Iwake up at Riverside, and the weight of the world sits heavily on my chest. Nick’s already awake, staring out at the mountains through the massive windows.


    “Can’t sleep?” I ask, curling into his side, pressing my cheek against his heart, listening to the steady beat.


    “Just thinking.” He kisses the top of my head.


    I sit up to look at him. “Tell me what’s wrong.”


    “I have a bad feeling about going back.”


    “Nick—”


    “I know; I know. It’s just the feeling.” He pulls me closer to him. “It’s just … this week with you has been perfect.”


    “Does that have to change?” I ask.


    “No, it doesn’t. But it will.” He traces patterns on my bare shoulder. “I’m afraid this will scare you away.”


    “Why? Talk to me.” I kiss him.


    “The media, the gossip sites—they have ruined every rtionship I’ve ever been in. This—all of this—is usually the catalyst and the cause of the end.”


    We’re quiet for a moment, just holding each other as morning light fills the room.


    I exhale. “It’s a lot to deal with. I’ve never craved attention. There are times when we’re alone when I question this.”


    He studies me. “I have a lot of baggage. It’s what stopped me from pursuing you before.”


    “That makes me sad.” I sit up. “Ready for a rtionship tip?”


    He nods with a smirk.


    “This?” I wave my hand around. “You’re mourning the end before it’s begun.”


    Nick licks his perfect lips, sitting upright too. “We have a deadline, Jules. Less than a month to decide if this is something you want to deal with for the rest of your life. The public scrutiny won’t change. The rumors won’t change. The tracking of us and our life and our rtionship status, lies, rumors—all of it will not magically disappear. If you choose me, you choose everything thates with it, and I need you to think long and hard about that.”


    He leans forward, his hand slides up the back of my neck, and he grasps my hair. He presses kisses down my throat, and my breathing grows ragged.


    “This is just a taste of it,” he warns, his teeth grazing across my sensitive skin as he leans me back, pushing up my T-shirt.


    My chest rises and falls, the cool morning air brushing against my nipples, already hard and begging for his attention.


    He kisses up my stomach, then captures my nipple in his mouth before sliding to the next one.


    “You have to be absolutely sure I’m what you want on Halloween.” His voice is low.


    “I know,” I whisper, my breathing increasing.


    The sun filters through the curtains, casting a golden glow across the bedroom. The silk sheets are cool against my bare skin, and I try to remember every feeling. As he continues to kiss lower, my stomach tightens with anticipation. I want him, and the delicious craving of having exactly that makes my pussy clench. He sits upright on his knees between my thighs.


    I tilt my head, my eyes sliding over his shirtless body. His chest is a masterpiece of muscle, and his abs are carved like a sculpture. The gray sweatpants hang low on his hips, and I can see the outline of his cock, already hard, straining against the fabric. My mouth waters from just thinking about it.


    His brown eyes lock on mine, and that sexy-as-sin smirk makes my thighs tremble.


    “If you have any doubts, your answer should be no,” he purrs, his voice dripping with dominance.


    I love it.


    I swallow hard because, his voice alone is enough to make me wet. He leans forward, pushing my shirt over my head. Then he pins my wrists to the mattress. His breath is hot against my neck, and I can feel the heat radiating off his body, searing into mine.


    “I’ve been thinking about a few things on your list.” His lips brush against my ear. “Do you want to y?”


    “Yes, I do,” I whisper.


    “Close your eyes. Stay right here. Do not move.” Nick moves off the mattress. “Don’t peek either.”


    “Okay.” I stay exactly where I am, eyes closed, hands resting above my head.


    I can hear him slide open the drawer, then close it. I run through everything on my naughty wish list.


    There are several I can automatically cross off from happening. A momentter, fabric is sliding around my wrists, and then I’m being attached to the headboard. Gently, he ces something over my eyes, tying it. The world goes dark, and my senses sharpen. I can hear his breathing, the rustle of the sheets as he moves, the faint creak of the bed beneath us.


    “Ready?” he mutters, his hand sliding down my body, fingertips grazing my ribs, my stomach, stopping just above my dripping pussy.


    “Yes,” I say breathlessly.


    “Think about every sensation and enjoy it. Right now, you’re mine, Little Red.”


    His fingers trail down my thighs, parting them slowly, and I can feel his breath on my inner thigh, so close to where I need him most.


    He growls, his lips brushing against my sensitive skin. “I can smell you, baby. You’re begging for it.”


    He doesn’t make me wait. His tongue drags up my slit, and I arch off the bed, a gasp tearing from my throat. Heps at my clit, sucking it into his mouth, and I scream, my wrists straining against the silk. My body is on fire.


    “That’s it.” His voice is muffled against my pussy. “Scream for me. We’re going until you beg me to stop.”


    I immediatelyugh, loving that this is what we’re doing. “Oh, yes. Thank you. Let’s cross this off.”


    He plunges two fingers inside me, curling them just right, and I swear I see gxies. His tongue is relentless, his fingers pumping in and out of me, and I’m losing it. My hips rock against his scruff, and I greedily chase that sweet release, knowing he’ll give me as many as I want, until I beg him to stop.


    “Come for me, my greedy girl,” hemands, his voice gravelly.


    And I do.


    The orgasm crashes over me like a tidal wave, my body trembling, my screams echoing through the room. He pulls away, watching my pussy pulse for him.


    “I wish you could see what a beautiful sight you are,” he says, slowly giving me a finger.


    He pulls away, and I hear him suck on his finger.


    “Mmm. You’re my favorite vor.”


    Once Ie down from my high, he moves back to my clit, adjusting to how sensitive I am. He starts slow until the build happens again.


    Heughs against me; the sound filled with wicked intent, and then his tongue is on me, licking a long,zy stripe from my entrance to my clit.


    I cry out, my body buckling as pleasure crashes through me again.


    This time, he doesn’t stop, doesn’t give me a moment to recover. His tongue swirls around my clit, flicking and teasing, and I’m already trembling, already on the edge.


    “Damn, your cum tastes so good,” he whispers. His voice sends shivers down my spine. “Like fucking honey.”


    His tongue dives into me, plunging deep, and I cry out again, my thighs shaking as he fucks me with his tongue, mming into me like I’m made for him.


    One hand grips my hip, pinning me down as his mouth works me. He’s so filthy.


    The other hand slides between my thighs, fingers dipping into my slick folds, and I moan, my hips jerking uncontrobly.


    “Your cunt is dripping for me,” he rasps against my clit. “Perfection.”


    Two fingers slide into me, curling, stroking that rough, spongy spot inside me. I scream, my orgasm crashing over me, ripping me from my reality. His fingers pump in and out of me, fast and hard, while his tonguetches on to my clit, sucking and flicking, driving me higher, deeper into the pleasure until I’m shaking, crying, begging.


    “Please,” I sob, my voice wrecked. “I’m so close. I’ve lost count.”


    “Enjoy the ride, sweetheart.” He growls, his words muffled against my pussy. “I’m not done with you until you tell me to stop. I’ll eat this pretty little pussy for the rest of the day. Now, rx for me.”


    His fingers withdraw, and I whimper at the loss. I hear the click of something—a bottle maybe.


    “I’m going to try something. If it’s too much, tell me to stop,” he whispers.


    I feel the press of one digit against my asshole, teasing, probing with lube and my juices.


    At first, I tense, but he shushes me, his voice soft and reassuring.


    “This is going to feel so good, baby.” His tongue is circling my clit again. “Let me in.”


    I melt for him, and his finger slides into my ass, filling me in a way that makes me gasp. His tongue is back on my clit, licking and sucking, while two of his fingers move in tandem. Two in my pussy, one in my ass. I don’t recognize the sounding from my throat or the sensation traveling through my body. The pressure is almost unbearable, but delicious. I’m split open, stretched, filled to the brim, and I can’t stop moaning, can’t stop shaking as he works me over, driving me toward the edge.


    “That’s it, sweetheart.” His voice is full of lust. “Take it. Take everything I give you. You’re so fucking beautiful. Let me keep worshipping you.”


    I take all of him—his fingers, his tongue, his praise—until I’ming again, my body spasming, my cunt clenching around his fingers, my ass tightening around his pinkie. He doesn’t stop. He holds me through it, his mouth and fingers relentless, until I’m exploding again.


    He returns to my clit, and it’s too sensitive.


    “Please.”


    “Is that you crossing it off your list?” he asks.


    “Yes,” I say, barely able to catch my breath. “Now, I need more. Harder. Break me, Nick.”


    Secondster, he’s opening my thighs wide. “You’re glistening for me, babe.”


    “I need you so bad.”


    He growls—a sound so primal that it makes my clit throb—and then he’s on me, his cock pressing against my soaked entrance. He slides into me in one smooth, brutal thrust, and I scream, my body arching off the bed as he fills me, stretches me, ims me.


    “Is this how you wanted it?” He groans.


    “Harder,” I scream out, my back arching off the bed.


    I’m lost in the sensation, lost in him, until there’s nothing but pleasure, nothing but him and us.


    His hips m into mine, the sound of skin against skin filling the room. My legs wrap around his waist, pulling him deeper, and he growls, his hands gripping my hips, pounding into me harder, faster, until I’m screaming his name, over and over.


    This orgasm is like nothing I’ve ever experienced. I squirt all over his dick, feeling it everywhere.


    “Damn, baby.” His voice is strained.


    “Come deep inside me,” I beg.


    He pumps into me, and I can feel his hot release flooding me. He copses on top of me, his breath ragged, his body trembling.


    He removes the blindfold, kisses me, smiles. “Are you okay?”


    “I’m a changed woman,” I tell him.


    He looks over his shoulder, and I see his phone on a tripod.


    My mouth falls open. “I got blindfolded, tied up, devoured until I begged you to stop, and you recorded it? I’m so lucky.”


    “Seems like you got a three-for-one deal,” he says. “Not many things left on your list now.”


    He unties my hands, and I wrap my arms around him.


    “Do you think we’ll be able toplete it?”


    Nickughs, then presses kisses to my neck and shoulders. “It’s my civic duty.”


    When he pulls back and I meet his light-brown eyes, I’ve never felt more alive or wanted. I understand that he was creating onest perfect memory before our reality check, and it’s so damn thoughtful.


    Nick kisses me onest time, then moves to the phone and turns it off.


    “What are you doing to me?” I ask, sitting up.


    “The same thing you’re doing to me,” he says over his shoulder.


    We both know, but neither of us will say it until Halloween.


    “Okay,” I say. Seeing his naked body against the fall colors in the backdrop has me taking pause. “Now I don’t want to leave.”


    Heughs, but it’s tinged with sadness. “Shower? Pack? Then face the world?”


    “That’s a logical order.”


    We move through our morning routine, but everything feels heavy.


    “You okay?” Nick asks as I fold my clothes into my duffel.


    “Just memorizing it all.”


    “We cane back.”


    I zip my bag. “This has been a fantasy, Nick. A beautiful, perfect fantasy. But none of this is real life.”


    He crosses to me, cupping my face. “It can be.”


    “I know. I just mean?—”


    “I know what you mean. We’re safe here, but it’s not reality.” He kisses me. “Being alone with you is the only time we get without interruptions. Outside of our private walls, there are spotlights.”


    “And you really don’t think it will ever stop?”


    “Slow down? Yes. Stoppletely? No. That’s an unrealistic expectation.”


    My phone buzzes, pulling us away.


    Mom


    I just got a text from ire. Craig has been by the shop every day, asking about you. I contacted his mother. She told me to mind my own business.


    I show Nick the text.


    “Every day?” His jaw clenches. “That’s stalking.”


    “He’s probably just?—”


    “Jules, no. Stop making excuses for him. He’s waiting for you, and I don’t like it.”


    “You’re right,” I admit.


    I don’t understand how I could be with someone for three years and not even know who he was.


    “We should document everything when we get back. Maybe talk to the police,” Nick suggests.


    After we’re packed, I look around the cabin onest time. “Ready?”


    “No. You?”


    “No. But let’s go anyway.”


    We load the Range Rover with our bags, taking our time, like we’re both reluctant to leave.


    “At least we cane back whenever,” Nick says, reading my mind. “I have this ce until November.”


    We drive down the mountain road infortable silence, NPR on the radio. The leaves are bright and colorful, fluttering in the light breeze. Everything feels peaceful, like the world is weing us back, like everything is going to be okay. I slightly rx until we turn onto Main Street.


    “That car’s been behind us since the turnoff,” Nick says, checking his rearview mirror.


    I look in the side mirror and see a ck SUV with tinted windows. “Maybe they’re just?—”


    Another car pulls out from a side road ahead of us, camera lens visible through the passenger window.


    “Shit,” Nick mutters. “How did they know?”


    A third car appears, boxing us in.


    Nick checks the rearview mirror. His knuckles are white on the steering wheel.


    “Maybe they’re just?—”


    “Jules”—he nces at me—“that’s a telephoto lens hanging out the window.”


    The ck SUV speeds up, trying to get alongside us. Nick suddenly yanks the wheel right, taking a sharp turn onto Cedar Street. My hand grabs the door handle.


    “Sorry,” he mutters, but his quick hockey reflexes are in full effect.


    “Take the next left,” I say. “Then an immediate right onto that dirt road.”


    “What dirt—” He sees it at thest second, tires squealing as we turn.


    The SUV overshoots, brakes screeching.


    “Now right again, behind the old Miller farm.”


    Nick follows my directions without question. We weave through back roads only locals know—the shortcut to the quarry, the hidden turn by the creek, the unmarked road that connects to Mountain View.


    “How many are still with us?” I ask, afraid to look back.


    “Two … no, three.” He elerates through a yellow light. “Hold on.”


    He takes another hard turn, and I see one photographer’s car get stuck behind a delivery truck.


    “Yes!” I cheer, then immediately feel ridiculous.


    Nick’s jaw is clenched tight, but there’s something almost amused in his voice. “Where now?”


    “Straight for two blocks, then left at the old church.”


    We lose another car at a stop sign, but the ck SUV is persistent.


    “Shit, he’s calling others,” Nick says, seeing the driver on his phone.


    My stomach drops. “They’re coordinating?”


    “Wee to my world.” He takes another sharp turn. “Actually, no. This is worse than usual.”


    My phone pulls my attention away. I nce down at a text.


    ire


    Where are you?


    Julie


    I’m heading to my condo.


    ire


    DON’T. Media circus downtown. I just heard someone say you’re on Main Street.


    Julie


    How did they know?


    ire


    No idea. All these photographers have been huddling outside of the shop since this morning.


    Julie


    Ugh. We’re being chased by photographers. I’ll keep you updated.


    ire


    You’d BETTER!


    “We can’t go to my ce. ire said downtown is packed. Let’s go to Autumn’s. It’s the most private. I have the code to the gate.”


    Nick takes the next turn, but two cars follow. He speeds up, taking random turns until we lose them, then heads up the mountain to Hollow Manor.


    When we make it to the private gate, he punches in the code, and it jolts open. Nick drives through, stopping to make sure the metal snaps closed before taking off. Colorful leaves line the paved road that winds up to the mansion.


    As soon as we park, Autumn opens the door and walks to the edge of the porch, wrapping the cardigan tighter around her thin frame.


    “What the hell is happening? We’ve been watching the news.”


    “The news?” My voice goes up an entire octave. “Why do they care?”


    “You’re the talk of the town.”


    Nick ushers me inside, his hand protective on my lower back.


    Autumn practically drags us to the living room. “You both look shell-shocked. Zane, look who showed up!”


    “Speak of the devils. You know you’re everywhere right now? All the social media sites, TMZ. Even the local news is giving updates.” He slides hisptop off the counter and moves toward us.


    Hockey’s yboy Returns with Small-Town Girlfriend


    Secret Love Nest Exposed: Banks and Barista’s Hidden Romance


    Is Julie Pregnant? Close Sources Say Yes!


    Hockey Star Dates a Barista to Repair His Reputation


    “We were supposed to get married.” Ex Speaks Out!


    I lean forward and click the link about Craig. He gave them photos of when we were together—some of which were intimate, showing us lying in bed together.


    Nick’s jaw clenches as he reads it with me.


    The article quotes Craig as saying he’s concerned for my well-being, and he hopes I know he’ll be there when this ends. He told the world I am a sweet girl and would never date a man like Nick. He’s calling it a midlife crisis and that I’m being brainwashed.


    “That maniptive bastard.” I growl.


    “There’s more,” Zane says quietly, swiping to another page. “It looks like he’s been posting old photos of you. Leaving captions like you were recently together.”


    I see pictures from years ago but cropped and filtered to look current. We look happy and in love.


    “I think I’m going to be sick,” I say.


    Autumn immediately goes into mama-bear mode. “Okay, everyone, stop. Zane, close theptop. Nick, sit down. You’re pacing like a caged animal. Jules, breathe.”


    She disappears into the kitchen and returns with tea and fat slices of pumpkin bread. It makes me smile, per usual.


    “This is my fault,” Nick says, not touching anything. “I should have listened to Asher. Should have done the interview, controlled the narrative?—”


    I move next to him on the couch. “This isn’t your fault.”


    “Isn’t it? Your life was normal before?—”


    “My life was boring as hell before.” I take his hand. “And Craig was still a maniptive ass. This just gave him an excuse to show it.”


    Autumn sits across from us. “The question is, how did they know you wereing back today? You didn’t tell anyone, right?”


    “Just you guys and my parents,” I say.


    “And Asher,” Nick adds. “But he wouldn’t?—”


    “Someone’s been watching you,” Zane interrupts, pulling up security footage on his phone.


    Nick’s phone rings, and he shows Zane the screen.


    “Put him on speaker,” Zane says.


    “Warning: he’s going to be an utter asshole,” Nick warns.


    “This is an absolute shitstorm,” Asher barks. “This is exactly what I warned you about!”


    “Nice to hear from you too,” Nick says dryly.


    “Don’t. Just don’t. I told you almost a week ago to do the LadyLux interview, and you didn’t. I also exined how rumors don’t just disappear. You know all of this, Nick. So, pull your stubborn head out of your ass. You don’t get to stay in your little love bubble and ignore reality, for fuck’s sake.”


    “Asher—”


    “I’m not done. Do you know what’s trending right now? Hockey yboy’s Latest Victim. There’s a whole thread on Reddit analyzing how long until you dump Julie. They’re all trying to figure out the first day you two got together.


    “And that’s not even the best part,” Asher continues. “One of your ex-girlfriends—Virginia? Vanessa? Whatever her name is—well, she just did an interview, talking about your toxic cycle. Love bomb for thirty days, make everything seem great and perfect, then ghost.”


    My stomach drops.


    “Vanessa was stalking me. I had to get a restraining order!” Nick explodes.


    “Doesn’t matter. The story’s out there now, and they’ve officially dug into all the people you’ve dated in the past five years and put them in chronological order. This headline: Exes Confirm Nick Banks’s Romantic Countdown to Ghosting.” Asher pauses. “Now admit I’m right.”


    “You’re right,” he says, but his voice is neutral.


    “Did you hear about the hometown hero trying to save his ex from the big bad wolf?”


    Nick’s jaw clenches so hard that I swear I hear his teeth grinding.


    “Oh, it gets soooo much worse,” Asher snaps. “Someone leaked your location at Riverside. Sold the information to the highest bidder. That’s why you have a parade following you.”


    “How do you know all this?” Nick asks.


    “Because, unlike you, I don’t ignore problems, hoping they’ll go away. I have people monitoring this shit. Yes, even you. This is a PR nightmare,” he says. “You’re worse than our bitchiest clients. Diva.”


    This makes Nickugh.


    “Think about the interview with LadyLux.” Asher is direct.


    “Look—”


    “And get a restraining order against Craig. Document everything.” He pauses. “How’s Julie handling this?”


    Everyone looks at me.


    “I’m fine,” I say.


    “No, you’re not. Even I can tell when you’re lying.” Asher can detect bullshit through the phone. “I’m sorry you’re dealing with this. My brother should have listened to me.”


    “Your brother was trying to live his life for once,” Zane finally says to defend Nick.


    “By ignoring the problem? Very effective, Alexander. Even you know that’s not logical, and you don’t do this shit for a living.” Asher scoffs. “Nick, it’s a shit show at the office. So, thank you. Thank you so much. Every day, I have to push my way through a horde of people, hoping it’s you.”


    “I’m sorry. I didn’t ask for any of this.”


    “This is beyond normal paparazzi stuff. You’ve be a sensation, which is what I was concerned about. People are obsessed with both of you, and it’s dangerous.” Asher’s voice turns serious. “Be careful. This has escted over the past three days, just as I feared. Do the interview.”


    Nick looks at me but doesn’t confirm. “I’ll think about it.”


    “Good. And, Nick? Next time I tell you to get ahead of something, listen.”


    “Love you too, asshole.”


    “Julie …” Asher says.


    “Yeah?”


    “Wee to the family circus. Sorry that it’s like this.”


    He hangs up before I can respond.


    I lean back on the couch and close my eyes, trying to understand how any of this happened.


    My phone vibrates and pulls me away from my mental spiral.


    Craig


    Crazy about all those photographers. If you need somewhere safe to stay, I’m here.


    I show everyone the text.


    “What the hell?” Zane mutters.


    “I should have known he wouldn’t leave you alone.” Nick’s pacing now. “The way he grabbed your arm at the coffee shop, him showing up randomly?—”


    Zane scrolls through messages. “How long has this been going on?”


    “Since he returned to Cozy Creek.”


    Nick leans over and reads all the text messages Craig has sent.


    Craig


    Hope you’re getting the rest you deserve.


    Craig


    Beautiful weather in the mountains today.


    Craig


    I went to the coffee shop today. Was hoping to see you.


    Craig


    Can we please talk about this?


    Craig


    You said you’d always love me and that we were meant to be together. We will be together, Jules, baby.


    “Wow,” Nick breathes out.


    “This has been going on since he saw me at the coffee shop.” My hands are shaking.


    “I’m going to find him and make him pay.” Nick moves toward the door.


    I follow him. “No. Please?—”


    “This ends now.”


    Zane stands and ces his hand on Nick’s shoulder. “No. Your emotions are running high. This is a trap, one he has been setting up for weeks.”


    “He’s right,” Autumn offers. “This is exactly what Craig wants. You’re a good person, Nick. Don’t let him make you do something out of character, okay?”


    I grab his hand and lead him back to the couch. “He wants you to be violent. He needs to be the victim and prove you’re the bad person. Don’t give him what he wants. For me. Please.”


    “Okay.” Nick presses his fingers to the bridge of his nose. “You’re right. We need to document everything and file a police report. We handle this the right way.”


    I squeeze his hand. “Thank you.”


    “Save everything,” Nick tells me. “It’s all evidence.”


    “It’s harassment and emotional maniption,” Zane adds. “I can call the chief of police. He’s friends with my dad.”


    Nick shakes his head. “We go the proper routes so it can’t be twisted. But I should’ve handled him a week ago.”


    “How?” Zane asks. “Beat the shit out of him? That’s exactly what he wants. Hockey yer Attacks Local Hero, Craig Downing.”


    “Local hero?” I ask.


    “That’s how he’s positioned himself with the media,” Zane exins. “He’s good at this.”


    Autumn nods. “Many believe he’s the hometown boy who lost his girl to the rich yboy outsider. Half the town feels sorry for him.”


    My phone rings, and I nce down and see it’s my mom. I immediately answer.


    “Julie, honey, are you safe? I just talked with ire.”


    “I’m at Autumn’s.”


    “Sierra told me Craig came back to the shop this morning, asking when you’d be back. They didn’t tell him anything, but he seemed to know already.” She pauses. “Sweetie, be careful. He’s not himselftely.”


    “What do you mean?”


    “He’s been telling people Nick is using you, that he’ll leave you broken when he goes back to New York. That he’s just trying to protect you from a monster.”


    “Nick isn’t a monster. Craig’s lying. He has no idea wha?—”


    “I know, honey. Nick is a fine young man.” She sighs. “But please keep me updated, okay? I’m worried about you.”


    “I will. Love you.”


    “Love you too.”


    I end the call and ce my face in my hands.


    Nick ces his arm around. “It’s going to be okay.”


    “You promise?” I ask, meeting his eyes.


    “Yes.” He gives me a small smile, and with everything I am, I want to believe him.