26. Hayden
Hayden
I always have a rush of adrenaline after a mayday call, it’s to be expected. What I do out there is life or death, at the mercy of an angry, magnificent sea.
But the moment I looked up and saw Poppy at the station, it’s as if pure fire began coursing through my veins. She’s like a drug I’ll never get enough of. My addiction locked in with that kiss.
Keeping her hand tightly in mine, as if worried she might disappear, I lead her into the station.
The team is still in the helicopter bay, leaving the common area empty for us to cross through on the way to my bunk room.
Which is good. Not because I’m doing something wrong sneaking her in, this isn’t the Coast Guard anymore and I’m not a cadet.
But because I don’t want to scare her away with their reactions.
I’m terrified that at any second she’ll realize I’m safe, and the rush will wear off, and she’ll pull away again.
We step inside my room, and the moment I close the door behind us, I take her in my arms even though I know I shouldn’t.
She’s shivering now that we are in the air conditioning, and my wet body isn’t going to help the situation.
But I don’t want to let go. Instead, I drag my hands up and down her back, attempting to create some heat.
“I was so scared,” she whispers into the side of my neck. “I wasn’t prepared for that.”
Her admission is soft, as if she still doesn’t know what to do with it yet. It spears my heart all the same.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I know you don’t like feeling unprepared.” I kiss the top of her head right as she lifts it to look at me.
“You know that?”
“I’ve noticed it,” I explain. “But I didn’t think you’d be… I hoped that you were starting to care about me. But I didn’t think you’d worry about me. I’m sorry.”
“No.” She shakes her head. “I’m sorry you didn’t think I cared. Seeing that… I can’t understand how you aren’t afraid out in the ocean during storms like this.”
Poppy hooks her hands onto the loose tie of my suit around my waist. It’s a comfortable gesture, intimate. And it sends a fresh jolt to my heart.
“I have respect for the deadly power of the sea. But I can’t be afraid, I have a job to do. Ready for anything, on any given day.”
She shivers against me, a reminder that I need to be moving my ass and warming her up.
“I’d offer you a shower, but I refuse to take the chance of any other guy seeing you in there.
You can have my room to change. Go through my drawers, take what you’d like.
I’m going to get out of this, but I’ll be right back. ”
Stepping over to my dresser, I grab the first things off the top for myself and set a towel to the side for her. Moving towards the door, I turn back. “Get under the covers after you change, okay? You really need to get warm.”
Poppy nods wordlessly, a curious look in her eyes. I don’t like it; she should have a comeback for the fact that I just told her to get in my bed.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, go. I’ll be waiting for you in your bed.” She smirks at me, clearly enjoying the way I sucked in a sharp breath at her words. Her insinuations are so much fucking better than her insults.
I move at a record pace to get out of my kit, showered, and dressed. Wasting no time standing under the warm water today, I barely have my shirt on as I step back into the hall towards my room. Hand on the knob, I freeze. I’m not sure what the etiquette is here.
Cracking the door, I ask, “Can I come in?”
“It’s your room,” she replies in amusement.
“That doesn’t mean?—”
I step inside, coming to a stop to take in the sight before me.
Poppy is completely burrowed in, the blankets pulled up to her chin and the hood of one of my sweatshirts over her hair and falling down near her eyes.
Laying on her side, there’s only a small bit of her actually visible.
But it’s those eyes that I could get lost in, and I lock onto them as I sit down on the edge of the bed.
“Find everything you need?”
“I had to roll your sweatpants like four times and they’re still loose, but I’m feeling very cozy.”
I chuckle softly. “I’m glad, Poppy Seed.” I rest my hand on her shoulder through the blankets. There have been a countless number of times that I wanted to reach out to her but couldn’t. Now it’s as if my hands are trying to make up for those lost moments.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Always.”
Sitting up, she attempts to adjust the blankets across her lap but struggles because her hands are lost in my sleeves. A smile tugs at my lips. She’s beautiful in my clothes, in my space like this. That elusive word— mine —feeling less like a tease.
“I ran into Fitzy after you left, he let me listen to your team’s… radio? No. he called them comms?—”
“ You what ?” I blanch.
“Yeah, in hindsight that was a bad idea. But anyway , while I was with him, he said something interesting.”
“Why did you listen to the comms?” I can’t imagine what she heard and thought in those moments. Her wild, wide eyes earlier are making sense now.
“I need to know. To hear that you were okay.”
I shift further onto the bed so I can take her hands in mine, pushing the sleeves up to find them first. “Poppy,” I whisper.
“Okay, but Fitzy told me something.”
“What was that?”
“He said there was nothing wrong with the building for you. That you asked him to give it to me instead. And I kind of remember you saying something about that, maybe. But why ask him to keep that a secret?”
I should have expected our mayor to share that eventually. I raise my eyebrows at her. “What would you have thought if he told you the truth back then?”
“There’s a chance it would have been worse than the mixer situation,” she mumbles in response, causing my smile to widen. “But why did you do that? You already had plans for a helipad, and it makes sense for your team to be on the water.”
With a sigh, I admit, “I was there that day, at town hall. I saw you crying outside of Fitzy’s office, and I couldn’t live with myself being the reason for that. So, I went in and forfeited the location.”
“Why do that for someone you despise?”
Shaking my head, I say, “We’ve been over this, Pop. I’ve never despised you. Sure, you drive me up a wall at times. You’re stubborn, set in your ways, you can be completely impossible?—”
“Thanks,” she scoffs.
“And worst of all”—I lift her up onto my lap with ease—“you get under my skin in a way I didn’t think was possible. And I’ll fight all day with you just to end up giving you any damn thing you want. Every time.”
She cradles my face in her hands. “What happens if we fight less, now that I know this?”
“I have a few ideas,” I whisper, sliding my hands under her sweatshirt and pressing them against her bare back. She arches into my touch and pulls my face to hers. Her kiss is devastatingly slow and sweet when all I want to do is devour her.
“But honestly. Do you really think we’ll fight any less?” I murmur into her mouth. “I personally love how hot you get for me.”
“That’s the wrong kind of hot, Baywatch,” she purrs into my ear before sinking her teeth into my neck. A groan escapes me as she takes control, holding my head just where she wants me while she kisses her way down my jaw.
“Is it?” I challenge hoarsely, wrapping my arms around her and flipping her onto her back.
She looks up at me, the shock in her eyes quickly shifting into that fiery heat I crave. I smirk as I settle over her. I’ve got Poppy right where I want her.
“Thompson—you in here, man?” I hear Nash shout from the common space. Footsteps come down the hall, but there’s no way he’d barge in. “You just kicked ass out there! They’re reporting twenty-six foot waves.”
Poppy looks up at me in horror now instead. “You were just swimming around in twenty-six foot waves?” she hisses.
I drop my chin to my chest in frustration. Why are Texans so loud?
“Looks like you haven’t missed a beat since the—” He throws my door open and skids to a stop. “Oh shit. Sorry, man.”
Rolling onto my back beside Poppy, I huff. “Thanks for mentioning the twenty-six foot thing.”
“We were looking for you to debrief but…”
“Yeah, I’m coming. I didn’t realize you were ready.”
“Lost track of time?” he smirks, closing the door on his way out. From the hall, he calls, “Nice to meet you, Poppy!”
I roll my head to the side, coming face to face with a beautiful, triumphant grin. “He knew me,” she snickers, reaching out and toying with my hair.
“They all know about you.” Catching her hand, I bring it to my lips and press a kiss into her palm. Then I rise, pulling her with me. “Can I take you home before I have to get back to work?”
“Oh no,” she says quickly. “You don’t need to. I shouldn’t have come and interrupted.”
“I am thrilled that you came here. And I am going to take you home to make sure you get back safe in this weather.”
“Hayden, I don’t…”
“Please just let me.”
She bites her lip and nods, allowing me to lead her into the hall.
“Poppy, I thought you had better taste than this,” Wes taunts with grins as we approach.
She laughs, stealing a glance at me. “He’s not half bad,” she shrugs.
“High praise, coming from you,” I reply. Then turning to the team, I ask, “Any chance I can borrow some wheels? Both of ours are at the wharf.”
Nash pulls his keys out and tosses them my way. “Consider this an apology for walking in on you.”
“Wait. I don’t even get introduced?” Jamie sulks.
“Jamie, Poppy. Poppy, Jamie.”
“It’s nice to put a face to the name,” he grins. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“ And we’re leaving.” I turn, practically dragging Poppy away from them.
At the door, she stops and smiles up at me. “You’re blushing.”
I can’t wait to get her alone and kiss that smirk right off her face.