Page 34 of Hunting Gianna
He takes his time with the answer, rolling it around in his head before he spits it out. “I never participated. Not really. I just… watched.”
I almost laugh. “So you’re the pervert in the corner with the camera? The guy who jerks off while the real monsters do their thing?”
He doesn’t react. Not even a twitch. “Maybe. Or maybe I was just waiting for the right girl.”
He says it so quietly I almost miss it.
I stare at him. “You mean me?”
He nods.
The room feels smaller, the air thick and heavy. My heart pounds, too loud, and I know he can hear it. He drums his fingers on the table, slow and steady, the rhythm matching the thud in my chest.
“Why me?” I ask, hating the way my voice breaks at the end.
He shrugs. “Because you fight. Because you don’t just run—you make me want to chase. You make me want to catch you.”
I should be terrified. I should be disgusted. Instead, my skin is hot, my palms sweat, and I can’t look away.
He leans forward, elbows on his knees, his eyes locked on mine.
“You know what I think?” he says.
I don’t answer, because I don’t want to.
“I think you like it. I think you want to be caught. I think your idiot ex showed you that you wanted more. Needed more. And I think despite the fact that I killed a man in front of you, it doesn’t really matter to you. Youlikethe fact that I’m so obsessed with you that I’d do something like that. But you don’t want to admit it because what kind of sick woman would that make you?”
“Go fuck yourself,” I say, voice sharp.
He grins, flashing those infuriatingly perfect white teeth. “Maybe later. For now, I’d rather fuck you.”
I feel my cheeks flush. I hate that he can do this to me, hate that my body answers to him before my mind has a chance to protest.
“Do you know what they called it?” he asks, voice low. “The hunt?”
I shake my head.
“They called it ‘The Night Game.’ Because everything happens after dark. No rules. No witnesses. Just you and the woods and whatever you can get away with.”
He places his hands on the back of the couch, trapping me in place. His breath brushes my ear.
“I love the way you run from me, Gianna.”
I close my eyes, willing myself not to shiver. It doesn’t work. “You’re demonic.”
“Yeah, baby, but I’d be Satan himself if you’d be my queen.” He stands and leans down to grab my hand and pull me up. “Come, let’s go to the lodge. No funny business, Gianna, I mean it. I’m not above gutting guests.”
Goosebumps travel down my arms. “Fine.”
The smile he gives me somehow makes me fear him, while also making me want to sit on his perfect fucking face.
Maybe I will later.
Just to ease the cramps.
Chapter Twelve
Knox
