23. Hayden
HAYDEN
I ’m walking across campus to burn off some of the irritation that I haven’t seen my girl since this morning. It’s been a week since the attack in the woods, and we’ve all been on edge. Callum was able to get Tristan and me unregistered guns like his. We both have experience with shooting on a range, and even own a few pieces we’ve inherited, but we need to be undetectable if we have to use them. We don’t know what fuckery is coming next or where from so we keep them concealed on us at all times unless we’re showering or sleeping. Ramsey pulled through, hacked Dawson and Kyle’s social media and email accounts, and made it look like they decided to dip out of Castlebrook before the weather turns really bad.
It’s not uncommon at a school like this for students to just fuck off for weeks at a time, because nothing really matters here. I’m sure there are some whispers going on, people side-eyeing the fact that Dawson lives to be the Quarterback, but I’m not too worried about anyone looking too far into it. For fuck’s sake, my mother was stabbed to death right outside of the campus grounds, and there hasn’t been a peep from anyone about the investigation.
I’m pissed that one of the guys is still out there, still a threat, still breathing when he shouldn’t be. The fact that he’s walking around and not on the ground with my shoe print on his face is a fucking problem for me. I will find the motherfucker, not just to tie up loose ends, but also because he dared to target Madison. He scared my girl, and that just won’t do.
I send Madison a quick text, and my lips twitch in irritation when I remember she’s in class. She won’t answer me right now. It’s not the first time this morning I’ve sent her an unanswered text, and it probably won’t be the last.
I know it’s unreasonable, but the thought of her sitting in that classroom where other guys get to be in her immediate presence and I don’t has me feeling violent. I don’t care that it’s irrational. I don’t like sharing her in any capacity, and someday, I won’t. I don’t like knowing other men exist in her world, even if it’s just a lecture hall.
She belongs to me. Every thought, every glance, every second of her day. Mine.
My phone buzzes, and I yank it out of my pocket, hoping it’s Madison.
Instead, it’s the group chat with Callum and Tristan.
Callum’s selfie lights up the screen, his shirtless torso front and center, a cocky grin plastered across his face.
Should I get this pic on a T-shirt? I feel like I could probably sell it at games.
I glare at the screen, already annoyed. He is such a motherfucker. He has more money than he could ever spend in his lifetime, which just means he wants a reason to show off his abs and also annoy Tristan.
Ew
A second notification pops up. It’s Tristan’s dry response.
Yes, please give the puck bunnies more reason to harass us.
Callum fires back immediately.
Since you two wanna be sticks in the mud, I guess I’ll have to be the main character. Which means my abs need to be out. Did you not watch Twilight?
Tristan
Jacob was not the main character of Twilight.
Callum
So you did watch Twilight then?
Before I can even consider muting the chat, another notification appears: Tristan has left the group chat.
I almost smirk. Almost.
A moment later, the screen lights up again: Callum added Tristan to the group. This time, the message is accompanied by another selfie. It’s Callum standing outside Tristan’s bedroom door, grinning like the idiot he is.
Tristan’s reply is instant.
If you come in here, I’ll kill us both.
That does it. I thumb the mute button with enough force to make the phone vibrate in protest and decide to follow in Callum’s footsteps and become a menace all my own.
I’ve already sent her nine texts, each one more impatient than the last. She hasn’t responded. I know she’s not ignoring me on purpose, but it still eats at me. She should always respond to me. Always.
I thumb out another text.
Are you ignoring me, princess?
No response.
A minute later.
I have a surprise for you.
Still nothing.
I smirk, imagining her trying to stay focused while her phone buzzes in her bag. I like knowing I can distract her even when I’m not physically there.
We should have stayed in bed all day.
As I get closer to the building where her class is being held. The thought of her sitting there, chewing on her pen while she pretends to listen, drives me insane. She should be with me.
My thumb hovers over the screen before I type the next one.
You’re really going to make me come to your class, aren’t you?
When the screen stays dark, I grin to myself. She’s got five minutes left in her lecture. She’ll check her phone soon, and I’ll get that exasperated but amused text she always sends after she sees my barrage of messages.
Or maybe she’ll take me up on my last offer. My smirk deepens as I type the final message.
Skip class. I can’t get enough of you, princess.
I thought maybe she’d argue, but it was pretty easy to convince her to stay with me instead of her dorm. The truth is, even without all the craziness, I don’t want her anywhere else. Sleeping beside her, fucking her until she’s trembling and satisfied, and then falling asleep with her soft body pressed against mine, it’s the only way I want to live.
I think back to last night, the way she pushed my hair out of my eyes after I kissed her goodnight. The softness of her touch was enough to undo me. No one has ever touched me like that, with so much care, so much quiet affection.
And next year, I’ve already decided that we’re taking every single class together. It’s not up for discussion. Everyone is going to have a horrendous year if she’s across campus again, out of my sight for even one class. I don’t enjoy being apart from her, not even for hours. Hell, minutes feel like too much.
Tonight, we have an away game at St. Charles University, and I need to be there to talk to Ramsey in person. I sure as hell am not leaving Madison alone on Castlebrook’s campus while I’m gone. Not with that bastard still out there. Sure, the guy’s probably scared with his two buddies gone, but he’s still a threat.
I’ve got plans, though. I’m taking her somewhere special before the game. Coach will throw a fit that I’m not on the bus with the team, but he knows better than to say anything. My dad keeps this school funded, and Coach knows it. Last time he gave me any issues, I brought up the rumor, that I’m pretty sure isn’t a rumor, that he’s big into sports betting. Specifically Castlebrook. I know he’s got some guys on our team that are in his pocket, but I’m not one of them so he can go fuck himself if he has a problem with me not riding the bus with the rest of the team.
I step into the building where I know Madison’s class is, my eyes scanning the flow of students leaving the lecture hall. My phone buzzes, and I glance down to see a text from her.
Behave.
A smirk tugs at my lips. When I look up, she’s walking toward me, her phone still in her hand, her lips curled into that little grin that makes my chest feel like it’s going to explode.
Before she can say a word, I grab her hand and spin her around on the black-and-gold tile floor. Her laugh rings out, and it’s the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard. I pull her close and murmur, “You’re so beautiful, princess. Do you know that?”
She blushes, and I lead her out of the building and onto the cobblestone walkway. Across the street, I spot Tristan walking with Winter. He’s got her bag slung over one shoulder, his other hand resting protectively on her braid while she excitedly chatters away. Tristan’s glaring at everyone who dares look their way, while Winter seems oblivious, her eyes bright with excitement as she talks only to him.
“I wish people would leave them alone,” Madison says, her voice soft and thoughtful. “They’re not hurting anyone.”
I clear my throat because Tristan has, in fact, hurt multiple people because of his foster sister.
Madison swats me playfully, wrapping her slender fingers around my bicep as we walk. “You know what I meant.”
I stop and cup her face, stroking her cheek with my thumb, because…because I can’t help myself. “Come somewhere with me,” I say, because it’s not a question.
She narrows her eyes, but there’s no annoyance. “Why do I feel like this is going to end badly?”
I grin. “Have I ever let you down?”
Her lips twitch, and she bites her bottom lip as she shakes her head. “No,” she whispers, her smile lighting up her face.
I swear, this girl has no idea what she does to me. “If you keep looking at me like that, we’re not going to make it off campus until I come inside of you,” I tell her with a teasing tone.
She swats my shoulder, rolling her eyes. “If you don’t start using condoms or at least pulling out, we’re going to have a problem.”
I wiggle my eyebrows at her, and her blush deepens, making me want to devour her right here. “I can’t even count how many times we, uh…” She looks away, her voice trailing off, and I swear her shyness just makes me want her more.
“Say it, princess,” I urge, leaning in close. “How many times have I made you come? Tell me.” She smacks my chest, laughing, and I wrap my arm around her, pulling her tight against me for one more squeeze before we start walking again.
“Hayden,” she starts, her tone shifting slightly. “I’ve tried twice now to get an appointment with the nurse to get an implant or some form of birth control, but both times, when I showed up for my appointment, there was no record of it.”
“Oh, man, that sucks. I wonder how that happened,” I say casually, glancing down at her with a grin that I know will give me away.
She stops walking, her jaw dropping as she gawks at me. “You cancelled my birth control appointments?” Her tone is somewhere between disbelief and irritation, and I can’t help the way my lips twitch into a smirk.
“Yep,” I say before I lean down and brush my lips against her. Fuck she’s perfect. “I swear to fuck I’ll burn the entire health center to the ground if I find out any of them touched you or inserted anything.” It’s not just that. I don’t know what’s in any of that medication, and I don’t want her taking something that could hurt her. She doesn’t need it. She’s meant to be mine, to have my children, to take my last name. If we get an early start, so be it. “We can fight about it, or you can see where I’m taking you. I promise it’s better than getting an IUD.”
“You are completely deranged,” she says, but there’s no heat in her voice. Her lips press into a thin line like she’s trying to stay annoyed, but her eyes give her away.
“But you’re not mad. I can tell when you’re mad at me, and you’re definitely not.” I look at her expectantly, because even though I won’t change my mind on the topic, I don’t want her to be upset.
She grumbles something under her breath before narrowing her eyes at me. “This better be good, or I’m telling everyone we see you’re my stepbrother.”
“Whatever gets you off, princess,” I reply, biting back a laugh at the way her cheeks flush. She gasps, but we’ve finally reached my truck, so we’ll have to continue our little spat inside.
I open the door for her, and she steps up into the passenger seat. I grab the seatbelt and buckle her in, brushing my hand against her thigh in the process. I lean in, pressing a quick, chaste kiss to her lips before closing the door and hopping into the driver’s seat. As I start the engine, I can feel her watching me, and I can’t help the satisfaction that rolls through me. Madison is mine, whether she’s ready to admit it or not.
Pulling into the small parking lot of Benji’s Diner, I glance over at Madison, and the look on her face almost undoes me. Her wide blue eyes are lit with a wonder I’ve never seen before, and her lips part slightly as she takes in the retro neon sign glowing against the bright afternoon sky. She looks like she’s been transported back to a childhood dream, and it hits me harder than it probably should if I’m going to keep my ‘I don’t give a fuck’ title.
“How did you–” she starts but cuts herself off with a shake of her head, her tone teasing. “Nevermind. Sometimes I forget that you stalk my entire life.”
I smirk, parking the truck in a spot close to the entrance. “You are my entire life, Madison. I think it’s time you realize that.” The words leave my mouth before I can think better of them, but I don’t regret it. I wouldn’t take it back for anything.
Her entire face flushes pink, the prettiest shade I’ve ever seen, and it’s not like she can hide it. I’ve studied her so much, I’d notice the smallest change in her. I feel like a fucking king making her happy.
I lean over, my hand finding her jaw, cradling her delicate face like the treasure it is. Her skin is so soft under my fingertips, and I tilt her head just slightly before brushing a kiss against her lips. “With everything going on at campus, I wasn’t about to leave you there,” I say, “And I’ve got an away game.”
She smiles, but there’s a hint of curiosity in her expression. “Don’t you have to ride on the team bus?”
I give her a look as if to say, do I ever do anything I don’t want to? Madison gives me a small nod, waiting for me to explain.
“I’d skip the game if I could, but we need to talk to Tristan’s cousin. He’s a tech wiz like Tristan, only better at it because he’s not distracted by Winter.”
Her lips purse, and I know what’s coming before she even says it. “Be nice to Winter. She’s my friend, and I like her. Do you want to go in? They have the best?—”
“Grilled cheese and tomato soup? Your favorite to get with your grandfather,” I interrupt, her expression shifting to awe again. I feel a pang in my chest at the realization that no one’s ever cared enough to remember the small things about her before.
Before Madison can respond, there’s a knock at her window. I press the button to lower it, and the man outside, dressed in a crisp white apron and a 1950s diner cap, hands her a brown paper bag. She takes it, her fingers brushing the bag in surprise, before passing it to me. The man hands her a drink tray next, his eyes twinkling with familiarity.
“Come back anytime,” he says with a friendly nod. “You got a good one there.” He gestures toward me before heading back toward the diner.
Madison’s blush deepens, and she turns to me, shaking her head with a laugh. “You really know how to make a girl feel special.”
“Not any girl,” I correct, because I need her to know, “Just you.” I hold her gaze for a moment before turning back to the wheel. “Hold on, princess. I want to show you something.” I can’t help the grin tugging at my lips as I pull out of the lot.
She’s going to love this.