Lost in the Chase, page 23
"What can I say? I like to keep things interesting," I say with a sweet smile that doesn’t quite reach my eyes.
Aster rises from the guy’s lap and struts across the room like the challenge was always hers to win.
Beck stands too, towering over her in front of the leather couch, and instantly, the tension between them is palpable, like fire and gasoline, and I’m about to watch it explode.
She reaches out, her fingers brushing his arm, and Beck’s body reacts before he can even make sense of the feeling. Aster rises onto her tiptoes, and Beck leans in, meeting her halfway. The kiss starts off hard, playful, teasing. But then… it changes.
She softens. My badass best friend melts into him. Her hands slide behind his neck as his mouth parts against hers. This isn’t just a dare anymore. It’s not even close. He wants her. No…he feels something deeper. Her legs lift without thinking, wrapping around his waist, and he catches her like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
I can’t help but sigh in awe. I’m such a hopeless romantic, and this feels like a scene pulled straight from a chick flick. I catch myself smiling like an idiot because that’s my best friend, and she found him. For the first time, I see Aster truly swoon, and it takes my breath away.
Clint lets out a low whistle. “Okay, okay. Get a room, you two.”
They pull apart slowly, like gravity is still trying to hold them together. Aster grins, eyes locked on Beck’s ocean-blue stare. Then I hear her whisper, “The plague doctor from the maze?”
Beck blinks. “Catwoman… from the maze?”
She nods, resting her forehead against his. “I’ve been thinking about you since that night.”
His voice drops. “Me too.”
Kage’s voice slices through the moment. “Alright, lovebirds. Can we please get back to the game?”
Aster hops down, grabs Beck’s hand, and pulls him toward the nearest leather chair. Her eye candy takes the hint and slips away without a word. She has her man now. Beck sinks into the chair, and she slides onto his lap, grinning like she just hit the jackpot.
Across the table, she mouths to me, “You knew it was him this whole time?” I nod, biting my lip, trying not to smile. “You sneaky matchmaker… thank you.”
I blow her a kiss and make a cheesy heart with my hands. “Alright, Aster,” I say, playful. “Since you went last time, it’s your turn.” She scans the circle, eyes glinting, playful and dangerous, before they settle on me.
Oh, shit. I did her a favor. That means she’ll go easy on me… right? Right?
Her smile doesn’t falter. But her eyes? Devious. “Lila,” she purrs, “truth or dare?”
I toss back a shot like it's water and cross my arms. “Dare.”
Aster leans forward, her chin resting on her hand, eyes glinting with mischief. “I dare you to seduce Kage.”
My heart slams against my ribs.
Seriously, Aster? You cockblock me and then throw me into the lion's den. You must hate me.
But this is what I have wanted all along. While he was with other women, I was dreaming of touching him, teasing him, watching him come undone for me. And now it is real. I have the chance. His eyes burn into mine. He does not move. He does not speak. But I feel it. He is waiting for my response to the dare, waiting for me to back down, watching to see if I have the nerve to go through with it. Daring me to try.
My watch vibrates against my wrist.
Shit. My heart rate is spiking.
He glances down at the flicker on the screen like he already knows.
I can do this.
I will do this.
Slowly, I rise to my feet as Leon’s hand slips off my thigh, and I never break eye contact with Kage. Then he speaks. His voice is smooth, cruel, laced with challenge. “Aww, Aster. That’s cute. You really think she can seduce me?” He grins wickedly, arms still draped around the two women like he’s already made his choice.
Show him what you’re made of, Lila. He may have won the other day. But not tonight. Tonight, I win.
I take my time walking over, every step confident and unhurried, until I’m standing behind the leather couch where Kage lounges like a king among his playthings. “Revolving Door,” by Tate McRae, throbs through the speakers. Every lyric hits like it was written just for me, syncing with emotions I’ve spent weeks trying to forget.
He’s my bad habit. The one I swear I’ll stop craving. But I never do. He’s my own personal revolving door. No matter how far I run, I always end up right back here. Right back to him.
The beat pulses through me like a second heartbeat. The melody coils around the room, smoky and seductive, thick with tension. Like the song already knows what I’m about to do… even though I know I shouldn’t. I lean in, slow and steady, letting my breath skim just beneath his ear. His arms are still draped around the women on either side of him, but I make sure he feels me.
Well. This won’t do.
He smells like desire. Expensive cologne. A trace of cigarette smoke. And something darker. Something that is undeniably him. It takes everything in me not to thread my fingers into his hair and yank his head back to put my lips against him. I can’t see his face, but I know his body. I know when he’s bluffing.
He’s too still. Too composed. Trying too hard to look untouchable. The song hums around us, and I wonder if he feels it too. This heat. This ache. This pull I can’t shake. I go in for the kill.
My lips ghost along his neck, soft and fleeting, but it lands like a match to dry wood. Just enough to tease. Just enough to tempt. I do it again, slower this time, pressing a kiss that lingers against his neck. Skin to skin. A connection that feels as doomed as Gatsby and Daisy.
His body shivers underneath my lips. I let out a shaky breath. His body is reacting, but he’s still holding back. Then I drag my lips against his skin, and I take it up to his ear. And just like that, it’s electric. A live wire between us.
Every nerve in my body sparks to life. My skin buzzes. It’s hot and dangerous and somehow achingly tender, like the space between us has always been waiting to ignite.
I don’t press harder. I don’t rush. I let the silence thicken.
This is everything I thought it would be… and so much more.
I reach down, slow and intentional, and gently remove his arm from the brunette beside him. She pouts, but I don’t care. I take his hand in mine, letting our fingers brush as I guide it toward me. He doesn’t stop me. His body is relaxed, but I can feel the tension coiled beneath his skin, waiting. With a gentle tug, I coax him to stand.
He rises slowly, watching me like he is trying to decipher my angle as I circle toward him. I step in front of him, finally taking in all of him. Every inch. The dim light kisses his skin, glowing golden and unreal. Dark brown hair, tousled and unruly, with strands falling carelessly across his brows. Full lips, slightly parted, marked by that single freckle above the right side. And when he smirks, that dimple appears… and every piece of me gives in.
His eyes. God, his eyes. Green and kaleidoscopic, sharp enough to cut through me and soft enough to ruin me. The dark navy button-down clings to every line of his chest, sleeves rolled just enough to reveal strong, veined forearms, masculine and defined. Those hands could tear me apart or put me back together. And I want both. His eyes meet mine, practically glowing. My breath catches.
I take both of his hands and thread our fingers together, then start at my chest and slowly guide his hands down to my hips. I let them settle there. His thumbs flex slightly. He still doesn’t stop me, and that alone makes my pulse spike.
Is he liking this as much as I am?
I move in closer until our bodies are flush, chest to chest, heartbeats pounding against each other like a silent war. He towers over me, his presence dizzying. He stays rooted in place.
I rise up slowly, bringing my face just inches from his, like I’m going to kiss him. And that’s when I see it. His lips part ever so slightly, like he’s trying to catch a breath he didn’t realize he was holding.
A slow smile curves on my lips. I have him. And honestly, I like seeing him like this… still, breathless, completely at my mercy. But instead of giving in and kissing him like I’ve imagined a thousand times, I decide to play.
I bite my lip, glance up through my lashes, and press my mouth to the side of his neck. Slow. Teasing. Letting my lips linger a moment too long. He stays perfectly still. So, I take it further. I flick my tongue across the warm spot just beneath his jaw. His breath hitches. I lean in closer, lips brushing the shell of his ear.
“Your move,” I whisper. And then… the sound. A low groan from the back of his throat. Barely audible. But I heard it. And God, it makes me so wet for him. I smile, drunk on the power, and whisper against his ear, “Try not to moan. You’ve got an audience.”
Before I can step back, Clint blurts from across the room, “damn, Lila, can you come do that to me?”
Kage doesn’t even flinch. His voice is lethal. “Clint, shut the fuck up.”
Did he just get jealous? Or is Clint just that annoying?
He stares straight ahead, like the stillness before a storm. A lazy smirk curls at his mouth like he’s already won. “That’s it? Hate to break it to you, princess, but I don’t even have a boner.”
I drift closer, my mouth hovering by his ear. “Well, since you weren’t turned on at all, you wouldn’t mind if I checked… to see if you’re hard?” I close the distance, and his throbbing cock presses against my stomach. His jaw ticks, and he clears his throat because he knows I know.
Damn, Lila... That was bold. Dominant. Maybe this butterfly top really is armor.
I freeze. “Would you like me to keep going, since you’re not turned on?” A low chuckle slips out of him, soft and entertained, but I see right through it. Our eyes lock.
He tilts his head, a faint smirk curving his lips. “Let’s see what you’ve got, princess.”
I take a breath before the adrenaline knocks me out cold. “Don’t resist it... Kage.”
“Don’t listen to him, Lila. I’m turned on just watching you two, so I know he’s hard,” Aster yells over the pounding music in the background.
My body is an asteroid, burning and spiraling, seconds from collision. And he’s the gravity pulling me in. The impact isn’t coming. It’s already here. I lean in again, close enough for my breath to drift over his lips. Whiskey and cigarettes. I hate both, yet on him, they are exactly what I crave.
Don’t move too fast. He’ll know you’re down bad for him.
I lean in slowly, pressing my lips to his, testing the waters. He doesn’t move, doesn’t kiss me back. But he stills. My heart spikes, and instinct takes over before I can stop it. I lean closer, my voice dripping with seduction. “What did I say about resisting, Baby?”
Oh God. Why did I say that? I’ve only ever called the Red Mask that.
But that word... when I said it, I saw something light up in his eyes.
He liked it.
And I feel it in his touch, in the way his hands on my hips twitch like he wants to squeeze me tighter. Closer. I raise my hands and trail them up the back of his neck, finding that soft spot at his hairline. And I grab it. Hard.
I pull him down and kiss him again. This time it’s not sweet. Not careful. It’s feral. And he responds instantly. Teeth. Tongue. Heat. His body tightens, his hands clamping hard on my hips through the thin fabric of my skirt. It isn’t skin to skin, but it might as well be, because his grip will leave bruises. I fist his hair tighter.
“I knew you liked it rough, Baby,” I whisper, catching my breath as I kiss his neck. Soft at first, then deeper. Sucking. Tasting. My lips find that spot beneath his jaw, and I hear it. The hitch in his breath. The faint groan escapes him. His eyes flick open and lock on mine, no longer unreadable.
“Princess, you have no idea what I’m capable of. I’ll rip every moan from your throat and fuck you until you can’t stand.”
Oh.
I gasp, the sound raw and involuntary, as my wetness drips down my thigh from those words alone. His grin is full and wild, his teeth flashing, a dimple carved deep, his eyes lit with something unrestrained. My stomach bursts with butterflies. My breath comes fast and ragged, and I don’t care that the whole room is watching. Not Leon. Not Aster. No one. This is what I have wanted since the day I met my sworn enemy. The man I loathe. And the man I yearn for.
My hands slide up, tangling into his hair. And I pause.
There. Under my fingers…
A scar. Raised. Jagged. Deep.
My brows furrow, and his do too when he feels my touch. There’s a flicker in his eyes, something raw, as if I’ve brushed against more than skin.
I barely get to process it before Aster’s voice cuts through the moment. “What did you say earlier, Clint? Oh yeah, get a room, you two. And Lila definitely won that dare.”
Laughter erupts around us. I touch the spot again, and Kage pulls away. Suddenly. Too suddenly. Cold. Distant.
The warmth between us vanishes in an instant. His energy shifts, a door slamming shut inside him. He scoffs, eyes locking on mine. “Oh, Baby,” he says, dripping with mockery and venom. “You actually thought that was real?”
My stomach sinks.
No, no, no.
Kage’s smile drips with cruelty. “Oh, Princess. That’s so… innocent of you. You really think it takes that little to turn me on?” My heart cracks.
Was I the only one in that moment?
“I mean,” he continues, voice smooth and harsh, “you’ve probably only been with one person and it shows.”
The table goes silent. And I feel it, the flush of heat crawling up my neck. Because he’s right. And now everyone assumes or knows.
Aster jumps up. “Hey. No reason to be a dick. Let’s go, Lila.”
But I don’t move. I don’t blink. I keep my eyes on him.
“Truth or dare?” I snap.
Kage pauses, brows lifting. “What?”
“I didn’t stutter,” I say, louder. “Truth. Or. Dare.”
He studies me. The smirk is gone. “Truth.”
We’re face-to-face now. Breath to breath. I lean in. “How many people have you fucked?”
A low, dangerous laugh rumbles from his chest. His eyes darken to a deep green, nearly black. And for the first time, he looks angry. And maybe even a little impressed. “Oh, you really want to know?”
The table goes still. Tension thick enough to carve a name into. I wait. And then, with a slow, razor-edged smile that shows every perfect white tooth, he delivers it: “Five. Hundred. Twenty-one.”
The sound fades. The room stretches and warps, no longer tethered to reality. My lungs forget how to work. My head spins like I’m seconds from blacking out. My pulse vanishes. My world tilts.
Five hundred twenty-one.
His eyes flick away from mine as he nods toward the two women still lounging in the booth. “And after tonight…” A cruel smile touches his lips. “It’ll be five hundred twenty-three.”
I don’t speak. I don’t move. I just break. The smirk on his lips only grows. I open my mouth, but not a single word comes.
The kiss. The heat. The spark I thought we shared… A joke. A fucking joke. And I was the punchline. My chest tightens. My body starts to shake, not from rage.
From panic.
The cold creeps up my spine. My vision narrows. Breathe. Push it down. Hide it. But I can’t. This isn’t nerves. This is real. My watch buzzes again… harsh and steady. Heart rate spike. Panic alert. I swipe at it, desperate, like I can silence the evidence that I’m spiraling. Because I am. I blink hard, trying to swallow it down, but it doesn’t stop the ache clawing through my chest.
I was nothing but entertainment to him. A dare. A toy. A target. And now, in front of everyone, he’s shattered me with one number.
I will never be enough for him. Not sexy enough. Not experienced enough. Not rich enough.
I blink fast. Don’t let them see. Don’t let him see.
But then our eyes meet. And that’s when I realized he wanted this. He wanted to watch me fall apart. And he knew I would. Right here. In front of him. I look up at him through burning eyes. His smile hasn’t moved. He’s proud of what just happened. And that’s when the words tear from me, raw and wrecked.
"You’re a monster." A single tear slides down my cheek.
He doesn’t flinch. Doesn’t blink. Just meets my eyes and whispers, "I know."
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
LILA
“Hey, babe. Let’s head up to our room. You’re mine tonight,” Leon says, slowly wrapping his fingers around my wrist, right where my watch is still buzzing.
“What?” The world rushes back in.
Kage is still standing there, beautiful and brutal, looking straight through me like I’m nothing. I tilt my head up to meet Leon’s gaze, trying to understand what he’s doing.
“Oh, right,” I say quickly, pasting on a big fake smile. “I forgot that’s where we were headed before we came to play.”
Aster clocks the lie instantly but doesn’t call me on it. She just smiles like she’s in on the game. “Oh yeah, you told me you were staying the night when we were on the dance floor,” she says, being the best friend she can be.
Leon pulls a gold key from his pocket and dangles it between us. “I even got the ultra-thin condoms,” he says, shooting Kage a pointed look.
I press a hand to his chest. “Oh, we don’t have to use those. I have an IUD.”
That line wasn’t for Leon. It was for the man behind me. I feel Kage exhale. The sound is sharp, heavy, and strained.
Good. He shattered my heart without flinching. Now he can choke on the pieces.
“Should I come pick you up in the morning?” Aster asks with a soft smile.
Leon cuts in smoothly, his arm slipping around my waist. “I’ve got her. I’ll make sure she gets home safe.”
I don’t dare look at Kage. I keep my eyes locked on Leon, holding onto him like he’s my anchor, the only thing keeping me from drowning in the hurricane Kage left behind. I slide my arm around him in return, leaning into his warmth.
