
Very clever, Kenji. So. . .you want to jump out and scare-fuck me. Nope. I don’t think so. I’ll catch you first.
I narrowed my eyes, trying to pierce the haze, but the shower was a wall of silver spray, shapes bending and vanishing behind it. He could be in there now, standing utterly still, watching me struggle to find him while the steam kept him cloaked.
I held my breath, just for a beat, to hear past the hiss of the shower, listening for the softer sound of his breath hidden under it.
Hmmm. I don’t know. . .
A thrill ripped through me, mixed with fear and aching.
Alright. . .if he is in the shower, I can slam the glass door shut, trap him in the steam and make him beg to get out.
My heart boomed in my ears.
Okay. . .I’ll see if he is in the shower first. Then, I’ll get something to protect me. I’ll teach him to mess with a tiger.
I had to think of this like an investigative assignment for a top paper. I mapped the bathroom like a crime scene in my notes—steam clouding the evidence, shadows moving like suspects, the shower staged as the most obvious culprit.
If I were going to get caught, I’d at least make Kenji work for the headline.
Looking from side to side the whole time, I slowly walked forward, shifted my weight to the balls of my feet, and softened my steps so even the marble wouldn’t hear me.
One step.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Being hunted wasn’t just a game.
It was a spark striking tinder, heat spreading everywhere at once until there was a wildfire racing through my veins, licking across my skin from the inside out.
Five steps.
Six.
Seven.
A sound cracked the silence—soft, sharp, like tile creaking under shifting weight.
What was that?
My pulse didn’t live in my chest anymore. It banged in my throat, in my wrists, in the hollow between my thighs.
The hiss of the shower swallowed everything, but that creak rang louder than thunder. My breath dragged out harsh, and suddenly it was the only sound I could hear, a desperate signal betraying me in the dark.
Eight steps.
Nine.
Ten.
Every curl of steam looked like a shadow moving, every flicker of candlelight like his body about to break through.
Fuck. I have to stay on guard.
My only plan was that if he lunged out to grab me. . .maybe I could drop and roll. Then. . .have the mist hide me too.
I almost wanted to laugh at that.
What the fuck did I know about stalking prey through steam and shadows?
Kenji had way more skill at this than I did. He’d built the terrain, set the stage, cloaked himself like some seasoned predator who had all the time in the world.
But still. . .my lips curved.
This was fun.
Twisted, erotic fun.
A thrill I could taste in the back of my throat, hot and sharp. My heart might be racing, my body shaking, but the fear only made it sweeter.
Sexier.
So what if he was the Dragon and I was supposed to be his prey? I could play that game. I could lean into the hunt.
I would give this a try and be the Tiger. The predator.
Even if I lost—and oh, I probably would—I’d make damn sure it was exciting.
Eleven steps.
Twelve.
Thirteen.
Then. . .to my shock. . .the overhead lights blinked out.
Just like that.
What?!
Darkness slammed down around me. Not the gentle kind of dark one eases into, but sudden, brutal, and absolute.
Oh shit.
Fast, I crouched to the floor, unsure of what could happen next.
The only light left was the uncertain flutter of candle flames around the tub, twisting through the hazy steam in weak, trembling strokes.
Panic hit me.
Shallow, stuttering breaths dragged through my chest.
The steam and heat wrapped around me so thick it became touch—slick, greedy, everywhere at once. Moisture slid down my thigh like his finger dragging slow toward my pussy. The damp air clung to my nipples until the fabric turned into suction, teasing and pulling like a hungry mouth desperate to taste me.
My own skin betrayed me, flushing hot, trembling, reacting to caresses that weren’t there—yet—and aching for the ones I knew were coming.
Okay. Think.
I licked my lips.
My pussy throbbed, but my head forced me to focus.
The switch is by the door. Had he been near the door the whole time? But. . .I didn’t see him.
I remained low to the ground and as quiet as I could be.
The large tub at the room’s center gurgled softly. The sound was innocent and ordinary, but in the dark, it became monstrous.