Page 37 of The Red-Hot Stakes

Sure enough, there was dirt on my finger. Where’d that come from?

He reached over, running his thumb along my cheek. “Um, that just made it worse.” He tipped his water bottle upside down, getting his thumb wet. Stepping closer, he ran it over my cheekbone once more. “There.”

The air charged between us as his hand lingered. His gaze drifted to my mouth, and my tongue darted out to wet my lips. Liam closed the distance between us, his nose nearly brushing mine.

Then a bunch of joyful yelling came from down the path, startling us. We jumped apart. A group of teenagers rounded the corner, noisy and jostling for the lead. We watched them go, almost standing in the corn as we waited for the stream to end. Finally the last one went by, and it was just us again.

But the moment was gone. I glanced at Liam, wanting another chance, feeling empty that we’d missed it.

Liam’s words were wistful. “Are we following the herd?”

When I nodded, he held out his hand. It felt like a consolation prize, but I took it anyway. We walked along, not saying much.

This whole day felt like we’d spent it winding through a maze of firsts, navigating this date and the crazy feelings I’d never expected to find lurking under the surface. The searing electricity that jolted between us, the needy ache gathering low in my stomach, the steadily increasing desire growing inside me.

I remembered the day of the escape room fiasco. I’d hated the way Liam had treated his girlfriend. They hadn’t meshed well, had almost made us lose, then Liam and I fought afterward. Which made Josh and I fight. His words echoed in me, that Liam and I just needed to have sex and get it over with.

At the time, the words repulsed me. Now I couldn’t get the idea out of my head, and this was just the first date. Desire shot through me as I studied Liam’s handsome profile.

Joined by our hands, we wound our way through the field, gradually picking up our conversation. He asked me which classes I enjoyed the most. Then we talked about strategy for the bar. We found sign number eight, and I thought I remembered seeing there were only ten in total.

“We have to be getting close.”

Liam pulled out his phone. “Well, it’s been an hour, so that’s about right.”

I hoped so because I had to pee, and I wasn’t about to squat in a row of corn. His hand left mine, needing it to open his water bottle. I wiped my damp palm on my skirt and decided to take a drink too.

It was my turn to ask something, and I blurted the first thing that came to mind. “So, you’re a Packers fan?”

He stopped so fast, I nearly ran into him. “You know my team?”

“What?”

“You don’t even like football.” His grin widened.

“Just because I don’t like it, doesn’t mean I don’t know anything about it. My uncle’s a Packers fan too. You two are going to get along great.” I nearly clamped a hand over my mouth.

Liam’s smile reached from ear to ear. “Gina, you want me to meet your family? I’m flattered.” He placed his hand on his chest as if he were overcome by my words.

“Shut up.”

“I think that’s moving a little fast though. I mean, this is only our first date.” He winked, whistling a cheery tune as we walked.

I couldn’t even stay mad, not with him looking so happy about it. He entertained me with a few stories of him and Derek growing up, some involving Rhonda and their childhood friend Piper. Soon, we reached the exit. Another glance at his phone showed it had only been fifteen more minutes.

“Wow, we made pretty good time.” His eyebrows shot up, obviously impressed. “You weren’t kidding about your innate sense of direction. That was awesome.”

Just like that, tears pricked the back of my eyes. I had to slow my steps because I couldn’t see. Blinking rapidly, I took deep breaths, not wanting to lose it just outside of the corn maze.

“Hey, Gina, you all right?” His warm hand brushed my elbow, turning me to face him.

I swallowed, hoping I could speak. “You didn’t get mad at me. Not once.”

“Mad?” The furrow appeared on his forehead. “Why would I get mad?”

My shoulders bobbed as I surveyed the rows of corn swaying in the light breeze. “Josh always did. Whenever we tried something like this and we went down the wrong path while he was leading, he’d get annoyed. Especially if I didn’t make a wrong turn.” I stared at the trampled grass beneath my feet. “Sometimes, I’d go the wrong way on purpose, just so he’d feel better.” A weight settled on my chest as my words hung between us.

Then Liam’s arms came around me, crushing me to him. “Oh, Red, don’t you ever do that to me. Always show me how right you are. Go the right way, rub it in my face, and do your victory dance. I promise I can handle it.”

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