by Amy Daws
I nod feeling slightly pleased that he was watching me so closely that night. I did everything in my power not to look at him and it obviously worked. “I like an occasional drink, but I prefer to keep my wits about me when I’m around a lot of people.”
Hayden narrows his eyes at me. “Did you have your wits about you when you were giving Ethan all that sodding attention?”
My jaw drops in mock indignation. “You’re one to talk. I seem to remember you receiving a proper snog from Julie!”
He flinches. “That was…awkward. I only danced with her so I could keep an eye on you. But she pounced on me like a tiger in heat.”
I laugh at that visual imagery. “You were keeping an eye on me?” I shoot him a coy look.
“Bloody hell right I was,” he barks, knitting his brows at me. “You were killing me the whole night. Looking the way you looked. Christ. I didn’t think anything could top the white dress you wore the night of the gala, but red is definitely your colour.”
I giggle happily, his compliments blooming inside my heart.
“Then you barely looked at me after we got inside the club, never mind speaking to me,” Hayden adds with a growl. “It was fucking torture.”
“Well, you tortured me on my rooftop if you recall,” I rebound, still somewhat smarting over the number of times he tried to walk away from me.
He blanches, his face turning serious. “I know, Vi. The only thing I can say to that is that my feelings for you…surprised me. I’m not sure I was ready for them. And you’re just so good and kind and pure. I was terrified of ruining you. I still am sometimes.”
I frown and shake my head defensively. “I’m not as perfect as you’re building me up to be in your head, Hayden. You want me to stop treating you like you’re fragile—I want you to stop treating me like I’m Her Majesty the Queen. I’m far from it.” I laugh as I think of a way to prove my point. “I was the type of kid who played hide and seek and yelled to the seeker where I was hiding! Kids hated playing with me on the playground because I never played games the way everyone else did.”
He roars with laughter at my sudden light-hearted change of tone. Despite my urgency over breaking his twisted view of me, this reaction still pleases me, so I continue. “It’s true. I’m always going to be that person who never quite gets it all done perfectly. I might send a gift, but it won’t be wrapped. I might remember your birthday, but you probably won’t get a card. I might want to send out Christmas cards myself, but I just won’t ever get it done. I’m not crafty…at all. Pinterest looks like prison to me. I’m probably going to over-bake the biscuits the one time of year when someone actually needs them for something. Even though I love cooking, I love picking up take away just as much. But I’ll probably call ahead and go to the wrong shop first. I’ll always be home late because I’m a horrible judge of time—”
“If you’re trying to put me off, you’re failing miserably, Vi,” Hayden interrupts. His brow is furrowed and there’s an oddly serious heaviness to his posture.
“Aren’t you listening?” I exclaim. “I’m a mess.”
He shakes his head and slides out of the booth to tuck himself in next to me. He rests one arm on the back of the booth and cups my cheek with his other hand. My eyes flutter closed as I become intoxicated by the overwhelming sawdust and shower scent that’s so deliciously Hayden.
A secretive grin plays on the corners of his mouth. “Everything you said sounds utterly charming, deliriously adorable, and…because it’s about you…sexy as fuck.”
I roll my eyes. “You’re hopeless.”
Without warning, he holds my face in place and presses his lips mine. “I am hopelessly falling for you, Vi Harris.”
My chest shudders at his declaration. “Feeling’s mutual, Hayden Clarke,” I reply on a swoony sigh that would embarrass me if only I gave a shit right now. Bloody hell, Hayden wanting me more after unloading that lot is a turn on of epic proportions.
After we devour our pizzas and more fizzy bubbles of Italian soda, we walk hand-in-hand to the cinema that sits only a couple of blocks away from my flat. Grabbing two seats in the far back row of the nearly empty cinema, we cuddle up, preparing for a simple movie-watching experience.
I’m not sure who started it or what atmospheric shift occurred, but somewhere along the way, things changed. Hayden’s grip on my hand shifted ever so slightly, and I knew instantly that he was no longer focusing on the flick.
I turn and our eyes connect in the dim, flickering theatre lights. Biting my lip, I get turned on watching his eyes on my mouth. A hunger, thick and rich, implodes inside of me when he releases my hand and moves his warm touch to my bare legs. I could scream with joy that there’s nobody sitting anywhere near us when I brazenly uncross my legs.
I’ve never been sexually promiscuous. Like, ever. I had never even seen the majority of the things at Leslie’s hen night party. I also never would have called myself an exhibitionist, but what’s happening to my body right now is not up for debate. It’s intense and heavy and I want it right the fuck now.
“Vi?” Hayden whispers my name in question, tickling my inner thighs.
I bite my lip and nod shamelessly as I shift down in my seat. I snatch my denim jacket off the chair next to me and toss it over my legs to conceal the place that his hand is currently en dangerous route to. Definitely a place I wouldn’t normally have opened for visitors in the middle of a public theatre, but fuck a duck, this is Hayden we’re talking about. I drop my head back on the chair and turn to him to whisper in his ear. “I need you, Hayden. Right now.”
He clears his throat and my inner thigh muscles clench with satisfaction at his blatantly ruffled feathers. He slides down in his seat a bit too, allowing him better access, and resumes his travelling pursuit between my thighs. His finger tips are firm and slightly rough, only further intensifying all of my sensations. They finally reach my centre and he begins stroking me through the flimsy fabric of my thong. I stifle a moan and grab his wrist aggressively just as he pinches my clit. He freezes and tenses, but I’m not worried about him right now. I maintain my ironclad grip on his leather cuff, doing my best to gain control over myself. Finally, when I think I can handle more without screaming out in ecstasy, I release his wrist and trail my fingers up his forearm, gliding them along the crook near his bicep.
Slowly, he slips one finger around the fabric and brushes against my bare slit. My teeth crush down on my lower lip so hard I can feel the bumpy muscle beneath the skin. I should feel embarrassed by how soaked I am already, but fuck…everything he does to me feels so good right now. All I can feel in this one moment is excitement. Excitement from the naughtiness. Excitement from the location. Excitement from fucking Hayden.
Fucking Hayden.
“Christ, Vi,” he groans with a stiff, husky voice.
He plunges his finger deep inside me…as far as he can from this angle and, oh my God, does it feel incredible. I pump my hips like a wanton sex siren, calling him inside of me, aching for him to continue his quest. He honours my call. He pushes a second finger in me and I turn to bite down on his shoulder, overcome by the deliciousness of his touch. He pumps in and out in steady, purposeful swells. My breathing turns laboured and frenzied as he works me closer and closer to climax. Desperate for something to do with my hands, I reach out and touch his huge, firm bulge concealed beneath the tight denim.
He grabs my wrist with his other hand. “There’s time for that later,” he croaks.
“I want you, Hayden,” I say, my eyes opening and landing on his, which were already watching me with a sexy, thinly-veiled intensity that I feel everywhere. The connection between us feels electric and, oddly, tears prick my eyes at the powerful force being transferred between us right now.
Suddenly, my body distracts me from my emotions as his finger twists to a location that has me toppling over the edge. I throw my arm over my face and silently scream with wild, orgasmic conviction as I feel the climax reach every single inc
h of my body.
“We need to leave,” Hayden says, yanking his hand from between my legs. He snatches my jacket off my lap and covers himself while hauling me up from my seat. My legs feel like gelatin as I tug my dress down and he guides me through the darkened theatre toward the green exit sign.
My mind is in a complete fog, so I’m surprised when we step out of the theatre to see that it’s completely dark out. I lose track of time so easily with Hayden.
“Fuck,” he curses quietly, taking note of the pouring rain and glancing up and down the street for a cab.
“My flat is only two blocks, Hayden.”
“It’s raining,” he says to me, obviously agitated by the situation.
“So?” I say putting my hands on my hips, feeling a bit more of my strength return in the fresh and wet London night air.
“You’re not fucking walking in the rain, Vi,” he growls in frustration, looking up and down the empty street again.
“Hayden,” I say in a warning tone, but he ignores me and pulls his phone from his pocket. “Hayden!” I exclaim, stamping my foot on the wet pavement in annoyance.
His eyes flash to my bare legs and a hardened look shutters over his face. “Bunny.”
I shake my head and begin walking backwards away from him, offering coyly, “We don’t have to walk…We can run!” I shout and turn, taking off in a dead sprint through the downpour.
“Vi!” Hayden shouts. Excitement flies through me as I feel his approaching footsteps behind me. The rain clings to my dress as I grip my clutch firmly and continue running while squinting against the heavy pelts of water. He catches up to me in seconds and shakes his head, glaring angrily at me in the rain. “You stubborn woman.” An odd smile spreads across his face as he tries to look mad, but fails. There’s those sexy crinkles again.
“It’s raining cats and dogs!” I bellow, throwing my hands out wide and smiling as if it’s just another Thursday.
He shakes his head in admonishment. “I thought you’d be faster, Bunny. You’re a Harris footballer’s daughter for Christ’s sake.”
My eyes narrow with a renewed sense of determination. I do my best to pick up the pace, but it seems useless. Hayden doesn’t even look like he’s trying. A giggle erupts from my mouth as I hear him chuckling at me.
We make it to my neighbourhood, passing the bustling Hookah Lounge, and round the corner down the alley to my flat. I fall backwards onto the brick wall beside my lift, completely drenched, and push the wet strands off my face. My chest heaves while my laughter dies down and I attempt to catch my breath. Hayden comes to a stop in front of me, propping his hands on his knees as I dig in my clutch for my keys. He watches me out of the corner of his eye. My hand freezes on my keys as our gazes lock through the sheet of rain separating us. A loud crack of thunder causes me to flinch and a huge burst of lightning illuminates the darkened alley, shedding a clear blue light on the true, unbelievable, and intensely gripping face of Hayden.
My breath is gone. Sucked straight from my lungs and slammed into my chest. Into my heart. Like a lightning bolt. He slowly stands upright. Something simmering deep and hungry in the grey pools of his eyes makes me gasp.
He swallows hard and nods slowly as he steps closer to me. “I want this,” his voice cracks as he trails the backs of his fingers from my cheek, to my breasts, to my belly and then to my hip. He yanks me into him so our bodies are flush against each other. With his forehead resting against mine, he whispers as if in pain, “I want you.”
I shake my head, feeling confused over his sudden comments. It’s as if he was having an entire conversation with himself during our run here. Now he’s finally made up his mind and is putting it out into the universe for acknowledgement.
“I want you too—” I start, but I am immediately silenced by his mouth on mine in a painful, biting, and frenzied kiss.
He shoves me up against the wall and grabs my legs so they wrap firmly around him. He presses his hardened erection against me and I cry out into his mouth as a desperate ache explodes inside of me. Fisting my hair in his hands, he holds my face just where he wants it to kiss me…and kiss me…and kiss me. God, he kisses me like a starved man who’s found the only item in his world that could ever satisfy him.
“Let me in, Vi,” he commands while dipping his head to nip along the edge of my jaw. “Let me up and let me in. Please.”
His request stings my eyes and I swear I could cry real, wet tears just from his words. Everything south of my waist is screaming at me to let him in. But the one organ that I’m most terrified of—the one I’m not sure he’s asking for—is the one cracking at his raw and guttural words.
He releases me and I shakily open the lift doors. The moment we step inside, we collide. He licks and sucks my neck and collar bone as I punch the button for the eleventh floor. As we begin our climb, he pulls my soaked dress up over my body, revealing my white, lacy bra and thong, both also soaked from the rain…and other things.
“Bunny,” he murmurs. He crouches over and grabs hold of my nipple with his mouth through the sheer fabric while aggressively caressing my other in his palm. Then, he glides his hands down my hips and hisses as he slides his fingers beneath the edges of my thong.
The doors open suddenly and Bruce comes barreling in, pouncing on the back of Hayden. Hayden widens his stance to protect my nearly naked body from Bruce’s assault. Curses!
Hayden chuckles and turns, telling me to hop up on his back.
Well, this is a first.
He carries my nearly naked butt, still wearing my soaked Converse, through my flat and into the kitchen. I tell him which cupboard the bones are in, and he grabs one and tosses it into the living room where Bruce goes tearing after it.
Hayden continues to my room and closes the French doors on a besotted-looking Bruce with a bone hanging from his mouth. Sorry, buddy. I’ll make it up to ya! Promise!
He releases me, slowly sliding me down his back and turning to face me. He smiles sweetly and kisses my lips, brushing my nose as he pulls away. That crinkly thing around his eyes returns just before a look of nervousness takes hold. “We don’t have to, Vi. If you’re not ready or if you think we shouldn’t.”
“What was it you said you’d do if I stamped my foot again?” I whisper into his ear and lightly trail my tongue along his lobe. It’s cold and wet from the rain, as is the thin shirt concealing his body. I’m normally not so sexually bold, but everything with Hayden is different.
Everything with Hayden is different.
He draws back and grins naughtily at me, revealing so much about his happiness in this moment. “There’s a lot I’d like to do about that little habit of yours.”
With a sense of needy determination, I grab the bottom of his soaked shirt and peel it up over his head. I feast my eyes on his firm build and place a row of soft kisses across his chest.
“Bunny, you don’t even know what you’re in for.”
“Bunn—” I start with a snarky reply in mind, but he promptly leans down and tosses me over his shoulder with a thrilling crack right on my bum. An excited yelp bursts from my mouth as I brace myself on his firm back.
“Don’t talk back, Bunny. I promise you’re going to enjoy this,” he groans as his hand grazes all the way up the back of my leg to my arse. He tugs at the strip of fabric between my legs. “Though perhaps not as much as me.”
He flops me down on the bed and the crushed velvet feels wildly sensual beneath my bare skin. I watch him as he reaches to his back pocket and reveals a condom from his wallet and tosses it on the bed. A fission of excitement pulses between my legs as he begins unbuckling his jeans. I’m pleased to see a pair of black boxer briefs this time. Still Calvin Klein. I must remember to write Mr. Klein a letter of appreciation.
He crawls up on the bed and hooks his fingers on the edge of my knickers, pulling them down my legs. His eyes hood with arousal seeing me bare for the first time. He continues inching his way up my body and finally reaches my face.
Leaning down, he steals my lips for his own. They’re yours, Hayden. All fucking yours.
His fingers trail slowly down my side as goosebumps erupt on every surface of my skin. After removing my bra, he finds my pulsing, wet centre. I writhe beneath him as he continues to tickle me softly everywhere except the one damn place I want him the most. I pull my mouth from his and moan, “Hayden, please!” I thrust my hips up greedily toward his hand and without thinking, reach down and attempt to touch myself for some semblance of relief.
“No, no,” he chastises, then bites his lip and whispers against my mouth, “When I’m here…this is mine.” And with that, he plunges his fingers deep inside of me.
My eyes slam shut as I cry out, relieved that the torture is over. “God,” I moan out with wonton abandon. The foreplay from the cinema and then here is the most intense I’ve ever had. Every passionate encounter I’ve had with Hayden flashes before my eyes. The fighting, the spanking, the kitchen kisses, the striptease, the pussy tease…it’s all so…heady.
Hayden pulls his fingers out and flicks my swollen and drenched clit. I yelp in delirious agony as he quickly pushes up to his knees all the while tossing me over onto my belly in the same fluid motion. He leans over top of me, wraps my wet locks around his fist, and then uses his other hand to drop a swift slap to my bottom that I was already shamelessly pushing into the air toward him, ready and waiting.
Fuck, this is too much. I need him inside me right the bloody hell now.
“So fucking sexy,” he moans, stroking the area he swatted affectionately. He releases my hair and grips my hips, positioning me up so I’m on my knees, but my chest is still resting on the bed.
I hear him rustling with the condom wrapper, so I look over my shoulder to watch just as he pushes his briefs down. His penis is exactly as I was picturing it. It’s thick and pulsing, clearly showcasing every bit of hard desire he’s got for me.
He rolls the condom on and looks down at me with lust deep in his eyes. “You ready?” A half grin teases the corner of his mouth.