Page 4 of Her Obsessed Lumberjack

“Freya!”

I whip around at the sound of my name in the distance. It’s Margot calling for me.

“That’s my friend,” I tell the man. “I should go…sorry again for running into you like that…”

“You don’t need to be sorry.”

I can feel his gaze on me, and something warm and urgent blooms between my legs. It’s getting harder to breathe. The air around us seems to thicken, the cornstalks closing in, and I can’t force myself to move. Those eyes are fixing me to the spot. We stare at each other for only a second too long, but it feels like forever.

“FREYA!”

Margot’s voice is closer than before, like a shock of cold water pouring over me. The spell is broken, and I take a step back from the man, my head spinning.

“I…um…see you!” With a deep breath, I finally turn away, scurrying toward the sound of my name. Those green eyes burn into my back as I run, and my heart is still pounding long after I catch up with Margot.

“Where did you go?” she asks breathlessly, looping her arm through mine. “I thought one of those crazy clowns got you!”

I force a laugh, letting her drag me deeper into the maze, but my thoughts keep drifting back to him—the handsome giant with a voice like thunder. For the rest of the night, I keep my eyes peeled, looking for him among the shivering cornstalks. But he’s gone, swallowed up by the shadows of the maze, leaving me with a feeling of deep longing that I can’t explain.

3

ROMAN

I didn’t wantto come to the haunted corn maze. I only agreed to make Chloe happy. Truth is, I’ve seen enough real-life horrors to last me a lifetime, so a bunch of locals in Halloween costumes jumping out from behind stalks of corn is more irritating than scary. But my daughter wants me here. Doing shit you don’t want to do is just part of being a dad, no matter how old your kid gets.

“This is so spooky!” Chloe exclaims as we wind our way through the dark maze. She stays close to Trace, clinging to him tightly and practically jumping into his arms when a screaming witch rushes toward us.

“YOU WILL NEVER ESCAPE THE MAZE!” she croaks, cackling wildly.

It’s clearly Bonnie, the owner of the most popular bar in town, wearing a fake nose and some green face paint. But Chloe doesn’t seem to notice. She squeals, grabbing Trace’s hand and pulling him along, looking back over her shoulder to make sure I’m following.

Goddammit, I’m too old for this shit.

I trail behind my daughter and her husband, forcing myself to look impressed every time Chloe catches my eye.

“It’s awesome, isn’t it, Dad?” she says, grinning at me.

“Sure is.”

It’s a fun little Halloween attraction, just not for old grumps like me. I’m starting to wonder how much longer it’s going to take to reach the exit when, out of nowhere, a zombie steps out of the shadows, blocking our path. He stares at us, the light of a nearby lantern illuminating spatters of blood on his white shirt. His eyes gleam, and something about him sends my mind reeling back months, years…

Flashing blue lights, the blare of sirens as I step on the gas, chasing the car in front. It’s moving fast—too fast. I watch the car as it starts to swerve, the deafening crash as it smashes into the barrier, flipping over. My partner and I pull up and race toward the wreck. The perp is dead, his white shirt stained with blood, the smell of gasoline hanging thick in the air.

I stumble backward, my head reeling as I take a turn at random, hurrying blindly away from the zombie. Once I’ve put enough distance between us, I stop running, and a familiar sense of shame creeps over me.

“Fucking idiot,” I mutter to myself, grinding my teeth. “It’s a costume. A Halloween costume.”

My throat burns. I hate how out of control the flashbacks make me feel, and knowing a guy in a zombie costume was enough to trigger one makes me think I’m a damn coward. A few more people jump out at me, but I ignore them, striding past without a second glance. Chloe and Trace must have taken a different turn, and my daughter will be disappointed when she realizes I’m not with them, but I can’t let her see how much that stupid zombie affected me. Her dad…her hero…losing his nerve because of some fake blood.

No. She doesn’t need to see that.

I wander aimlessly, snaking through the maze, looking for the exit. My frustration is growing with every step, and I turnanother corner, walking straight into somebody. I see the figure stumble backward and land on the ground with a gasp of breath.

“Shit,” I say, crouching down to help. The lanterns don’t offer much brightness, but as I lean down, my heart somersaults inside my chest. A beautiful young woman is blinking up at me, her pretty brown eyes glinting in the darkness. Her sweet rosebud lips are open in surprise, and her curvy body is sprawled out beneath me in a way that makes my pulse race.

Fuck.

I reach down to help the girl up, my hands tingling as I make contact. She’s at least a foot shorter than me, and I have to bend my neck to meet her gaze, concern washing over me as I try to gauge her expression for signs of pain.

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