He roared, his body pitching backward and against the edge of the counter. I didn’t hesitate, bolting toward the entrance. If I could get outside, my screams were likely easily heard by a couple of neighbors. They had to be. I’d never be free of him if he wasn’t arrested.

  I made it all the way to the door before a hand was wrapped around my hair, jerking me back. With a gloved hand over my mouth, he held me close to his body, his heavy breathing an indication of his fury.

  “That wasn’t very nice of you.” He dragged me backward into the kitchen. My struggles were useless.

  He was wearing all black as before, only a pair of sweatpants and a heavy shirt. Yet the mask was the same, the glow even brighter than in the forest. I threw my arms back to try to pull it off, but he was too quick for me, jerking one arm down and the other, using one strong hold to continue holding both as well as my body against his.

  At least the fucker had needed to release his grip on my mouth. “You fuck. Get out of my house.”

  “I don’t think you want me to leave. I know you don’t. You’ve been hungering for me since we first met.”

  “God, no. I hate you.”

  “Mmm…” He nuzzled against my neck, his hot breath skittering through me like another series of bottle rockets.

  Goosebumps appeared on every inch of my skin and I was keenly aware I was only wearing a light, almost see-through nightie with no panties underneath. I felt more vulnerable than being in the woods alone.

  And I was able to gather a whiff of my crazy, fucked-up desire. That meant Sinner could as well. I was mortified, fighting both tears and anger.

  “You smell divine, little lamb. I’ve come for another taste of you and if you’re a very good girl, you’ll receive a nice reward.”

  “Please.”

  He pulled me closer to the kitchen table and I tried to think of anything I could use as a weapon. I twisted and pulled to no avail.

  “Please what? Fuck you? Maybe soon.” Every time he laughed it was as if he knew he was getting the upper hand. He rolled his other hand down my arm and I shuddered, biting back a moan. The sensations tingling every muscle and nerve ending should horrify me. So why was I so aroused, my nipples hard as rocks? And why was I wet, juice trickling down both inner thighs?

  They were questions I honestly didn’t want to learn the answers to. Sinner seemed to know me all too well. I gasped for air to keep from whimpering as he slid his hand from my arm to my breast. He was gentle with his actions, rolling the tip of a single finger around my taut nipple.

  “Fully aroused just like you were before. You are so beautiful, Desdemona. So perfect in every way.”

  “Just leave me alone.”

  He squeezed my breast until I yelped. “I told you, don’t lie to me.”

  “I’m not. I’m just…” I was just finding it very hard to express my feelings. They were all over the place.

  “You’re just embarrassed. I get it. I am a monster. But even monsters can provide ecstasy.” He pitched me onto the kitchen table, immediately yanking my gown up. The material ripped, the sound floating in the room. I should be terrified of him and what he was about to do.

  But I wasn’t.

  I was enthralled, studying the mask as he brushed his fingers along my shins as he lifted both legs, bending them at the knee.

  “I’ve been looking forward to this, little lamb. Have you?” Sinner spread them wide open and I turned my head to the side.

  But I wasn’t telling him no. I wasn’t shouting it to the world as any sane person would. I was lying still, wet with anticipation as my nipples ached and my pussy continued throbbing. What was wrong with me?

  He was tender, stroking the inside of my legs and he bent down, lifting his mask to uncover his mouth. As he blew across my skin, I arched my back, still keeping my head on the table.

  “Very sensitive. I like that,” he muttered and pressed kisses against one thigh then the other.

  Fight him. Scream. Do something.

  I wanted to. I really did. I continued to tell myself I would be complicit in everything if I didn’t. But the ugly truth was that a part of me didn’t want to. This was like so many games I’d played, uninhibited and full of electricity, so much so I was jolted as if struck by lightning.

  “So wet for me, Desdemona. So pretty in pink.” He stretched out one arm, sliding his fingers under my nightgown, flicking the tip back and forth across my hardened bud.

  I bit back a cry because it was one of pleasure.

  But I sensed he’d heard me. He knew. He knew all my most intimate secrets, my kinky longings leading him to me. I couldn’t watch him. I couldn’t stand to face the fact I was enjoying what he was doing.

  He pinched my nipple and the pain was just enough I couldn’t hold back, the cry one of desire.

  “Pleasuring you will be one of my greatest joys,” he said and darted his tongue around my clit.

  “Why? Why do you want me?”

  “Because you’re the best representation of myself. We’re just alike, you and I.”

  I wanted to argue with him, but how could I? While I had no intention of killing anyone in real life, what I did while hiding my true self inside a headset in another world was entirely up to me. I felt a nervous laugh bubbling to the surface, but it was halted when he took my clit into his mouth, sucking with enough force the tiny nub was instantly on fire.

  “Oh, God.” I tossed my head back and forth, only then realizing he hadn’t bothered to tie me down. Because he’d known how I’d react.

  A wave of heat swept to my face as he used his thumbs to split my pussy lips wide open. I’d never felt so exposed, the vulnerability I was facing adding to the tremendous excitement. The rush was unlike anything I’d ever experienced.

  I was taking shallow breaths, lightheaded as the pleasure already began to build. He knew exactly what turned me on, using my words and brief yet very open conversations against me. I dug my heels into the table, lifting my pelvis off it.

  “My naughty little lamb,” he chuckled just before burying his face into my wetness. “I’ll be the only man to provide you with what you need. And what you deserve. Rest easy, little lamb. This is just the beginning of a beautiful relationship.”

  The beginning. That meant he would never let me go. If only I hadn’t opened myself up in the gaming world. If only I hadn’t found freedom in being someone else without fear of retribution.

  If only I hadn’t been lured into the need to feel something out of my control.

  If only…

  Now it was too late.

  It was at that moment I realized how much we complemented each other. The thought was more ridiculous than any I’d had before. The frightened unknown of where this would lead mixed with the sheer indulgence of passion that I was allowing to play out.

  Only I had no choice. None. He would do whatever he wanted with me regardless of what I asked or wanted.

  There was suddenly a charged silence between us, the only sound that of him licking my pussy feverishly. The noise he made should disgust me as much as everything else. Yet it lulled me into a sweet peace, a heightened state of mind where only the rapture he was providing mattered.

  He dragged his tongue up and down the length of my pussy, taking his time to savor every drop. When he shifted his hands so he could thrust several fingers alongside his tongue, I was certain I’d go blind.

  My body reacted involuntarily, jerking up from the table. I turned my head and stared out through the cracks in the blinds, wondering why I lived on such a normal street with perfectly sane individuals while I was anything but.

  Panting, every muscle tensed, the searing of every nerve ending keeping me right on the edge. He was masterful, forcing me so close to nirvana and pulling back.

  I dared look down at him, forced to stare into those neon glowing eyes. The most exciting aspect of all was that I had no clue about his identity. And it thrilled me.

  “Good girl,” he whispered as another moan slipped past my lips.

  I wanted desperately to prove him wrong, to act as if what he was doing did nothing to me.

  But it would just be another lie.

  A slight spasm in my lower body was a clear indication of how much pleasure he was capable of bringing me. I fought to keep from reacting, but it was no use.

  No man had ever managed to make me come this way.

  Only a monster had.

  I rose up from the table as I’d done before, opening my mouth to a silent scream as the orgasm tickled my toes. His actions became rougher, his grunts turning into growls.

  Unable to make a single sound, the wave of sheer ecstasy rolled through me, keeping my pulse ticking. Sinner refused to stop, enjoying every moment of defiling me just as he’d promised.

  As the climax begun to ebb, I thumped down on the table, blinking rapidly. He stood to his full height and for a few seconds, I marveled just how tall he was.

  He stood quietly without moving for a full minute. He’d left his gloves on. How careful of him. In the dim lighting of the moon, I locked my gaze onto his lips, the only thing I could see since the rest of his body was covered completely. They were full and, in my mind, the perfect shade of rose meant for kissing.

  After tilting his head, he slowly pulled the mask over his mouth.

  And I knew the nightmare full of passion and pain was far from being over.

  CHAPTER 15

  Sinner

  Forgive me, father, for I’m about to sin.

  Even more than I already had.

  Oh, wait. I didn’t have a father.

  That hadn’t bothered me before with any action I’d taken.

  Only this was different. While my sexual needs had always been on the sadistic side, I’d never delved into the mastery of hunting for the female prey, although I’d participated in every yearly challenge as a moderator. There’d been some contestants that had crossed the line into acts of degradation that had troubled even a monstrous bastard like me.

  The reason I’d stopped there, never satisfying my personal needs didn’t need a PhD to determine. I’d never been intrigued by a single woman. Not one.

  I’d fucked and controlled a few in my life, but hunting them had been left off the table. Stalking had never been in my bag of activities either. Yet this felt right, as if karma herself had drawn me to this beautiful woman. I’d never felt so fulfilled in my life. Even killing hadn’t brought the level of incredible sensations as Desdemona had already brought.

  And to think there was much more to come.

  Just before placing the mask back in position, I dragged my tongue across my lips. The taste of her lingered, the scent of her desire mixed with the hint of her perfume was mouthwatering.

  Being here meant taking a significant risk. I hadn’t planned on touching her again until the night of the third challenge, but my patience had faded. Spending time with her doing nothing more than talking almost as if we were friends had awakened the beast I’d attempted to keep at bay.

  Little did she know I’d had a key made, determined to always keep it with me since I’d never knew when the mood might strike. I’d entered through the back door after she’d swept the house. I’d seen her activity through the windows and had wondered what she’d been thinking. Had she been reminiscing on the time spent with the man who one day might be her boss, or reflecting on why she was so drawn to a masked man with dangerous intent in mind?

  As I peered down at her, my entire body ached to pin her to the table, tying her down and keeping her as my captive until I’d had my fill of her.

  But I wasn’t certain if I ever would.

  I didn’t need more than moonlight in order to bask in her beauty. It took everything I had not to rip the nightgown off her body completely. As it was, I’d torn a portion. She was lucky I hadn’t done more. After taking a deep whiff of her feminine essence, the scent filling my nostrils, I rolled my fingertips along the inside of her legs.

  I wanted to paint her body with my cum, but at this point, I preferred coming inside of her. Yes. I wanted her sticky and filled with my seed. Perhaps that would provide her with a better understanding that she was to be touched by no one else.

  “How do you feel, sweet Desdemona?”

  “I… I don’t know.”

  “I truly don’t believe you. You’re glowing.”

  She turned her head away from me. I was having none of it. I could tell even by the drag of her tongue on her lower lip how much she’d enjoyed the pleasure I’d rewarded her with. Now it was my turn. I’d feasted.

  Now I would take.

  Soon she would give in return.

  Leaning over the table, I planted one hand on the surface while gripping her chin with the other. “Look at me, little lamb. Don’t ever look away again. Or you will be punished.”

  She tried to keep me from turning her head, but she failed. As she would every other test. Although I had been surprised when the game had detected her utter hatred of me as her opponent, providing a spear just in time to end my likeness and the game.

  That wouldn’t happen again. I never lost.

  Not as Xander and certainly not as Sinner.

  Jessica would need to get that through her pretty little head.

  When I backed away, she attempted to close her legs. I ripped them wide open, smacking her pussy lips three times in rapid succession.

  “You will not close yourself to me either.”

  “Bastard.”

  “Yes.” As soon as I yanked her bottom to the edge of the table, she rose up, swinging a punch that caught me off guard. Her aim was decent, catching me just under the nose. I was rocked back, but I’d been exposed to men who’d done everything to break free from my grasp. My reaction instant, I grabbed both her arms, pitching her back down to the table.

  Where I held her even as she squirmed underneath me.

  “I do love when you fight me, little lamb. I can only imagine what you’d do when in my bed.”

  “That will never happen,” she spit out with utter hatred, but her eyes told a completely different story. In the luminous glow of the streaming moonlight, I could only see hunger, the kind that removed all doubt and every other emotion she’d had before. Even her labored breathing was a dead giveaway.

  The way she was lifting her pelvis, grinding her wet pussy against me was marvelous. I could hold her down for hours, waiting to see what she would do.

  But the ache in my cock was far too extreme.

  “Oh, I think you and I both know otherwise. Now, are you going to be a good little lamb for me, or do I need to tie you to the table?”

  She laughed as if I was joking. When I shifted both her arms together, ripping the rope I’d slid into the pocket of my sweatpants, her lovely mouth moved to form a perfectly rounded O. The longing to kiss her again was real and difficult to ignore.

  But I would.

  For now.

  “See? I am a man of my word.”

  “You’re nothing but a cold-blooded killer.”

  “Would you like me to tell you what kind of man Marvin Jeffries was?”

  Jessica seemed shocked I’d mentioned his name.

  “You didn’t really believe I did anything on a random basis. Did you?” I was the one who laughed, allowing the slits to expose the heated breath that was close to collapsing my lungs. “I know you’re dying to ask, so I’ll answer the first question you want to shout out at me. I do enjoy the kill. Much like you do. The sport of it. The hunt. The calculated moves. And the scent of fresh blood in the air. However, I never touch an innocent person. Not my style. I prefer ridding this earth of the scum that forms on the bottom of shoes.”

  “You’re sick.”

  I shook my head, tossing the rope beside her head as a reminder of what I was willing to do. “Is that all you have for me, Desdemona? I’m somewhat surprised. You’re an educated woman with a heart of a warrior and the mind of a killer. You must have more complicated thoughts than that. I’ll give you a little time. Marvin enjoyed abusing his wife, using her like a punching bag. She was so broken she had no clue how to help herself. No money. No friends. No hope. When he wasn’t beating her or ripping out her hair, he was out hunting for more luscious prey like yourself. Yes, if allowed, he would have spent several glorious hours with you doing extremely vile acts and his methods of removing any evidence were… let’s just say horror flick classic. Would you like me to expand?”

  “God. I… No. Just stop. Please stop.”

  “The story or the way I’m touching you? The way I make you feel when I run my fingers down the side of your breast?” I demonstrated the action, brushing just the tips down from her arm, taking my time to circle her sweet nipple a couple of times before lowering my hand to her hip. “Or the way I was able to find your G-spot without any issue.” I drove my gloved fingers into her pussy, shifting the angle and curling them until I found the right spot.

  “Oh. My…” Her eyelashes fluttered across her cheeks and she arched her back, no longer struggling.

  “Yes, my beautiful lamb. I think you’re beginning to understand. I might be a monster, but I’m your monster. And you’re my muse, my perfect prey. I intend on allowing you to run free. But know this. I will always find you. You will never manage to escape the yearning you have in your mind. I’m here to fulfill your greatest fantasies.”

  I came close to bringing her to another orgasm yet needed her to understand the control I had over every inch of her body. I pulled my hand free, holding it into the stream of light. Even on the black material of my glove, my fingers glistened.

  “Taste how sweet you are, how wet you’ve become for me and only me. Open your mouth for me, little lamb.”

  She did exactly as I asked, yet the moment I shoved my fingers into her hot mouth, she bit down. Just as expected. I pressed the tip of my thumb under her chin. I knew the exact spot that would create uncomfortable sensations. It didn’t seem to bother her in the least.

  “My lamb has teeth. I love it.”

  In disarming her, she backed off, now sucking my fingers as I’d originally requested. I watched her in fascination as she stared into the neon of my eyes. She truly was special in every way. I’d been lucky to find her.