Chapter 41
Mia
We make our way through the drinking, smoking, dancing, laughing crowd toward the edge of the property.
There are people making out, men showing off their bikes, and women downing shots while music rages on from the band that’s pretty damn good.
The whole vibe is that of a brotherhood, yet there’s still an undertone of darkness and unpredictability.
If I’m honest with myself, it’s that hint of fear that drives me. That little bit of danger. It runs in my blood. The same fear and danger my father chased are what Mason now chases, and that craving must live in me too.
“Where are we going?” I ask. We’re in a field of peach trees, and the party turns to background noise. The grass crunches under my sandals.
“To see the stars, goddess,” Aiden says, gripping my hand tighter.
The music is quieter now, and just when I think the peach trees will never end, I see a clearing with sweet corn growing on tall stalks only weeks away from harvest. Poplar trees surround the field, tall and looming in the shadows of the night.
“Wh-where are we actually going?”
A ripple of that fear I crave, mixed with excitement, rushes through me as some small part of my brain realizes Aiden could do anything to me out here, and no one would ever know.
“Are you afraid?” he asks as he pushes the stalks of corn out of the way, and we end up on a path. “Ruston has a maze through this corn. Families come here on the weekend,” he explains.
I look back behind me, and all I see is corn. Mazes freak me out on the best of days. The idea of being lost scares the shit out of me. I can still faintly hear the music, but we’re more isolated out here.
“Ahhh, here we are,” he says, pushing through another set of thick stalks and pulling me onto a new path. He doesn’t slow down, going farther into the maze, following its twists and turns like he knows exactly where he’s going.
“Look up, beautiful,” Aiden says softly into my ear, coming to a stop and wrapping his arms around me from behind. I do, and holy fuck. I’ve never seen anything like it. The moon is nearly full, and there’s not a single cloud as thousands of brilliant stars light the night sky.
“Oh my God!” I exclaim as a star shoots across the perfectly clear sky like I’m watching a movie. “Aiden!” I clamp my hands over my mouth, watching in awe. “I’ve never seen a shooting star before…”
He kisses my neck.
“It’s stunning…” I whisper breathlessly.
He slowly kisses a line down my shoulder. “It really fucking is…” he murmurs against my skin, and even just his tone has butterflies taking flight in my stomach, because he isn’t looking at the sky at all, he’s only looking at me.
He lets go of my waist, and I pull my hair off my already sweaty back. The air is humid and warm as I walk a few steps ahead.
“How do you know about this place?” I ask, watching my step.
When he doesn’t answer, I turn to face him, but he isn’t there. I scan the immediate area, my heart beating faster again as I don’t see any sign of him.
“Aiden?” I ask softly, looking around in all directions, but everywhere is dark and shadowed. He isn’t here. I’m alone in the pitch-black maze with no light other than the moon, and no idea what to expect.
“This isn’t funny,” I call out, knowing he must still be able to hear me.
“Aiden!” The sway of the corn in the light breeze is my only answer as I start to breathe faster.
I walk back in the direction I think we came from, but as I make it a few more steps, the corn rustles loudly, and I yelp.
My imagination runs wild as I whirl around, searching and beginning to panic, but there’s no one there.
I begin to run, with no idea where I’m going and tipsy as hell.
“Aiden!” I cry out again, but he doesn’t answer. More rustling behind me, and the sound of boots on the ground, fuel me to run faster still. It could be him. Logic says it’s him, but that doesn’t stop my mind from racing, because it could be anyone.
The faster I run, the more lost I get. And the more lost I get, the more my thoughts spiral out of control. Tears well in my eyes with the fear of being trapped in here, not knowing where Aiden is. What if Dagger killed him, and he’s the one chasing me?
I finally see the top of the large poplar tree poking up in the distance and head straight for it, shoving my way through the corn stalks. My lungs burn, and I’m covered in sweat. I never once take my eyes off that tree ahead. If I can get there, I’ll almost be out of the field.
The corn rustles behind me so I know there’s someone there, but I don’t dare look.
The tree gets closer, and the stalks grow thinner. I’m all scratched up and desperate to be free of this fucking maze, to be able to see more than a foot in front of me.
Suddenly, I’m out, and not twenty feet away is the large poplar tree I know leads to the path we came in on. I head straight for it, my speed increasing as I go, and I’m no longer tipsy. I’m stone-cold sober with fear and elation.
“Running from me will only make my dick harder, Mia!” Aiden’s voice booms from somewhere in the distance, and a wave of relief and desire washes over me.
The sound of his voice, even when he’s chasing me, is a comfort.
I know he’s lurking in the shadows, waiting to pounce, and the idea of his cock growing harder as he stalks me in the deep, dark night ignites a fire in me.
The music gets louder and the light brighter as I run, but just before I reach the large poplar tree, the scent of the man I lust for, yet still fear, surrounds me. I shriek as he suddenly picks me up and pushes me against the thick trunk.
“You fucking scared me—” I begin, but his mouth comes down over mine in a deep kiss, and I feel him aching and hard against me. My fight dies as his tongue dances with mine. Delicious and sinful. His hands move over me, and my core throbs.
Aiden pulls my tank top from my body and tosses it down, taking a deep breath of my skin and the air between us. “Mmm, the scent of my favorite things…your soaking cunt and your fear.” His hand comes down between my thighs, cupping my pussy. “I’m gonna fucking devour them both.”