Chapter 35
Thirty-Five
Hayden
I pull over to the side of the street and get out. I go to the other side of the car and open the door for Jaclyn to let her get out.
She climbs out of the car and looks around at where we are. I look at her arms which are bare and see goosebumps rise on her skin. I close the door behind her and go to the trunk and get a sweater for her.
“Arms up,” I demand and she slowly raises her arms. I put the sweater on her and fix her hair by putting the strands behind her ears.
She looks up at me with wonder in her eyes and it makes my stomach dip. It’s foreign feeling this way towards someone and I don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing. I look down at her lips which are parted and it makes the blood in my body go south. I force my eyes to look at hers which are still staring at mine.
She looks at me like a god and I fucking love it.
I grab her hand and bring her towards the forest. “Where are we going?” she asks.
“Do you trust me?” I ask her, knowing the answer she should say.
I’m the last person she should trust but at the same time I don’t care.
Jaclyn looks at me with an intense look in her eyes that makes me want to know what she’s thinking.
“Yes.” She grips my hand in hers.
“I want to show you something.” We walk for about ten minutes. While walking I hear leaves rustling from the wind and some critters making noise. Jaclyn brings her body closer to mine, scared something will probably take her but I wouldn’t let that happen. I see a familiar building come into view. I walk through the pathway that leads to the old building covered in green. Jaclyn grips my hand but follows. “It’s going to be dark so watch your step and stay close.”
“Okay,” she whispers, following me slowly as we walk inside the building.
There is a clear lake, as blue as the sky, right next to the building. I don’t ever go in the lake unless I feel like being irrational and jumping in.
Jaclyn and I walk the steps towards the top of the building where it leads to the rooftop. When we get to the roof I let Jaclyn go up first and release her hand.
She walks towards the edge while looking at the view.
All you can see for miles are trees and nature. I like it out here, it’s quiet.
I walk up to Jaclyn and press my chest against her back. “I found this place my freshmen year. There was a party up the mountain. I got drunk after arguing with Carter about shit and then instead of driving home I walked through the woods for probably an hour and then ended up here.”
“It’s beautiful,” she says, not taking her eyes off the view.
I can't keep my eyes off her as I whisper, “Yea. It is.”
But she doesn’t know I’m not just talking about the view.
Jaclyn turns around and looks up at me with those fucking eyes that kill me. “Why are we here?”
“Because it’s quiet here.”
She smirks and tilts her head to the side. “Are you trying to kill me?”
“Of course. You know how much I hate you,” I joke with an amused smile, making her smile back. “Eric and I used to be friends.” I take her hand and bring her to the edge making her sit down with me. “I met him at a party. Someone mentioned to him I was a fighter and well, after he heard that he told me about the club. Little did I know, that club was run by a guy named Marco who happens to be an affiliate to an organization that trafficks people and deals drugs.” I explain, afraid to look at Jaclyn. “Eric and I sparred a few times and Marco saw. He offered me a job, saying I could earn about ten to a hundred thousand every time I win a fight against someone. I was struggling for money because I didn’t want to take any of Carter’s money. All of the money he gives me I give to Natalia.”
“Why did you not want his money?” Jaclyn asks, making me finally look at her. She is holding her knees to her chest while listening to me.
“Because I don’t want to owe Carter anything. He is someone who took me in as a child when I needed someone the most and I have no way to repay him for that. I owe him my life. I don’t want to owe him money,” I explain before diverting the topic because Carter and Alex are a totally different issue. “Back to Eric, he and I were friends, fighting each other for money and for fun. When he saw that Marco took more interest in me, Eric didn’t like that. So during a fight he cheated by stabbing me.” I lift my shirt and move the waistband of my shorts down a little so she can see.
Jaclyn’s eyebrows furrow and she leans down to look at the scar on my lower stomach. She looks up at me with worry in her eyes. Seeing her look at me like that does things to me that I don’t like thinking about. Jaclyn looks back down at the scar and then traces the line .
My jaw immediately tenses and I hope she doesn’t notice the bulge.
“Why would he do that?” She traces the scar making my cock twitch.
I refrain from groaning and instead clear my throat. I put my shirt down making Jaclyn move her hand.
“He wanted me out. He didn’t like how Marco was paying attention to me. Marco started to make me his handyman.”
“Handyman?” she questions.
She’s going to fucking hate me.
But that’s fine because she can still be mine while hating me.
“I do some bad things to people who don’t listen to Marco,” I explain, in a very vague way.
“Oh.”
“Yes, oh,” I mutter and rub my face. Jaclyn stands up and she paces. I can tell she is worried and probably doesn’t know what to say. I know Jaclyn overthinks a lot and I can’t help but wonder what she is thinking right now. I stand up and walk towards her, grabbing her waist making her look at me. “Say something.”
She shakes her head slowly. “Do you like doing this? Have you tried getting out?”
Yes.
Many times.
And it’s because of you .
If I don’t find a way to get out then they will try to kidnap you and then make you spend a night with one of the worst human beings in the world.
“Yes. It’s not possible.”
“That’s bullshit. You have to find a way.”
I shake my head. “There isn’t.” I hold the side of her face with one of my hands and make her look up at me. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”
I see tears forming in her eyes but she doesn’t let them fall.
“What are we doing, Hayden? You’re making me feel insane and not in a good way.”
“I should be asking you.” I run my thumb across her cheek, mesmerized by the way her eyes gloss while she looks at me like I fucking mean something. “I shouldn’t have touched you, Jaclyn. I should let you go and leave you alone but I’m not going to.”
“Why?”
I lean down so that my lips are hovering over hers. “Because it’s too good to stop,” I say before pulling her against me and pressing my lips against hers.
I’m going to regret this whole thing but I’ll worry about it later.
It’s impossible to resist something you want so bad when you’re not allowed to have it.