I stepped forward, heading their way, when Carly grabbed my shirt and pulled me back.

“What are you doing?” she asked, her hand fisting to hold me in place.

I twisted, slipping out of my shirt and stalking away.

“Kye, what are you doing? You can’t just go hit him.”

“I’m not.”

“Then what are you doing?” Scout yelled.

“Following them.”

“You can’t stalk her,” Carly said.

“Like fuck I can’t.”

They headed towards the biggest haunted house, and I could only laugh. She hated scary things, but came here with him? And there he was, hoping she was going to cling to him because of it.

I grabbed a cheap mask off of one of the vendor tables, throwing a twenty down without stopping.

There was no chance in hell that she was going to be clinging to him. Daisy wasn’t even going to make it through the entire haunted house with him.

Before she even had a chance, I was going to take her.

TWENTY-FIVEDAISY

I was about five seconds from having a full-on meltdown.

The screaming, the chainsaws, the strobing lights. Every second was pushing me closer to breaking down and hiding in a corner.

I moved to the wall, clenching my fists as Mark got lost in the crowd, not seeming to notice I wasn’t with him anymore.

I was frozen, my fear taking over, just like this place was designed to do.

Then it got worse. Arms wrapped around me, ripping me back into the dark.

I screamed, but there was no use in this place. The sound blended in perfectly.

“You’re not supposed to touch me!” I screamed in panic as a door shut, sealing us into a back room. 

“I’m the only one that’s supposed to be touching you,” he whispered into my ear, the heat of his breath making a ripple of pleasure move through me.

I took a deep breath as I sagged against him. “Kye. What are you doing? We shouldn’t be back here,” I said as he pulled me further into the dark. The music was muffled now, but I could still hear everything, the sounds of fake chainsaws and screams making me shudder.

He turned me around and pushed me up against the wall. I didn’t come face-to-face with Kye, though, I came face-to-face with another terrifying mask.

“Why are you wearing that?” I yelled.

“So they didn’t bother me sneaking around to grab you.” He ripped it off, throwing it into a dark corner of the room.

I stopped shaking the moment I saw his face. The twisted pain and anger made me wish I could take a step back, but I was trapped, caged in by the man hunting me, apparently.

“You’re here on a date with another guy?”

“Yes.”

“I thought we were supposed to be dating.”

“I told you the lie can be over, Kye. It’s been long enough. I will be fine. We got into that fight and haven’t talked all week. It’s already been over.”

He leaned down, whispering in my ear. “I wasn’t done.”

His teeth found my neck, biting and licking his way to my mouth before taking it, kissing it like it was his.

“I don’t like my girlfriend on a date with another guy. It is making me want to commit acts of violence towards a guy who probably doesn’t even know he’s here with my girlfriend.” 

“I’m not your⁠—”

“You are.”

I let out a deep breath, trying to find words when his lips were back on my neck.

“I was on a date to forget about you and move on, not to piss you off, and not to get you in a back room for this.”

“And did it work? Did you think about me at all?”

He pushed against me now, his cock hard against my leg. The crude position in a back room should feel just like that, crude, but Kye never made me feel like anything we did was wrong.

“I thought about you all night,” I said, softer now.

“Tell me.”

I didn’t say anything, quietly trying to decide what I was going to do. He bit hard at my neck, making me wince.

“Now, Daisy,” he yelled. “Tell me everything.”

I closed my eyes and leaned my head back. “I thought about the way he drove and how it was so careful compared to you. And the way he’s nice but doesn’t cross the line like you try to. I wondered why he kept ignoring me and talking to everyone until I realized I had become so used to the way you whisper to me all the time, like you only want to talk to me, even when there’s a hundred people around. I thought about how you wouldn’t have made me come into the haunted house because you would already know that I would hate it. That you would burn it down if I asked. Or that you would carry me through and just fight anyone who bothered me.” I was laughing now, but I opened my eyes. “I wondered if I was never with you again, would I ever find someone who touches me like they need it to breathe? It’s like you can’t get enough of me.”

He didn’t say anything, but he watched me, so I continued. 

“I thought about the way you kiss right behind my ear every chance you get and the way I think I’m the one who needs you to breathe. Mark is so sweet, and careful. He’s levelheaded, he is always saying all the right things, and my dad already loves him. And he doesn’t just throw me up against walls. I mean, he asks to hold my hand. He asks.”

Kye’s lips twitched, but he didn’t smile completely.

“But it doesn’t matter. None of it matters because I love you and your chaos. You don’t always say the right thing and you scare me with your reckless attitude, but I can’t get enough. And then all I can think is that I don’t know if I’m just young and stupid, or if I will spend the rest of my life comparing guys to you.”

He leaned forward, his forehead against mine. “I don’t care if I am young and stupid. I don’t have to compare anyone to you. I don’t know that I ever will. There will never be any competition. What is this costume?” he asked, moving the skirt around.