The corn maze entrance looms before us, lit by dim orange string lights that make the stalks glow gold. I’m high on the thought of fulfilling this fantasy. The cool October air carries the scent of kettle corn and distant bonfire smoke.


    “Ready for an adventure?” I ask, my voice muffled.


    “With you? Always.”


    We enter the maze, and the sounds of the festival fade. It’s just us, the rustling corn, and the asional distantughter from other lost souls. The paths are barely lit, creating more shadows than light.


    “Left or right?” Nick asks, hooking his pinkie with mine.


    “Always left at first. That’s the secret.”


    “There’s a secret?”


    “Oh, there are lots of secrets in Cozy Creek.”


    I pull him with me, and then we immediately turn right. I get us lost within minutes, but we keep walking forward.


    When we’re at the edge of the maze, I pull him a little farther, then remove my pumpkin head. He removes his too. The string lights don’t reach us.


    “You know what I realized tonight?” I ask, moving closer to him.


    “What’s that?”


    “For the past few years, I’ve been going through the motions of living.”


    I wrap my arms around his neck, and he slides his around my waist.


    “And now?”


    “Now I feel alive. You make me believe I can have the things I want.”


    “What are the things you want?”


    “Lazy Sunday mornings in bed. Inside jokes. Someone who looks at me the way you’re looking at me right now.”


    He cups my face in his hands. “Tell me how I’m looking at you.”


    “Like I’m lightning in a bottle.”


    “You are,” he confesses, leaning forward, fingertips brushing against my cheeks.


    His lips meet mine with a tenderness that makes my knees weak. It’s not the desperate, heated kisses we’ve shared before. This is something else. His mouth moves against mine like he’s memorizing the shape of my lips. I can’t help but sigh when he tilts his head just right, allowing his tongue to swipe against mine.


    I melt into him, my fingers tangling in his hair, and I need more of him, like I can’t get enough. It’s almost as if my life depends on it.


    Nick tastes sweet from the cider, and he’s being so damn gentle as his thumbs stroke against my cheek. We kiss like we have unlimited time, like we’re not in a corn maze, where someone could stumble upon us.


    One hand slides into my hair, pins falling out and scattering on the ground, causing red waves to tumble down my back.


    “Jules,” he breathes against my lips, not pulling away, just needing to say my name.


    “I know,” I whisper.


    I feel the magic between us. This shift. This change. This wonderful, terrifying thing that’s been percting between us over the past year.


    He kisses me again, backing me up until I’m pressed against the corn stalks. They rustle around us, creating a curtain of sound that makes this feel even more private, more ours. His body cages me in, but I don’t feel trapped. I feel protected. Cherished. Wanted.


    When we break apart, we’re breathless. My lips are swollen, tingling, and I feel dizzy, drunk on him. His forehead rests against mine, and we hold each other for a moment.


    “That was …” I don’t know how to describe it.


    “Yeah,” he agrees, knowing what I mean.


    “I want …” I pull him down so I can whisper in his ear. “I want you to make me forget my name. I want you to make mee so hard that I see pumpkins in the stars.”


    He groans. “Damn, girl. Never heard the word used during forey.”


    I snicker. “First time for everything.”


    His hand slides under my dress, to the edge of my slit, and I gasp. “Bad fucking girl.”


    I gasp. “I’m prepared.”


    “And so wet and ready.”


    “You’re a turn-on,” I breathe out.


    “Tell me something,” he says.


    His fingers tease me, but don’t quite touch where I need and want them.


    “When twenty-something-year-old you put this on your list, did you think you’d ever do it?”


    “No,” I admit, inhaling as his fingers make contact between my slick folds before he slides one digit inside. “I never thought I’d find someone who could satisfy me.”


    “And I do?”


    He steadies me as he continues to torturously move in and out of me. When his thumb rubs against my clit, my eyes roll in the back of my head.


    “Yes.”


    I feel his body heat as he leans in, the warmth of his breath causing a delightful tickle on my neck and sending thrilling shivers down my spine. His scent, pine needles and leather, wraps around me. It’s then that I realize how much I want him, how much I’ve always wanted him.


    He continues to tease my clit with his thumb and adds another finger. Two digits deep. I wrap my arms around him, hanging on to him as I take the ride of a lifetime on his hand.


    A gasp escapes me at the intense pleasure that sweeps through me. Anticipation dances in my trembling legs as I rock against his hand. I hear voices surrounding us, and the thought of getting caught makes my pussy clench around his fingers. I’ve never done something so risqué or taken control like this, but I’m so turned on that I can’t help it.


    Nick continues to finger-fuck me and leans forward, kissing me. His mouth slides to my ear and down my neck. “Your skin tastes so good.”


    Everywhere his lips touch, sparks ignite. His teeth graze my skin, and he plunges deeper into me.


    My breath catches in anticipation as I approach the precipice at a sprint. My heavy breaths mingle with the gentle rustling of corn stalks swaying in the breeze. I can barely handle how good his hands on me feels. A moan releases from me, and Nickughs against my neck.


    “Shh, Little Red. Don’t want anyone to overhear.”


    He continues to touch me, and I feel safe, even as we’re doing something so risky.


    The intensity builds, and I hold on to him, fingers digging into his shoulders as waves of sensation wash over me.


    Voices float through the maze, and my heart races. The thrill of this is almost too much. I squeeze my eyes tight.


    “You’re close,” Nick whispers against my ear. “You’re so beautiful.”


    His words affect me as much as his touch. This isn’t just physical. Right now, it’s emotional, and I’m finally iming what I want.


    The rustling corn creates a symphony around us as I get lost in the moment, in him. My breathing increases.


    I bite my lip, trying to stay quiet as everything intensifies.


    I ce my hand over my mouth, stopping myself from screaming when the orgasm pulls me under. It’s euphoric, and I have an out-of-body experience. He holds me upright so I don’t copse.


    “Nick,” I breathe against his chest, still trembling.


    “I’ve got you,” he murmurs, holding me close. His heart is racing as fast as mine.


    “This feels different,” I whisper.


    “How?”


    “Like we’re not pretending anymore.”


    His arms tighten around me. “We haven’t been pretending for a while now.”


    “Tonight, seeing Sarah …” I take a shaky breath. “That could have been me. Trapped, pregnant, as he screwed around.”


    “But it’s not you.”


    “No. And I’m grateful. You showed me what I deserve.”


    The voices are closer now.


    “Quick!” I grab our pumpkin heads, squeezing my legs together.


    We barely get them on before a group of teenage boys rounds the corner.


    “Dead end,” one says.


    “Nice pumpkins, weirdos.” Anotherughs as he passes us.


    “Wonder what they were doing back here,” the taller one says.


    “Hey, you little bastard,” I yell. “You stole my panties.”


    “Oh, shit!” the teenager screams.


    He and his friends sprint away from us,ughing hysterically.


    “I’m going to find out who your mom is and tell on you!” I scream.


    When they’re out of sight, Nick turns to me, wearing a smirk. “I’m sure they’re scared.”


    I chuckle. “I hope they are.”


    Nick reaches over, pulling a piece of corn silk from my hair. “You’re a beautiful mess. Was it worth it?” he asks.


    “Hell yes. Happy I had that on my list,” I say, grinning.


    “Did you see pumpkins when you came?” he whispers.


    I nod. “I think I saw the spice too.”


    He grabs my hand and chuckles. “Corny.”


    I turn to him. “Am I the type of woman men want? Do you think I’m too much?”


    “Not for me. I can never get enough,” he confesses. “And, yeah, I think you are the type of woman men want.”


    “Why am I single?” I ask.


    He turns to me. “Because you’re not a fucktoy, Jules. You’re the type of woman men want forever with.”


    My heart skips a beat.


    We finish wandering through the maze, stopping to kiss one another when we can. I hear music,ughter, and the asional scream from the haunted house.


    “Did you know we’re almost at our thirty-day mark?” Nick asks as we take another wrong turn.


    “Yes, I’m aware. One week. I’ve got your expiration date programmed into my phone.”


    “I’m not running, Jules.” He ces his hands on my shoulders. “I don’t want to, and that’s never happened before.”


    “What does that mean?”


    “What we have is different.”


    “Does that scare you?” I ask.


    “Not this time,” he tells me, kissing me.


    I grab his shirt, pulling him to me. “Love to hear it.”


    After we break away, he grabs my hand and leads us toward the exit of the maze.


    “Thank you for making my silly list seem important,” I say.


    “I don’t think it’s silly.” He kisses my forehead. “I know we’re not supposed to talk about this yet, but I’m?—”


    “Don’t jinx it.” I press my finger to his lips. “Tell me on Halloween. We agreed.”


    “You’re right,” he says. “I got lost in the moment.”


    After forty-five minutes of purposely being lost, we find our way out.


    “There you are!” Autumn calls out. She takes one look at us and smirks. “Have fun getting ‘lost’?”


    “Too much fun,” I say, but we’re not fooling anyone.


    My lips are still swollen, my hair is a mess despite attempts to fix it, and we both have that telltale glow.


    As we walk back through the festival, Nick’s thumb brushes over mine. It’s such a simple gesture, but it makes my heart race. Something has shifted. This isn’t just about checking things off a list anymore. This isn’t just a hookup situation. This is something more. Something that scares and excites me at the same time. Something that might be worth risking everything for.


    We’re in the middle of where we were and where we’re going. It’s almost purgatory because I have my answer, but I’m giving it space to breathe, to make sure Nics Banks is who I want.


    I’m just worried something will change between now and then, and our answers won’t match.