"I want to know more about you," I said. "I want to know more about you, too." She smiled at me and I smiled back at her. I noticed she didn't have her blanket anymore. It must have fallen when we were in the secret passage. I took off my jacket and placed it on her shoulders. And this time, instead of shrugging it off and throwing it back at my face like she did before that first time I walked her home, she held it closer to her. "Thanks." She gave me another smile. I wanted her to keep smiling at me. "Can I ask you something then?" I nodded. Just don't ask me to leave you alone. Like you did before. Even if I deserved it. She looked down on the ground as we walked before she asked, "Why didn't you text me before you left?" I didn't answer right away, wanting to give her a real, honest answer by thinking about what words I was going to say to her. "Sometimes," I began, massaging my knuckles with my other hand. "I need to get away from... everything." That sounded useless, but I didn't know how else to explain it to her. I wished for words, better words I could give her to remove the sadness in her eyes. I looked down, gathering my thoughts. And tried again, "There are things in my past that still... haunts me. And I have to deal with them the way I know how." "Is this where you went?" She gestured at the maze. "I went to finish a project up north first. And then I drove here. But yeah, I stayed here for a while." "I see." I must have taken a while gathering my thoughts because I heard her sigh. "I'm not used to telling anyone where I'm going, Kara." I stopped and leaned against a tree trunk. "Not since I was a kid. And even then." She leaned against the tree across from me. She gathered all her hair and piled it on her left shoulder. It streamed down her front silkily. She made a captivating picture, standing there, watching my face. "I'm not making an excuse," I continued. "It just is. I didn't think about telling you that I was leaving because I never had to do that before. I'm not used to anyone looking for me." I raked my fingers in my hair, uncomfortable at having to explain. "The people I allowed in my life knows I don't want them to." Her eyes drifted down. Was she hurt by what I said? The thought of her waiting for me to call or text squeezed my heart painfully. "Kara, I'm sorry I left without a word. I had no idea how it would affect you. I know you like me. That you're very attracted to me. But I didn't know you... had feelings for me. That you... cared." I let out a breath. It was hard opening up, even with her. It was hard. "I stopped thinking. I'm sorry. I didn't think I was that important to you enough to... I didn't think at all." I was staring at her face the whole time, but she never once lifted her eyes back up to mine. I kept quiet and waited until she looked at me. When at last she did, she said, "I think I understand. And I'm sorry because I know I demand and expect things to happen right away. Disregarding how hard it is for you to open up. I'm learning, too. This is all new to me too. But..." she trailed off, chewing on her bottom lip. I pushed away from the tree and walked to her. Her eyes were on me, her face open, beautifully vulnerable to me. I cupped her face between my hands, leaned down to kiss her lips. Her taste was a balm to an open wound. "I was worried about you," she said. "Can you tell me next time if you leave again? Just send me a text, a call, an email. Send a bird with a note. Anything." I chuckled, kissed her again. "I'm sorry you were worried about me. I'm an ass, but I don't want to be an ass to you. I hate hurting you. When you told me I was just like everybody else," I paused, feeling my chest tighten. "It... hurt me. And I realized that I couldn't let you go that night without letting you know how important you are to me." I rubbed my face with my hands, wondering if I was doing this right. If I was making an idiot of myself. But her hazel eyes told me to keep going. "I don't want to be just like everybody else to you." "You're not." She reached for my hand. "You're not, Cameron." "I know you said you care for me and that I don't feel the same about you. You're right." Her eyes widened. "Because," I continued, stroking her hair, her neck, her face, "I feel more for you than you feel for me. Whatever I have for you inside me is stronger than anything I've felt before. There's no way you'd know what it was like for me... before. I didn't care about anyone. There are only two people I've let in my life." I tipped her chin up. "And now there's you." She sighed softly. "I've never been good with words. But I'll show you. I want to show you." She closed her eyes as I kissed her eyelids, her cheek, her nose. "You're doing good so far," she said. "Really good." I kissed her lips, her chin. "Am I?" She nodded and opened her eyes. "I'm ready to tell you now," I said. "About the maze." "All right." I looked down for a moment, feeling my heart pound against my chest. There was a familiar ringing in my ears every time I remembered what happened just behind the maze. Something I kept forcing my mind to forget. I stepped forward, leading the way this time. I paused when she grabbed my arm and met her eyes. There was an understanding there and a whole lot of strength that reinforced my own. She slid her hand into mine, squeezing tightly. As if somehow she felt my apprehension. "I got you, Cameron," she whispered. "I got you." Goddamnit. Goddamnit. I gripped her jaw, yanking her to me. I kissed her again, hard and fast. Something that would tell her how much I wanted her. Her fingernails dug into my back as she rubbed her body against me. I would take her right here if we didn't stop now. "Baby," I murmured in her ear, gathering her close to me. "You have to stop now or I'll fuck you right here." I wanted to do more than that. I wanted to possess her. Not just her body but... more. Just more. I seemed to want more from her than I ever wanted from any woman I'd been with. It couldn't even compare. It left me frustrated. It left my heart... aching. She pulled away, licking her lips. She brushed her hair off her face as she tried to catch her breath. Then she nodded. "Let's go." I knew exactly where we were supposed to go. She walked close to me, still holding my hand. We were going to lose the light in an hour or so, but that was fine. We were close now. "How did you find out about this place?" she asked. "Raven and I moved here when I was a kid." She frowned. "Who's Raven?" "My mother." "You call your mother by her given name?"