A shiver raced down her spine. Ugh, this had been a mistake. Why couldn’t she have just driven home with Jagger?
Well, they were here to make nice; might as well work on it.
“Thanks for doing this with me,” she said over her shoulder as the path narrowed. The tight quarters forced her to either release his hand or march on in an uncomfortable position. She missed the warmth as soon as he let go.
“No problem.”
Calling the man chatty was like calling Henry Cavill ugly. Just wasn’t true.
“I mean, this probably isn’t your jam, right? You must have a million places you’d rather be than getting lost in a field of corn.” She let out a nervous laugh. “With me.”
What the hell was wrong with her? She had years, years of media training and could talk to literally anyone about anything. She could answer difficult, embarrassing, or ridiculous questions on the fly and redirect a conversation to any path she chose. Yet here she was, babbling like a moron to fill the heavy silence.
“Seriously, Mickie, it’s fine,” he said from behind her. “I like being here. Been coming every year since I was a kid.”
“Yeah, Jagger mentioned your mom brought you guys here.” They came to a fork in the road and stopped walking. Their eyes connected she nearly lost her breath at the intensity in his deep blue gaze. “She sounds wonderful.”
With a sigh, he nodded. “She was. Any positive memory from my childhood came from her.”
There was something there between them. Some connection that was harder and harder to resist the more she saw him. The draw she felt to him was almost tangible. Like her, he’d been wounded by life. The walls he’d build to keep himself from pain were much stronger than hers. But every time she chipped away even a little bit, she felt like she was flying. Part of her wanted to hold him tight and promise she’d never hurt him while another part of her wanted to spend days in a bed with him naked and hiding from the world.
“Hmm, left or right?” she finally said, turning away from the magnetic tug.
He scratched his beard as he looked left then right. The beard that’d been so soft against her skin a few nights ago when he’d—
Keep your head in the game!
“When in doubt, right it out?” he said with a shrug.
Mickie laughed. “Is that a thing?”
When he chuckled, her heart soared. Making him laugh or smile gave her such a thrill since he didn’t seem to do either very often.
“If it gets us out of here, we can trademark it.” When smiling, his mouth took on such a tempting shape. Everything about the man drew her. Dressed in an olive-green hoodie, jeans, and work boots, he shouldn’t have given off such a sexy vibe, but it was the way he wore the clothes, not what he wore. The denim hugged his thick thighs and incredible ass while the sweatshirt stretched across his broad chest in a way that made her want to shove her hands under it and feel the warmth radiating off all those muscles.
The sun was beginning to set, and tall overhead floodlights came on, illuminating the maze. Many of the patrons had gone, leaving them surprisingly alone in the labyrinth. Along with the dipping sun came a quick drop in temperature.
Mickie shivered.
Keith picked up on it right away. “You too cold? Want my sweatshirt? It might fit under your jacket.”
She tried not to look too much into the fact he seemed pretty in tune with her. Did she want to have his scent surrounding her? Hell yes, she did. But it would be a mistake because she’d probably lose her mind, jump him, and ride him like a wild stallion through this cornfield.
“Mickie?”
“What? Oh, uh no, I’m okay.” She inhaled a deep breath of the fresh air. “I like it. The cold air here is so clean and invigorating.”
He watched her out the side of his eyes. “No fresh air where you were?”
With a laugh, she shook her head. “No, actually. I lived in Southern California. Smog capital of the US.” A flutter of nerves charged through her stomach. Though she’d mentioned California, saying Southern California narrowed it down more than she had before. But he seemed utterly oblivious to her actual identity, so she needed to chill out.
Keith shuddered. “Don’t know how people live in busy cities. Too many people, buildings, and cars. Mostly people.”
She laughed. When the man let down his guard, he made for great company. Sure, he’d never be the life of the party, but she’d been that person and lived with people like that for years. A more mellow vibe appealed to her more than she’d expected. Keith never felt the need to act on all the time, and in turn, she could relax and be herself around him. Or at least be the self she was becoming. Someone who appreciated the simpler things in life and woke each morning looking forward to the day ahead.