beach?” I snarled, my anger rising quickly again.
“No,” she said. “Somewhere I like. Somewhere that’s mine.”
I tsked. “Harlequin House is yours. And you’ll grow to like it.”
“I don’t want to live with you. I didn’t come back here to be enslaved by my enemies.”
“Enemies,” I scoffed.
She scowled then pushed to her feet. “You know what, Fox? You wanna sit in the shade. Go the fuck ahead.” She grabbed her bag then kicked sand at me before walking off at a fierce pace down the beach. Her dog bounded after her and venom poured through my veins as I shoved myself upright and took off after her.
“I warned you, Rogue!” I called after her and she raised her middle finger in the air in answer, but her pace noticeably quickened.
Her friends were calling out for her to stop, but she kept walking, then broke into a fucking run.
I cursed, taking chase as she sprinted down the beach at full pelt and the girl was fucking fast. I ran after her with a growl of frustration, locking her in my gaze like a damn missile as she turned towards a little group of beach huts and darted between them.
I was two seconds behind her, racing between the huts and silence met my ears as I delved into the shadows.
“Rogue,” I snapped. “Come out here.”
There was no answer as I slipped into a cool space behind the huts beside a rocky wall and I moved along, glancing down the little alleys between the wooden buildings as I searched for her.
I walked from hut to hut, swearing under my breath as my heart started to pound with the worry of losing her again. Why did she have to keep fucking running?
I made it to the final hut, finding the last alley void of life and my teeth snapped together as I strode down it back onto the beach. I gazed along the sand, but she wasn’t anywhere in sight. So I turned back to the huts, narrowing my eyes. The window of the closest one was ever so slightly ajar and I smirked as I walked up the steps onto the little porch, resting my ear to the door.
“Shh, Mutt,” her voice reached me and I threw my shoulder against the door, sending it flying open.
Rogue screamed dramatically and I launched at her, grabbing her around the waist and throwing her over my shoulder. She kicked wildly, thumping me in the back as I strode out of the hut and the dog barked and nipped at my heels as I headed off down the beach, yanking her shirt down over her ass to make sure no one got of view of what was mine.
She fought me all the way back to my truck and I was glad when I noticed that JJ and Chase had returned to the water so I didn’t have to bother explaining to them why I was kidnapping Rogue. But if she hadn’t run, I wouldn’t have had to.
I walked around to the back of my truck, reaching into the bed and taking out a length of rope before dumping her into it face down and climbing in to straddle her.
“You fucking prick!” she screamed as I bound her wrists behind her back and tied her ankles for good measure. Then I stood up, lifting her again and jumping out of the truck before planting her in the passenger side of the cab. The dog bit deep into my ankle and I swore, dropping down and grabbing him by the scruff, lifting him up so he was on eye level with me.
“Are you and me gonna have a problem?” I snapped at him and he growled, his eyes flicking to Rogue with a desperate plea in them.
Call me fucking crazy, but I kinda related to the lovesick little creature in that moment so I tossed him into Rogue’s lap while she continued to curse me with every colourful word she knew before I shoved the door shut in her face and strode around to get in the driver’s seat.
I yanked my door shut and she fell silent at last, glaring at me in all her sandy, rainbow sweetness and she looked so fucking hot I leaned over and crushed my lips to hers. She bit my lip so hard I tasted blood and I laughed as I drew away and started the engine.
“You taste like sunshine, hummingbird.”
“You taste like a dead man,” she growled.
“No, I taste like your new roommate.