Hayden (A Next Generation Carter Brother Novel Book 4)

by Lisa Helen Gray

  I place my hand over my mouth as the drumstick bounces off the bridge of Clayton’s nose and lands on his box of food, which knocks it out of his hand.

  He whips his head up, skewering Dad with an unflinching look before turning to the police. “That’s assault. I’d like him arrested.”

  I clutch my stomach, laughing at Dad’s crestfallen expression. “Oh God, this is funny.”

  And hot. In fact, whenever Clayton takes charge, it makes me hot. Unless it’s me he’s trying to boss around.

  “I can’t believe you pushed me,” Maddox yells, shoving Malik away.

  “Stop it,” Malik warns, pushing Maddox back lightly.

  “Fuck!” I whisper, stepping back as I watch the horror play out in front of us.

  Maddox knocks into Mark, who in turn knocks into the officer, both falling to the floor.

  “All right, we’re taking you in,” the smaller officer announces, reaching for Dad.

  “No. This is what he wanted. Don’t you see that?” Dad yells, running from the police.

  “This is not going to end well,” Hope mutters.

  “I think Mark is going to be sick,” Clayton claims.

  I wince as the cop finishes lifting Mark to his feet, only to be covered in vomit. The cop tilts his head up, taking a breath before turning Mark and cuffing him.

  The one chasing Dad around the fountain calls in for help while the other tries to detain Maddox.

  “What did I do?” Maddox yells.

  “We should go,” I grumble, taking another step back.

  “Are you going to leave them to get arrested?” Clayton asks, his jaw dropping.

  I arch an eyebrow at him. “I didn’t survive my childhood by standing by. Trust me, they’ll take us in, and I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to spend the night in a cell.”

  “And they’ve not been arrested. They’ll just keep them overnight,” Hope explains. “Although Mark is going to have a cleaning bill in the morning.”

  “Does this mean we can go the library?” Charlotte asks, grinning ear to ear.

  “Let’s go see what’s at the cabin.”

  “Hey, you can’t leave us,” Dad yells, struggling to get up from the floor where the cop has him pinned down, but his attention is pulled away to his box of food that’s close by. He reaches over with his free hand, grabbing a drumstick.

  “I knew you’d get us arrested,” Maddox growls, glaring at Dad.

  “Bye. See you in the morning,” I yell, before taking Clayton’s hand and running in the direction that leads back to the cabins.

  *** *** ***

  “I’m tired,” Charlotte grumbles. “But I really wanted to go on a bear hunt. There’s so much land here.”

  “We don’t have bears,” Hope explains, holding her close.

  “We have wild cats. We could go find some of them.” She yawns, gazing at Hope.

  “We’ll see you tomorrow morning,” I comment, grimacing at the pain in my feet from all the walking.

  “Night, guys,” they croak, reaching the door to their cabin.

  “My feet are killing me,” I moan, gripping Clayton’s arm.

  “Jump on my back,” he offers, stepping in front of me and bending down. When I don’t move, he straightens, facing me. “What?”

  “Have you seen my skirt? I’d be flashing my arse to every Tom, Dick and Harry. I have a great arse, but that doesn’t mean I want everyone to see it.”

  Laughing, he steps forward, pulling his jacket off. “Jump up front. I’ll cover your great arse with my coat.”

  I grin, placing my arms around his neck and heaving myself up, before wrapping my legs around his waist. The cold hits my bare arse as my skirt rides up to my waist. “I knew you liked me.”

  He groans as he holds his coat over my arse. Clearing his throat, he says, “Do I need to worry your dad is going to kill me tomorrow?”

  “He’ll be too sore over you getting him arrested. Malik, on the other hand, is going to be pissed. But not to worry, we’ve messaged Mum and Aunt Harlow to get them in the morning.”

  He shifts me up higher on his body, his hand dropping the jacket a little, causing his hand to slip onto my bare arse. “Sorry,” he croaks.

  My clit pulses as it rubs across his abdomen. I bite my lip, concerned that when I get down, he’ll see how turned on I am.

  I run my finger along his temple, unable to look away. “Have I ever told you how beautiful your eyes are?”

  Every neuron fires, every skin cell tingles, and the hairs on the back on my neck stand on end as electricity passes between us.

  His lips part as his lids lower, pooling with desire. “Hayden,” he whispers hoarsely.

  “Clayton,” I murmur, clenching my thighs around him.

  “Fuck it!” he growls, marching us off the path and to the side of a building, into the shadows where we can’t be seen.

  “Clay—”

  His lips mesh with mine, his tongue teasing mine as he presses me against the wall, his jacket forgotten.

  He places a possessive hand on my cheek, tilting my chin up to deepen the kiss, before pulling away and kissing along my jaw and across my neck.

  “I shouldn’t be doing this,” he whispers, dousing some of my arousal. “I’m your boss.”

  “No one has to know. What happens here can stay here,” I partially lie. I might be able to say the words but meaning them is something else entirely. For the first time since I started being intimate with men, I’m unsure how to separate my feelings.

  “As soon as we leave, it has to stop,” he breathes out, peppering kisses along my neck as I undo his belt, ignoring the sting of the buckle catching on the inside of my thigh.

  “Here?” he asks, inhaling sharply.

  “I want you. Call this an appetiser.”

  I feel him reach around before hearing a rustle. He leans back, keeping me pinned to the wall by his lower half as he pulls a condom out of his wallet, then drops the wallet on the floor.

  “Maybe we should go back to the cabin before someone hears or sees us,” I murmur, even though my body thinks differently as I undo the button on his jeans and unzip him. “Or not.”

  I can’t keep my lips off him, flicking my tongue against his as he struggles to get the condom on.

  Cold fingers slide up the inside of my thigh and into my thong, his fingers slipping between my legs.

  I moan into his mouth, tightening, trapping his fingers inside of me. I can feel how wet I am, how turned on I am.

  Unable to resist any longer, I bite his bottom lip, sucking it into my mouth. “Fuck me!”

  In a rush of movements, he slides his fingers out of me, moving his hands around to my arse as I reach between us, pumping his dick once, twice, before lining it up at my entrance.

  The beat of my heart echoes in my ears as I scan our surroundings, wondering if anyone has spotted us or can hear us.

  He slips inside of me with one rough thrust, covering my mouth with his when I moan in pleasure. He’s big, and the sensation has me closing my eyes as spasms shoot through my body.

  “Quiet,” he warns. “You don’t want anyone to catch me fucking you, do you?”

  “Right now, I wouldn’t care,” I groan. “Do that again.”

  He thrusts deep inside me again, twisting his hips in a way that hits the spot, causing my stomach to tighten.

  He fucks me possessively, his hand sliding up the inside of my top, reaching under my bra to catch my nipple between his thumb and forefinger, tugging and twisting to the point I feel it to my core.

  “Harder!” I breathe against his lips, clutching his shoulders and neck with all my strength as I lift my hips, slamming myself back down on him. My heels dig in to arse, feeling it clench with each thrust.

  My body is heated, no longer cold from the night air as I tilt my head back, moaning.

  “Fuck, you’re beautiful,” he rasps, running his hand up my neck to my jaw, gripping it tightly as he leans back, thrusting h
arder.

  My arse scrapes against the wall, no doubt breaking skin, but I don’t care. I’m close. Really close.

  I reach between us, rubbing two fingers over my clit in a swirling motion, panting heavily.

  Clayton looks down between us, his eyes darkening as he watches. “I’m not going to last if you keep doing that.” He groans when I clench around him. “Fuck!”

  “Harder. I’m so close.”

  He grips my hips, pulling me down so hard I cry out, no longer able to mask the noise as my orgasm hits me.

  I squeeze my eyes shut, seeing colours as every nerve ending alights.

  “Oh God,” he moans, his movements jerking as he chases his own release, panting heavily.

  He looks up, his cheeks filled with colour as he skims his lips over mine. “Are you ready to get back for the main?”

  I chuckle, still heavy with lust. “And dessert.”

  It has never been that good before. I’ve had quick, and I’ve had fast, but never in a combination where it exploded between us like that. It could have been the weeks of built up tension, or the risk of being caught, but never have I felt passion explode like that before.

  And I can’t wait to find out if it was a fluke.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  My alarm rings in my ears, the sound pounding against my skull as it pulls me out of my slumber.

  I groan, slamming my hand down on my phone and dragging it in front of me. I slide my finger across the ‘dismiss’ button, shutting off the sound. Instantly, the pounding quietens down.

  My body aches in all the right places, deliciously so. I can’t remember a time when I’ve ever woken up to this feeling, yet the image of his tongue sliding over my belly, across my thighs and in other sensitive places, has me wanting more.

  After another round of fantastic sex, we got a bottle of vodka out of the freezer and hit the hot tub, but it wasn’t long until we were going at it again. We couldn’t keep our hands off each other, even though our bodies were sore, and we were both spent.

  Each time he or I moved through the rest of the night, it started all over again. We started the night off wild and ended it slow, but that fire still burned between us.

  “I guess this means it’s time to get up to go meet the others for breakfast,” Clayton rasps, rolling over to face me. His jaw drops as he moves back a little. “Holy shit!”

  I touch my face at his wide eyes. “What? Do I have something on my face?”

  Chuckling, he leans forward, pressing a kiss to my lips. “You look like you just auditioned for the part of Batman.”

  “No,” I moan, rolling over a little to reach for my phone. I pull up the front facing camera, and groan. “Maybe I won’t be doing the smoky eye look again.”

  Black eyeshadow and glitter particles are smudged across and down my face. I look like a vigilante.

  “You still look sexy,” he murmurs, pulling me against his naked body.

  My lashes flutter up at him. “What happened to it being a one-time thing because of work?”

  He gives a one shoulder shrug, his brows knitting together. “I don’t know. What about for our time here?”

  I sigh, pushing away slightly. “I need you to be honest with me right now. Are you using work as an excuse because you have commitment issues, or because you don’t want anything more than a fuck? Or are you genuinely worried they’ll treat me differently at work? Because I’ll be honest with you, I’d have fucked you anyway. I just don’t want to be played. I’d rather be on the same page.” I sigh, running a hand over the blanket. “I normally have a good read on people, but you kind of fry my brain.”

  He watches me for a moment, not speaking, and I pull away, ready to get out. I guess I have my answer.

  “Wait,” he pleads, pulling me back.

  His lips brush against mine, causing flutters to erupt in my stomach. “Why?”

  He inhales, his lips turning down. “My father worked with my mum, once upon a time. They met the day he took over the company for his dad and were married within a year. They clashed at work, having different ideas or opinions. It drove a wedge between them, and they nearly split because of it. Dad loved her so much he was going to give it all up for her and hand over the business to his brother. Mum didn’t want him to and decided to find a job elsewhere to save their marriage. Shortly after, she fell pregnant with me and decided to dedicate her time to being a full-time mum. It saved their marriage.

  “He’s drilled it into me not to get involved with anyone at work. It’s his number one rule. I already feel like I’m letting him down,” he explains, ducking his head. “And I really don’t want anyone mistreating you at work because of me, Hayden. It happened to Mum, and Dad said it took a lot out of her.”

  “So, it’s not because of me?” I confirm.

  “God no. I want you, have from the minute I rolled up into the office and you were wearing those ripped jeans that showed a lot of flesh and your AC/DC T-shirt.”

  “I love that T-shirt,” I admit.

  He chuckles, running a hand over my waist. “I’m not the guy who gives bullshit excuses to women to get them into bed. I’m just looking out for you.”

  “Your dad though… I don’t think he feels that way anymore. I got the impression he wanted me to date you. He’s not real subtle when it comes to hinting at it. But he’s your dad; he could have been doing it to wind me up.”

  “He does love messing with people. I’m sorry if this hurts you, but I can’t let him down. He’s done enough for me in past. I wouldn’t have survived without him. I couldn’t bear it if he died, only to be left knowing I had disappointed him.”

  “I would talk to him before you worry yourself sick. Don’t take this the wrong way, but I think you’re stressing yourself out for no reason, and not just about this but with the station. I’ve seen you with your dad. There’s nothing you could do that would disappoint him. Unless you supported Man United.

  “I can live with this stay here at Cabin Lakes. I’m a big girl.”

  He exhales, squeezing my hip. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

  “Can I ask you something?”

  “We have thirty to forty minutes left until we have to meet the others and you want to spend it talking?” he drawls, running his hand over my thigh and up to my arse.

  My gaze is drawn to his lips briefly, before returning to his eyes. “Oh, we can do that in the shower after. I wanted to know what you did before taking over your father’s business, and if whatever it was is what caused the scars on your leg and knee?”

  He goes limp, his expression sagging. I feel like I’ve just opened an old wound.

  “After university, I took a year out to travel. On my way back home, I stopped off at a racetrack not far from here. I loved racing as a kid and competed a few times. There, a team approached me and asked if I’d be interested in racing. So I did. I wasn’t ready to commit to the station, so I did the training, the hours of work, and nearly won all the amateur races.”

  “But?” I ask, my stomach sinking.

  He forces a chuckle. “But… I was a race away from being entered to partake in the Moto Grand Prix. I had just hit a bend when the guy I was up against, who was also in the running for being picked, clipped the back of my wheel. Our bikes spun, flinging us both off. I dislocated my knee, which caused nerve damage. My wrist needed surgery and pinning into place.

  “Although I could still ride after months of physical therapy, I’d never have gotten to that level again. Health and safety restricted me too. That, and it hurt to ride for long periods of time. So the year before last, I decided to finish the training I needed to start working with Dad. I’ve been doing stuff behind the scenes for just under a year now.”

  “You miss riding,” I surmise.

  He watches me for a moment, stewing on his thoughts. “Yes and no. I loved riding, don’t get me wrong, but it was never my end game. I knew I couldn’t do it for the rest of my life. Taking over for my father is what
I’ve always wanted to do.” He inhales, shaking his head slightly. “It was hard to let go of that part of my life, but I did. I was lucky to survive that accident. It could have been a lot worse.”

  “What about the other guy?” I ask gently.

  “He was paralysed from the neck down.”

  “Fucking hell.”

  His expression lights, the corner of his lips pulling up slightly. “You know, you’re the first person I’ve told who hasn’t reacted with ‘I’m sorry’.”

  I push my head back a little, my eyebrows scrunching together. “Why would I be sorry? I didn’t do anything. Plus, if it hadn’t happened, we wouldn’t have met, and you wouldn’t have had the best sex of your life last night.”

  “Best sex of my life, huh?” he asks, smirking.

  “Don’t act like it wasn’t,” I tell him, running my finger down his magnificent chest. He tenses beneath me.

  “How about you remind me in the shower?” he orders, rolling over me and jumping out of the bed. I squeal when he pulls me up, throwing me over his shoulder.

  “I would have gone willingly,” I yell through laughter.

  *** *** ***

  “You smell of sex,” I mutter as we head up to the café.

  Laughing, he says, “Because I can wash that away.”

  “Well, it would have been had you not jumped me while I was pulling my knickers up.”

  “I couldn’t help it. You looked fucking hot, rolling them up your legs,” he admits, shrugging.

  “I miss the days when you were rude and bossy,” I grumble, pulling open the door. “God, I’m starving.”

  I’m not just hungry, I’m tired, and me without food is like a smoker without fags. Combine the two and I’m a volcano ready to explode.

  “Hey, guys,” I greet, waving.

  “Mum is pissed. She left with Aunt Harlow to get the others from the police station this morning,” Liam greets, snickering. “She didn’t get your message until this morning.”

  I hadn’t noticed they weren’t here until now. In fact, I’d completely forgotten all about last night’s adventures.