How did I let the controlling behavior go on for so long with my parents? The easiest answer was that I’d been scared of upsetting them and terrified I wouldn’t be able to survive on my own. In twenty-four hours, my entire world had changed… and Hayden’s, too.
I worried what he was really thinking.
Our relationship was new. We loved each other, but at the same time, we were learning about each other, finding our way together.
Strong arms wrapped around my waist from behind me. “This smells delicious. I’ve missed your cooking.”
“I missed it, too. Until you, I never enjoyed it.”
“Really?”
I turned in his arms. “Yes, it had always been an expectation of my mother. With you, it wasn’t expected but appreciated.”
Our eyes connected. Little butterflies danced in my stomach. Yes, we’d slept together multiple times, but in some ways this felt new. My skin tingled where his fingers gripped me tighter. “I can’t believe you’re here, Kory.”
“Me. either.”
“What were you thinking about when I walked in?”
I glanced away for a second before meeting his eyes. “Are you okay with everything? I mean me… being here… upsetting your life. I feel like I’ve wrecked your life.”
Not once did he look anywhere but at me. “No, you’ve brought me to life, Kory.”
He leaned closer, and I closed my eyes, letting the anticipation build until his lips touched mine. They were firm and commanding. I melted into his embrace, wrapping my arms around his neck. Once, twice, he swiped his tongue across my lips, and I opened to him. It had been too long since I’d tasted him. He grabbed the back of my neck, deepening the kiss. I let out a moan as his spicy cinnamon flavor engulfed me. He groaned in response and gripped me tighter.
My core tightened, and I leaned closer. His dick pressed against my lower abdomen, and I craved that moment where nothing else mattered.
Hayden slowed the kiss, pulling back ever so slightly. Our breathing was heavy, and his breath tickled my lips as he said, “I’m all in, Kory. I wanted to wait before I kissed you again. But I need you to feel how much I want this. I can’t wait to be with you again. But I’ll wait forever if that’s what it takes.”
I gave him a little kiss. “I feel the same way.”
And I knew it wouldn’t be long.
“That’s good to know.” Hayden gave me one of those smiles that made me weak in the knees.
“Are you hungry?”
“Definitely.”
Except I knew he wasn’t hungry for food. Heat crept up my cheeks. “Why don’t we eat? I’ll bring dinner in there.”
I bit my lip, and Hayden groaned. It had always driven him crazy. “You’re making this really fucking hard.”
“Am I?” I teased.
Hayden took a step closer, and I backed up into the cabinet. He leaned in, and I felt his breath tickle my neck. “You know what you’re doing.”
“Maybe.”
He pressed his lips against my neck. “Payback, sweetheart,” he whispered.
The words sent goose bumps racing down my arm. “I look forward to it.”
Paybacks from Hayden normally led to amazing orgasms. I’d always loved getting him wound up.
Slowly, he backed up. “Game on, Kory.”
“Game on.”
I couldn’t stop smiling as I grabbed the dinner plates. The chicken turned out well for not following a recipe. Halfway through our meal, as we were enjoying each other’s company, Hayden was about to say something when his phone rang.
“Hey, Eric. Oh, man, I’m so sorry. Yes. Of course. I’ll be there in just a few.” He hung up the phone with a grim look on his face. “That was Eric Hensley, a longtime friend. His mom has been rushed to the hospital in Anchorage. He asked if I could fly him up there.”
“Oh, no. I’m so sorry to hear that.”
He looked down. “I don’t want to leave you tonight, but…”
No, he had to go. “I’ll be fine. I promise. Please take your friend and don’t feel bad. Right now, getting Eric to his mom is the most important thing. Why is she in Anchorage?”
“She’s in a nursing home up there. It’s been tough on Eric and his brother. His mom refused to move in with either of them.”
Hayden grabbed his plate.
“I’ll get it. Grab your stuff.”
“Thanks, sweetheart.” His eyebrows were pinched as he turned to leave. “Will you drive me to the airport? I want you to have the truck while I’m gone.”
“Of course.”
Hayden still looked torn as he left the room. It made me feel warm all over knowing he wanted to be with me as much as I did him. And regardless of what was happening, he kept me at the forefront of his mind.
I knew for certain my heart belonged to Hayden Foster in every way.
Chapter Thirteen
Kory
My heart hurt for Eric. When I’d seen him for those few minutes I’d helped at the hangar to expedite their takeoff, he’d been distraught. Since Anthony had already left, I helped close everything back up before heading home. Hayden was going to call when they landed.
When I got back to the house, I turned off the truck and sat back for a moment. The lights from the living room cast a glow into the yard. This was the most perfect home. I imagined kids running around the yard with laughter filling the air. That had always been a dream of mine: happiness.
One day.
This place was our home with no strings other than taking care of it. The feeling was exhilarating. I relaxed my shoulders and reveled in the moment as the ghosts from my past receded. Maybe I would contact my parents sooner rather than later. I wasn’t sure. But I knew I would never go back.
Another set of lights pulled up the driveway. I froze, waiting to see who it was. I wasn’t expecting anyone, so the unexpected company put me on edge. I put my hand on the keys, prepared to leave if need be.
The set of lights became a familiar red truck, and Alexa pulled up, waving. The tension eased; I hadn’t realized how stressed I was thinking my parents were here to confront me before I’d even mentioned my location.
I savored the clean, crisp air as I got out of the truck. Each day, the hours of sunlight grew fewer and the temperatures dropped a little more. Within the week, we were supposed to get snow. I couldn’t wait.
I waved. “Hey, Alexa.”
“Hey! Hayden called to let us know he was flying up to Anchorage. I had a thought after we hung up. If you’re up to it, we could have a girls’ slumber party tonight.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, I can call Devney, too. It’s up to you; we don’t have to do it. I just didn’t think you’d want to be alone your first night in Skagway. I know I wouldn’t.”
That was so thoughtful. I hadn’t given it much thought because Hayden needed to be there for his friend. “I’d love that. I have some cold chicken parmigiana in the kitchen we could heat up.”
Another set of lights came up the drive, and I stiffened a little.
“That’s Drake. He’s bringing me some things. I was at the clinic finishing up paperwork with Devney when Hayden called.”
I looked back to Alexa. “Oh, I hope Hayden didn’t put you up to this.”
“Nope. He doesn’t even know. He couldn’t get ahold of Drake and wanted us to know he was leaving town.”
Wow. She had done this just because. It made me giddy. A slumber party.
The truck came to a stop, and even though Alexa had assured me it was Drake, my back tensed.
I was a little nervous meeting one of Hayden’s brothers without him here. Remain calm. It’ll be fine. A large, muscular man got out of the truck. In the glow from the porch lights, I could see that Drake had short, dark brown hair. He had the same foreboding presence as Hayden did. From a distance, it was intimidating, and my nerves ratcheted up.
“Hey, baby,” Drake greeted his fiancée.
Alexa walked over to him, and he
drew her in close. It seemed like such a natural gesture, but it had an intimate feeling, as well. They really appeared to be in love.
Drake tucked Alexa into his side and turned. “Hi, I’m Drake Foster.”
“I’m Kory. Kory Reynolds. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Likewise. If you need anything, give me a call. Lex will give you my number, and you have hers, I’m sure. But I mean it, if you ever need something, call any of us.”
Wow. I was momentarily stunned by the offer. “Th-thank you. That means a lot. I know Hayden told you about my… err… um… circumstances. And I know it’s not the tradition—”
He held up his hand. “You don’t have to explain anything. Past is the past. Just focus on you and Hayden.”
That was a good way to look at it. “I will.”
He looked at Alexa. “I’m going to stay at the Red Onion tonight, so I’ll be close if you need anything.”
They probably wanted a little privacy. “I’m going to head inside. If you want to stop by for breakfast in the morning, feel free. I can put on some sort of casserole.”
“Thanks. I’ll never pass up food.”
I walked inside and closed the door. It was hard to contain my excitement. A girls’ slumber party. I never had one in high school—or college. It would have been too hard to explain my parents randomly dropping by or the number of rules I had to follow. So I kept to myself.
I reheated the chicken and busied myself with tidying up the place—not that it was messy. But it felt weird standing around waiting for Alexa to come in. I lit the apple pie candle I’d bought when Hayden and I were in town today, and its sweet cinnamon scent filled the air.
Alexa came in carrying her bag. “It’s been so long since I’ve had a slumber party. I’m looking forward to a night of unwinding.”
It would definitely be nice to unwind. “Did you want to ask Devney?”
“Sure, I’ll text her. After you left today, she said she hoped we could get together soon.”
That made me feel good. “Hopefully, she can come. Hayden and I bought a bottle of wine earlier today we can have with dinner.”
Alexa pulled out her phone and sent a text. Almost immediately, she got a response. “Devney’s in, and she’s bringing more wine.”
“Good!” I pulled out a couple of plates for dinner and some wine glasses. Alexa followed me into the kitchen. I loved all the state-of-the-art appliances. The gas stove was to die for.
Alexa seemed a little uncomfortable as she looked around the room. As I opened the wine bottle, I said, “I’m going to be honest. I’m nervous. This is a first for me.”
Alexa put her bag down. “Well, it’s practically a first for me, too. My other slumber parties in high school normally ended up with Drake coming to get me.”
“Why?”
Her brow creased a little. “My best friend in high school was pretty selfish. She ditched me on a regular basis.”
That made me feel oddly better, but sad for Alexa at the same time.
Alexa put her hand on my shoulder. “Just be yourself.”
“I can do that.”
I poured us each a glass of wine while the chicken warmed up. “So, how do you like the house?”
“It’s like a dream.”
“I’m so glad. After my dad died, my mom gutted the place and sold everything from my childhood. I still feel like a stranger here.”
I paused and turned to Alexa. “I’m so sorry about that. Sometimes it’s the shittiest hands we’re dealt that make us realize how much we have.”
“Yes, it is.”
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
“Want me to get that?” Alexa asked.
“Please.”
A few moments later, Alexa came in with Devney, who looked super casual in jeans and a sweater. “I brought wine.”
Now there were six bottles. Alexa laughed, “Well, instead of a glass, I think I’ll just take a bottle.”
We laughed, and each grabbed one. “I can definitely use more wine tonight.”
Devney grinned. “I wasn’t sure what anyone drank so I grabbed a few bottles. I’ll take the white wine if no one wants that bottle.”
We motioned for her to take it. After uncorking our bottles, we held them up. Alexa said, “A toast: to new friendships.”
New friendships, indeed.
Chapter Fourteen
Kory
We poured more wine as we sat in the living room. Now I understood why girls had sleepovers so often growing up.
We were all a little tipsy. Devney had resorted to using a straw in her bottle. She’d found some gigantic ones in her bag. As she struggled to get the straw in her mouth, Alexa and I giggled. Devney was slowly coming out of her shell. She’d taken off her shoes and put her glasses aside.
Alexa held up her glass. “A toast: to …”
We waited for her to finish and then laughed when nothing else came out. For the last couple of hours, we’d been toasting anything and everything; the blue sky, penises, orgasms, and carrots. Quite the combination.
My phone rang. I picked it up with a lot of enthusiasm when I saw the name. “How-dy! Hunny! Boo Boo Bear!”
Hayden paused. “Howdy? Boo Boo Bear?”
“Aww, you like your new name?”
The girls snickered, and I couldn’t help but join in. I had no idea where that name had come from. So I took another sip.
Hayden chuckled. “Have you been drinking?”
I looked at the girls. “Psst… Hayden wants to know if we’ve been drinking?”
They shook their heads. “Don’t tell him!”
“Sober as a gober.”
“Gober?” he asked.
Gober? Where the hell did that come from? “Well, it rhymes with sober. Kind of. If you mispronounce it. Just go with it. What should we toast to?”
“Toast to?”
“We need a toast. We’ve done big penises, amazing orgasms, orange carrots, juicy pineapples, furry puppies.”
There was silence for a second.
“Hayden.”
“Orange carrots are important.”
I whispered, “He thinks orange carrots are important, too.”
Alexa fist pumped. “I knew that was a good one.”
“I’m glad you’re having fun. Call me when you wake up.” He paused for a second. “Toast to happy endings, sweetheart.”
That made my insides go mushy. “Aww… this is why I love you.”
“Love you, too.”
I ended the call and lay back in my chair. “I think he bought us being sober as a gober.” That drew more laughter from the girls. “Oh, and we’re supposed to toast to happy endings.”
We all sighed and toasted.
“Hear, hear.”
Devney leaned in to Alexa and me. “I have a secret.”
“Oh, a secret!” I said. So far, I’d decided not to tell her about my situation. Maybe I would eventually. With my fuzzy brain, it was hard to focus on not saying anything.
Devney leaned in further and waited for us to join her. This was going to be good. I loved juicy secrets. Alexa and I were perched on the black leather chairs, anticipating.
Devney lowered her voice and picked up her glasses. “These are fake. Completely fake.”
We fell out of our seats in hysterics.
“What?” Devney asked. “They make me look smart.”
“I—I—I thought you were going to tell…” Alexa could hardly get the words out.
I finished her sentence for her. “We thought you were going to bring up Hollis.”
“I think my secret about my glasses is so much better than my attraction to Hollis.”
Again, for the hundredth time that night, we couldn’t contain the giggles. This was the best night of my life.
* * *
Light streamed in, and I winced against the sunlight. Oh man, we’d had a lot to drink last night. I could smell the wine as if it was oozing from my pore
s. Or maybe it was the empty wine bottles on the coffee table. Throughout the night, I think we’d drunk everything Devney brought. From the pounding in my head, I knew I’d overdone it. I’d only gotten drunk alone a few times in college because I couldn’t trust myself not to say something that would alert others to how controlling my parents were.
When I stretched, my feet brushed against something. I withdrew them quickly when I felt Devney. We’d slept on our respective sides of the couch. I cracked my eyes open a little more and saw Alexa in the chair, her arm covering her face. We were going to be in rough shape this morning.
The hammer in my head increased, and I closed my eyes against the pain. When we’d decided to call it a night, heading upstairs had seemed like an impossible feat. So we decided to stay downstairs. Now I wished we’d crawled up the stairs. At least there I could draw the curtains and go back to sleep.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
Someone was at the door. Why, cruel world, why? I didn’t want to move. The other two girls groaned.
“I’ll get it,” I whispered.
I opened the door to Drake, who stood there, fresh as a daisy. Me, on the other hand? Well, I felt like I’d been run over and pitched into a ditch. I croaked out, “What time is it?”
He checked his watch. “A little after nine. That was the time for breakfast, right?”
“Oh, shit.” I slapped my hand to my forehead and then groaned loudly from the pain. “I completely forgot.”
He chuckled and came into the house with a box. Alexa walked up to Drake, saving me from my embarrassment. She yawned, “Morning… I hope. My head is pounding.”
From his pocket, Drake brought out a bottle of aspirin. “I also have some Gatorade and donuts in the box. Should help with those hangovers. Well, not so much the donuts, but I figured you probably wouldn’t feel up to cooking this morning.”
“You are amazing. This is why I’m marrying you.”
Alexa and I took some Gatorade and aspirin. Devney hadn’t moved yet. The cool, refreshing liquid helped. At that moment, I’d have done anything to dull the throbbing pain behind my eyes.
Wrecked for You Page 6