Chapter 38
HAILEE
“Hayden,” I squeal as my back collides with ice-cold tiles.
He chuckles as he pins me there with his hips. Circling my wrists, he pulls them above my head, holding them captive in one hand as the other drops to my ass.
“You said you needed to cool down, baby,” he taunts, his cocky smirk firmly in place.
My heart races as I stare up into his green eyes. They’re electric, glittering with excitement and so many emotions. I lose myself in them just like I have done countless times in the last couple of hours.
I was a mess, standing outside his apartment. I had no idea if I’d made the right decision by coming here. All I knew was that I had to see him.
Keeping my distance as I waited for Anthony’s verdict almost killed me, especially with Hayden needing me. I wanted to be everything for him so badly, but I needed to be sure that we could have a future before I allowed that to happen.
And now…
Fuck.
I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve to have him in my life, but I don’t have any intentions of letting him go.
“Oh my god,” I squeal when he suddenly turns the shower on, soaking us both with freezing water.
I thrash between him and the wall, but his hold is too strong.
“Embrace it. It’s good for you. Makes you feel alive,” he says, dropping his forehead to mine.
“I felt pretty fucking alive when I was coming all over your dick out there.”
A deep groan rumbles in his chest, his eyes darkening as they hold mine.
“Closest thing to heaven I’ve ever felt,” he confesses. It should be cheesy; I should hate it. But I don’t. In fact, as my heart flutters, I realize it has the very opposite effect on me.
As the water begins to warm, his lips find mine, and his fingers slip from my wrists, releasing my arms.
Instantly, I wrap them around his neck, holding him closer as our tongues twist together in a deep, lazy kiss.
My body is wrung out. The orgasms he’s dragged from me have left me drained and so freaking happy. But even still, I’m not ready to stop. Now I’ve allowed myself to have this, to have him, I never want to stop—and I don’t think I’m the only one.
“Hayden,” I gasp, pulling my lips from him as the familiar feeling of him hard against my thigh makes my pussy clench around nothing.
He chuckles, well aware of what I’m pointing out.
“I can’t help it,” he confesses, his smile turning shy. “It’s you. You do this to me.”
“I’m not doing anything,” I protest, making one of his eyebrows quirk.
“You’re naked in my shower with your legs wrapped around my waist. You’re doing everything.”
Dropping my lips to his shoulder, I kiss a line up his neck until I hit his ear.
“Jesus. That doesn’t help.”
“Maybe I don’t want to help,” I confess, grinding myself against him.
“Lord help me, you’re gonna be the death of me.”
I smile against his neck, happiness exploding within me.
“Don’t you dare. I’m nowhere near done with you yet.”
“Is that right?” he mutters as I unwrap my legs and force him to let me go.
Pressing both hands against his chest, I try to push him away. I’m nowhere near strong enough to move him, and he takes pity on me and takes a step back.
My eyes hold his for a few seconds before they drop lower.
Fucking hell. This man.
Water rivulets run over his pecs before turning into little rivers running into the valleys of his muscles until they find the two deep indents at his waist that lead to…
I swallow thickly as I stare at his thick, hard cock standing proud.
My fists clench at my sides, my mouth watering.
“Hailee,” he warns, although I have no idea what he might be warning me about.
In the past, I’ve always despised giving head. I hated being on my knees for a man who thinks he has complete control of me.
But this…us…it feels different from everything I’ve experienced before.
“Hails?” he questions when I take a step forward.
I hesitate, my head and my body warring with what to do.
There’s a huge part of me that wants to try, but there’s another part screaming no. And it’s that latter part that Hayden must be able to sense.
“Come here, let me clean you up.”
“B-but—” My eyes drop to his cock again, and it jerks under my gaze.
“Just ignore it. I’ve had to every time we’ve been together before today.”
“Hayden,” I whisper.
He doesn’t say anything; instead, he reaches for my hand and tugs me into his body.
“We don’t do anything you’re not comfortable with,” he whispers in my ear. “You’re in charge, remember?”
I nod, my chest tightening, making it really fucking hard to breathe.
“All I need is you. The rest is a bonus.”
I press my forehead against his chest and just breathe as he lifts his hands to my hair, ensuring it’s all soaked through.
Coldness washes through me as I lose his touch, and I pull back.
“What are you doing?” I ask as he grabs a bottle of shampoo and squeezes it into his palm.
He hesitates for a moment, second-guessing himself. “I’m…uh…I’m gonna…I was gonna wash your hair. Is that—” His eyes search mine. “Is that okay?”
My heart tumbles inside my chest as emotion burns the back of my eyes.
“Yes,” I whisper, my throat thick. “It’s okay.”
His smile is so honest and genuine. I wish I could bottle it and keep it forever, right along with how I feel in this moment.
“Turn around,” he instructs, and my body moves on instinct.
There’s no panic at the loss of control, no knee-jerk reaction to stand my ground and keep the power. Instead, I submit, turning my back on Hayden so he can wash my hair.
“Oh God,” I whimper as his fingertips massage my scalp.
He steps closer, ensuring his dick presses against my ass as my muscles turn to liquid under his fingers.
My eyes fall closed, and I lose myself in his magic touch.
Once he’s finished, he rinses the bubbles out before smoothing conditioner in.
I don’t even stop to question the fact that he has conditioner. I just enjoy his attention and thoughtful touch.
Once he’s happy with my hair, he starts on my body. He pours shower gel onto a sponge and sets about gently scrubbing every inch of my skin. He works meticulously, not leaving a single part of me untouched.
I watch in awe as he sinks to his knees and gently cleans between my legs, tears pooling in my eyes as he works his way down.
Never in my life have I ever felt so cherished, so worshipped.
“What’s wrong?” he asks when he pops back to his feet and looks into my eyes.
“Nothing. There is literally not a single thing wrong right now. Everything is right. So very right.”
His smile spreads so wide it crinkles his eyes.
“Yeah, I feel the same. Come on,” he says, cutting the shower and stepping out. “Time to get you dried and back in my bed.”
Desire unfurls below my waist. I don’t know how it’s possible.
After wrapping me in a huge fluffy towel, Hayden scrubs his head with another before wrapping it around his waist. It does very little to hide his erection as he guides me to the sink and pulls open the cupboard above, opening a brand-new toothbrush and handing it to me.
“Planning a sleepover, huh?”
He presses in close behind me, his arms on either side of mine as he reaches to turn the faucet on.
“I like to be prepared. You never know when you’re going to find a hot woman waiting at your front door.”
I shudder as his warm breath tickles over my neck and down my back.
“I guess not,” I say, holding my new toothbrush up and allowing him to put some toothpaste on it.
We stand together looking like a real couple as we brush our teeth. But as unexpected as it might be, there isn’t anything weird or uncomfortable about it. In fact, I feel more relaxed right now than I have in years.
We finish up and I put my new pink toothbrush into the holder along with his and take a step to leave the bathroom.
“One more thing,” he says, clasping my wrist and tugging me back.
I watch him in the mirror as he pulls out a hairdryer and a brush.
I shake my head in disbelief.
“What? You can’t go to bed with it wet,” he says so seriously, and I’m not sure how I don’t laugh.
He turns it on and sets about blow-drying my hair.
“I’m not sure what you’re meant to do with curls. Rylee’s hair was straight,” he confesses as he works behind me, carefully smoothing out my usually curly locks.
“It’s perfect,” I say, watching as my dark hair fans my shoulders.
“Now, we can leave,” he says once he’s happy it’s dry.
He puts everything away, then takes my hand and leads me back to his bedroom.
The second we stand at the end of his bed, a little tension appears, and when I glance over, he’s looking between me, the towel, and the bed.
“The only person who’s slept in here with me is Rylee,” he confesses quietly. “I’m…uh…I’m not…did you…did you want something to sleep in?”
“A T-shirt would be great.”
He stills a beat before a smile appears.
“A T-shirt with my name on it?” he asks, looking a little too excited.
“And maybe your number too, if you’ve got one.”
“Yeah,” he says, abandoning my side in favor of his dresser. “I do. I’ve got a few, in fact. Here.”
He thrusts the fabric at me and I take it, holding it up to see it. “Monroe” is written across the shoulders with a big ninety-six beneath it.
“Something tells me you’re going to look so much better in that than I do.”
He watches me for a moment before he spins back around and pulls open another drawer.
My heart pounds at his thoughtfulness to give me some privacy to change, despite what we’ve just experienced together.
I’m about to pull my towel free when he beats me to it, dropping his to the floor at his feet and exposing his incredible ass to me.
I don’t realize I make a sound until he looks over his shoulder, his smirk firmly in place.
“What was that, Hails?”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“No, you whimpered. Did you see something you like?”
“Maybe,” I confess, letting my eyes trail down his sculpted back all the way to his ass and then down to his thick thighs.
“Maybe?”
“Yep, maybe,” I confirm before letting my towel drop as well.
“Interesting, because I more than like what I see.”
Fire shoots through my veins as he watches me tug his T-shirt on.
“Turn around,” he demands once the fabric falls around my thighs.
Slowly, I do as I’m told, my heart like a runaway train in my chest.
“Fuck,” he gasps as I gather my hair up and place it over my shoulder so it doesn’t hide his name. “You’re mine.”
Yeah, I think I am.