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“Okay.” My heart rate is rising, and I can feel the speeding beats in my throat. “Lead the way, Mr. Monster.”
I can’t see his face clearly, but I can tell he enjoyed that.
* * *
We are makingour way through the hustle and bustle of people. I’d normally be overwhelmed by this, but standing here next to him, I feel at peace, and it helps that no one comes close to him.
So we glide through the crowd like we’re in an invisible bubble. He leads us toward the corn maze. We walk straight in. No questions or concerns, just a head tilt between him and the young woman working the entrance.
“You practically run this place.” I say this to myself mostly, but the deep rumble of his laugh brings tingles to all my favorite places.
Our brisk walk turns to a snail's pace as we stand together, enjoying the spooky sounds playing through the stalks and the crunching of the dried husks beneath our feet.
“Alright, we went for a walk, so tell me. What happened that was so bad that it pushed you all the way here, where you obviously don’t want to be?”
Here goes nothing.
“So I left something at my boyfriend's—well, my now ex-boyfriend’s dorm. He was supposed to be in class, so I let myself in to grab my stuff. And there he was, pushing himself into a tight little redhead.” There is humor in my voice, but I think I’m just trying to laugh it off so I don’t cry. “So I dumped his ass on the spot, and when Kate—my best friend—found me almost in a candy coma having a pity party on my bed, she dragged me here.” I wave my hands around to gesture to the space around us.
I go to continue forward, to go deeper into the maze, but his large hand wraps around my elbow, pulling me back to him.
“Don’t do that.”
I’m not sure what he means, but his tone is serious and his white eyes are fierce.
“Don’t do what?” I ask, looking down at his hand on me. He’s so warm.
“Don’t say it like it’s no big deal. This hurt you. I could see it on your face as you talked about it. This is serious.” He scans my face.
It’s like I'm under a magnifying glass.
I lick my lips before I say, “He broke my trust. That’s a huge thing for me. I trusted him to be faithful and assumed he was, and now he has me questioning my judgment. Like, if I was dumb enough to trust him, what other things am I missing?”
I feel raw, exposed, as I wait for him to say something.
“He’s a fucking idiot.” His voice is tight, the fury obvious.
My heart is racing with nerves…and something else.
Lust.
“Yeah, he is.” The tension I felt starts to thaw as I look up through my lashes at him. This man was made for nightmares, yet I’m now wondering what he looks like under that costume and makeup. Is he still alluring without the fangs?
I break our eye contact, shaking my head to clear the thoughts.
“What is it?” he asks. The deepness of his voice paired with my thoughts has me wanting to squeeze my thighs together.
“Nothing,” I say before continuing down the pathway.
I can feel his eyes on my back. The hair on my neck stands up, but this time it’s not out of fear. It's…anticipation.
I don’t know what fire has just been lit beneath me, but I’m feeling very adventurous. I turn around, continuing to walk backwards, and give him a mischievous smile.
“Catch me if you can, Mr. Monster.”
His eyes go feral, and I take off in a sprint. My laughter fills the air as I hurry toward the first turn. I make it around another, when a large, furry, eight-legged creature pounces toward me. I let out a shrill scream, and suddenly I’m weightless.
Arms are wrapped around my middle, and I’m pressed to the hard chest of my monster.
