34
Aubrey
Trent: I’ve managed to get rid of Clay. Come meet me at the corn maze.
Me: Won’t it be suspicious, us going in there together?
Trent: I’m already in there. Don’t keep me waiting, baby.
Anticipation creeps up my neck as I slide my phone back into my pocket.
I’ve been desperate for a chance to be alone with Trent, and I thought I’d have to wait until tonight when he came over to my house.
But now—sneaking into the corn maze to find him—just the thought has a slow ache building low in my belly.
I glance around, heart thudding, relieved to see the crowds thinning. Lucy is still busy wrapping up a cupcake sale, chatting easily with a customer. I wait, shifting my weight from one foot to the other, pretending to adjust the display.
As soon as she closes the money tin, I step closer. “Do you mind just watching the table for a bit while I go in search of the bathroom?” I ask, keeping my voice casual.
“Not at all. You go, I’ll be fine here,” she says with a bright smile.
“Thanks,” I murmur, already backing away.
The moment I’m out of sight, I quicken my pace toward the corn maze, my pulse thrumming in my ears. Pulling out my phone again, I type a quick message: On my way.
Once I reach the entrance of the maze, I glance around, making sure no one from my family is nearby before slipping inside.
It doesn’t take long for me to get lost. I’ve passed a handful of people—some familiar faces, some strangers—but the one person I’m looking for is nowhere to be seen.
The further I go, the quieter it gets. The laughter and chatter from the harvest festival fades into nothing, leaving only the rustle of dry corn stalks and the rapid thud of my heart.
I round a corner and come face-to-face with a dead end. A frustrated sigh slips out before I can stop it and what started as excitement is slowly unraveling into irritation.
I turn to retrace my steps, reaching behind me to pull my phone from my back pocket—ready to call Trent—when a hand suddenly clamps over my mouth.
A warm body presses into mine, pushing me deeper into the dead end, trapping me between the wall of stacked straw bales and a solid chest. Panic spikes up my spine, sharp and blinding, but then I catch it. The familiar scent of Trent’s cologne—clean, musky, unmistakably him—wraps around me.
The panic dissolves, replaced by a rush of heat as I melt back against him, heart still hammering but for a very different reason.
“You kept me waiting, baby,” Trent’s voice whispers against my ear, sending a shiver racing down my spine.
“I—I couldn’t find you,” I stammer, breath catching as he spins me around to face him.
His hands linger at my waist, fingers pressing just enough to make me forget how to breathe.
Trent lifts his hands, cupping my cheeks with a firm, possessive touch. His thumb drags across my bottom lip, and I can’t help the hitch in my breath.
“I’ve been desperate to kiss you all day,” he murmurs, his voice rough with restraint.
“Then what are you waiting for?” I challenge, my own pulse spiking.
Without a word, he crashes his mouth onto mine—hungry, claiming, insistent.
His hands slip down to my ass, pulling me flush against him.
The heat of him presses hard against my stomach, and a wave of need crashes through me.
I can’t resist sliding my hand over the front of his jeans, rubbing him over the fabric, drawing a low groan from him as his teeth graze my bottom lip.
“You think rubbing my dick like that in the middle of this corn maze is a good idea, pretty girl?” His voice is rough, teasing, dangerous.
“I reckon so,” I whisper, just before he grabs my wrists and lifts them above my head.
“You’re so sexy when you want control,” he growls, eyes dark and intense, “but right now I’m in charge. All I want is your lips on mine. And once we get back to your place? I’ll fuck you six ways to Sunday. How does that sound?”
I smirk, “Sounds like you’re missing out on a blowjob right now.”
He chuckles, a low, possessive sound, brushing his nose along mine. “I’m not worried, baby. You’ll be on your knees for me later. Making us wait just builds the excitement.”
“You’re such a tease,” I breathe, before my lips find his neck. I kiss and nip along the warm line of his skin, feeling his pulse jump beneath my mouth as I trail upward to his jaw. He pushes against me harder, the friction making my head spin.
“I’m a tease?” His voice drops, rough and dangerous. “You’re playing a dangerous game, baby. Keep it up, and when we get home, I’ll edge you for hours. You’ll be begging me to let you come—and how long I keep you dancing on that edge depends on how much of a brat you decide to be.”
“Don’t threaten me with a good time,” I whisper against his throat, smiling when I feel him tense.
His hand slides to the back of my neck, grip firm. “You won’t have that same attitude later.”
“We’ll see.” I smirk, as he releases my hands allowing me to fist the front of his T-shirt and drag his mouth back to mine.
The kiss hits hard—hot, reckless, a collision of breath and need—and the rest of the world, the rustling corn, the chill in the air falls away until it’s just him and me, locked in the heat we can barely contain.
Even as I goad him, I know I’m playing a dangerous game.
I know how expertly he can push me to the brink until I’m practically trembling, begging him for release.
And I know—without a doubt—that he’ll stick to his word.
But still, I can’t help it. I trail my lips along his jaw again, brushing my fingers through his hair, letting my smirk linger.
Teasing him is irresistible, and the thrill of watching him tense, knowing exactly what I’m doing, is far too intoxicating to resist.
A low growl vibrates through his chest as he grips my hair, tilting my head back. His eyes glint with raw need, and he leans in, whispering against my lips, “Mine,” before seizing my mouth in a fierce, all-consuming kiss.
His tongue traces mine with deliberate intensity, while his hands cup my face, angling my head to deepen the connection. Every touch, every motion, pulls me further under, until nothing exists beyond him.
We’re so lost in each other that the crunch of approaching footsteps goes unnoticed—until a sharp, unexpected voice cuts through the air.
“Oh shit. Sorry.”
We break apart instantly, panic slamming through me as I spin toward the sound. Trent steps back, chest heaving, just as the figure comes fully into view.
Shit.
“Justin,” I breathe.
For a long moment, no one speaks. Justin stands there, glancing between Trent and me, his expression unreadable. Guilt hits me like cold water.
Even though we hadn’t dated long, I feel awful—especially knowing he probably thinks I ended things because of Trent.
Which, in my defense, I didn’t.
But I’m sure that’s not how it looks to him.
“I… I can explain,” I stammer, words tripping over themselves.
Justin shakes his head, a faint, knowing smile tugging at his lips. “No need. It’s all good. I kind of had an idea you guys had… history.”
“I don’t really know what to say,” I admit, my voice small.
He shrugs, casual but not dismissive. “No need to say anything, Aubrey.” His gaze flicks to Trent before returning to me. “You two make complete sense.”
His soft smile disarms me, and I can’t help but return it.
Justin starts to turn away, and a flicker of panic spikes through me. “Justin—wait.”
He glances back over his shoulder.
“I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t say anything to anyone about this.”
“Of course,” he says with an easy grin. “I saw nothing.”
He walks away, and I let out a quiet sigh of relief that our secret is safe… for now.
But when I glance up at Trent, something tightens across his face—there and gone so quickly I almost miss it. Hurt, maybe. He notices me watching, and the expression smooths into that familiar half-smile, the one that never quite reaches his eyes.
“What’s wrong?” I whisper, barely daring to break the moment.
“Nothing,” he says, that same smirk tugging at his lips. “Come on. We should get out of here before someone else finds out about our… dirty little secret.”
He takes my hand in his, his thumb brushing gently over the back of it as we wind through the maze toward the exit. The touch should be reassuring—but it isn’t.
And I can’t help but feel like I’ve hurt him somehow, without even realizing it.