All the same, something surges through me as I run down the hallway. In spite of everything—and even though it's completely crazy—I think I’m as excited as Calder by our little game. More than excited—enthralled.
Maybe I should let him catch me. The promise of his words still echoes through my mind. If I wanted, I could be at his mercy all night. The prospect tempts me more than I want to admit.
But reality hits me quick and hard: I can't allow myself to be caught up in this. There's too much at stake. The Center's entire future falls on the outcome of this “little” game, and I'm not going to let my own weakness destroy the thing my dad worked so hard to build. Calder is sexy, yes, and our encounter in the car was probably the best sex I've had in my life, but this is only lust. Lust and self-indulgence.
I run up a flight of stairs. My only strategy right now is to get as far away from Calder and the foyer as possible. The further I run, the longer it will take him to get to me, and in this game every minute counts. Maybe it's better if I don't hide at all, but continually change my location—after all, a moving target is much harder to hit.
My cell buzzes in my pocket. Is my head start up already?
I turn down another hallway and run all the way to the end. Calder will be leaving the foyer now. At the very least I need to find somewhere out of the main thoroughfare where I might bide my time. It won't do me any good to go noisily sprinting down the corridors.
Without even thinking, I find myself heading in the relatively-familiar direction of my bedroom. It's not until I'm outside the door, however, that the thought hits me: I should sneak into the secret passage. It’s perfect—I can wait behind the walls and possibly even spy on Calder's progress in the meantime.
I dash over to the fireplace and grab the poker. The panel swings open, and I quickly duck into the passage, pulling the door closed behind me. I yank my phone from my pocket and use the dim glow from the screen to light my way as I move through the dark.
I'm supposed to be concentrating on my goal, thinking of the Center and the money I'll win back for us, but my thoughts keep drifting back to the last time I was here. Just the memory of my naughty spying session sends blood rushing to my face. I’m glad there’s no one here to see me.
I recognize the way the passage curves just before Calder's room, and I stop and lean against the wall. This is as good a place as any to hole up for a while. I pull my phone from my pocket and glance at the screen. It's been six minutes since the first alarm went off. Fifty-four minutes to go.
I sit down and lean my head back against the wall. The floor is cold and hard, but all in all I can think of a dozen less comfortable places to spend the next hour. At least I'm not twisted and cramped in a cabinet somewhere or something.
I can do this. I can win back the money for the Center. In the long run, it doesn’t matter that I had sex with Calder—I can make up for the craziness of the last two days in the next hour. I close my eyes and take a deep breath and wait.
* * *
Seventeen minutes later, I hear footsteps.
My head jerks up, but even then I have trouble placing their location. Are they coming from above me? On the other side of this wall? The sound bounces around the passage, and only one thing is clear: wherever they are, they're getting closer.
I draw my knees up to my chest and wait, rigid. My mind is racing. Should I stay here like this? Or should I try to spot him through the spy holes along the walls? If I move, there's a chance he'll hear me, but it would give me an advantage to see and know exactly where he is.
In the end, he makes my decision for me. Just when I'm about to make a move for the spy holes, my ears finally pick up on where he is, and it's no wonder it took me so long to place him.
He's in the passageway with me.
Shit! How did he find me so fast? Did he slip a tracking device on me or something?
But no, I realize too late that he probably had the same idea I did. He wanted the secret vantage points these passageways offered. I'm an idiot for underestimating him in his own house.
He's too close now. There's no time to run. If he hears my footsteps he'll chase after me, and he proved back on the first night when he tackled me outside that he can outrun me. No, my only chance is to remain hidden and hope he walks right by.
I move slowly to my feet. Farther down the passage I see the soft blue light of his phone bouncing off the darkness. I sidle along the wall, feeling behind me for any nook or cranny where I might duck out of sight. After a few desperate moments I find a little alcove, and I manage to squeeze inside just as Calder comes around the curve in the passage.
I hold my breath as he strides toward me. He holds his cell phone out to light the way for his feet, and the light moves over the spot where I was sitting just a moment ago. At least I made the right decision in moving.
He stops next to the spy holes that look onto his bedroom. In the dim light, I can just make out his face. The way the shadows play across his jaw and cheekbones only enhance the intensity radiating from his eyes. There's no doubt he means to find me—and have his way with me. A shiver races down my back.
I watch him lean forward and peer through the slits in the wall. Arrogant asshole. Does he really think I'd be dumb enough to hide in his bedroom? I want to laugh, and I bite down on my lip to stifle the urge.
He turns back around, and I press myself as much against the wall as I can. For a moment I'm sure he's seen me—but then the blue light passes over my hiding spot and moves further down the passage, and Calder's footsteps recede as he continues on his way. As soon as the light disappears, I release the breath I've been holding.
That was close. Too close.
My heart is thumping madly in my ears. I curl my hands into fists and press them against my thighs.
I should be nervous after coming so close to losing, but my body has a different reaction. Once more, I have to fight down the urge to laugh—Calder doesn't even have to touch me or look at me and he still manages to turn me on.
But I can't risk another close encounter like that. Especially if I'm getting aroused by the thought of him catching me. If he's using the system of passageways, then I need to get out of here. I don't know where they lead or how far they extend, but there's no guarantee he won't come back this way. Better to move away from him.
I start down the hallway in the opposite direction of Calder, back toward my room. I try to move as quietly and as swiftly as possible. If I could hear his footsteps long before he reached me, then my movements will echo as well.
There's only one problem: I can’t remember where my room is.