Page 80 of Cinnamon Roll Set Up

It’s the scarecrow’s burlap hand. The thing’s right next to me, laughing behind his sewn-on grin. I scream again, batting at it, but it doesn’t move.

Suddenly, Miles is between us. “Back off.”

The scarecrow gestures with its arms as if to say “Make me,” and lunges for me.

Miles stiff-arms him like Iron Man blasting away bad guys, making the scarecrow take a step back to avoid getting hit. “Get out of her face. Now.”

I’ve never heard him threaten anyone before, but it’sseriously effective. The scarecrow mumbles, “Take a joke, man,” and turns his attention to the people behind us.

Miles pulls me close into his side and leads us through the cornstalks. When we reach the next “ghoul” between rooms, he takes charge. “Let us out.”

The person lights up a glow wand and leads us to a side door. “No refunds, no returns,” he says, opening it out onto the small garden area next to the community center.

It’s disorienting to go from a fear-filled room back to the real world so suddenly. Lamps in the garden illuminate us, and people wander around just half a block away on the main street. No ghouls, no frights, no cornfields.

That doesn’t stop me from throwing myself the rest of the way into the safety of Miles’s arms. I burrow in close, letting his reassuring words and gentle hands on my back soothe away the fear.

“I’ve got you,” he says over and over again. “I’ve got you.”

Once my heart rate’s down to normal and my brain’s no longer telling me toRun, run, run!embarrassment worms its way in. I mean, I just very thoroughly freaked out during an eventIsuggested and essentially draggedhimto.

I pull back enough to see his face. “We can all agree this date was a total disaster, right?”

He laughs, but traces soft touches along my hairline, his other arm still tight around my back. “I wouldn’t go for the haunted house again, but I wouldn’t call it a disaster.”

“Name one good thing that happened tonight.”

His mouth quirks the smallest amount. “I’ve got you in my arms.”

“Rule number eight.” I flex my fingers against his waist. “Next time, though, let’s skip the haunted house.”

He nods. “That’s rule number nine.”

“I need to sit down for a minute.” I don’t trust my legs rightnow. We move to one of the benches in the garden space, and I blow out a breath. “You were kind of scary back there.”

“Scarecrow scary?” He sounds almost sad, and I realize how that might have come across. Like maybe his behavior contributed to my fears.

I turn as much as I can to face him on the bench. “No. More like…’touch her and die’scary. It’s a good thing.”

Ten minutes ago, I wouldn’t have listed that as one of my top-tier micro-tropes, but it’s up there now.

“That’s pretty close to what I was thinking.” He presses a kiss to the side of my head. “I’m sorry that triggered your old fears.”

“Me, too. Not how I imagined our first date going.”

“How did you imagine it going?”

Whatever actual plans I might have had are hard to remember when his gaze falls to my mouth. “I mean, we would definitely be our goofy selves.”

His gaze holds steady. “Check.”

“And we would have fun because I always have fun with you.” My answers are getting breathier by the second, but I have very limited defenses against his intense focus on my lips.

“I always have fun with you, too.”

Oh, good gracious, does he have to use that deliciously low voice?

“And at the end, we’d definitely have a kiss.”

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