Chapter 7 Sara
Chapter seven
Sara
Icling to Hayes, my arms and legs locked around him like a spider monkey as we lie on the bed in a tangled, sweaty heap.
My mind is racing. I understand that things said during sex are sometimes intended to ramp up the tension, or something blurted out in the heat of the moment. But I meant everything I said. I am his. And I want him to want me... forever.
Hayes's phone pings with a series of incoming texts. He kisses my nose before reaching for his phone on the bedside table.
"Anything serious?" I ask, settling back on the pillows as I watch him scroll through the texts.
"It's the front desk. They've had a noise complaint."
"What?" I sit up, the sheet falling around me, then I notice him grinning. "Asshole."
"You were very loud, and I'm here for it." Hayes reaches for me with a grin, but I swat him away. He chuckles, then checks his phone again as another incoming text sounds.
"Is that your girlfriend wondering where you are?" I ask, joking but kind of not.
Hayes snorts, eyeing me for a long moment before responding. "It's my friends, Max and Archer. They're letting me know they're at McGrady's tonight."
Hayes tosses his phone to the bedside table and stands. I sit up in bed, wrapping the sheet around me again as I watch him walk to the bathroom. He turns on the water, and a moment later, walks back toward the bed carrying a small cloth.
Unwrapping the sheet, he stares down at my naked body like it's a lost treasure. I've never been coveted like this before.
He finally shakes his head, then gently places the cloth, cleaning between my legs. A man caring for me like this after sex is new. Most of the time, I need to finish myself off in the shower, so this is all foreign to me.
When Hayes is done, he covers me with the blanket and strides back to the bathroom to toss the cloth in the sink. He pads across the hotel room carpet and slides into bed next to me. I turn so we’re face to face, and Hayes bops my nose, making me grin.
I should be exhausted after two orgasms, but I'm wired.
My mind races, trying to figure out what’s going on between the two of us.
"Do your friends work with you?" I ask, trying to keep my brain from exploding.
"Yep. Archer has only been with us since the fall, but when Jameson started the company a few years ago, he brought Max, Emmett, and me to Duhring Park with him. We all grew up together, along with Cole, who’s married to Miranda."
"Right, I know them. Cole and I work together, and Miranda supplies my coffee habit."
Hayes nods. "We came to visit when Cole told us he was getting married, and I guess we were all ready for a change of pace."
"The company is doing well. I see the DP Construction logo everywhere. The real one and Betty's version," I add with a grin.
Hayes shakes his head and rolls his eyes. "Yeah, she's really ramped it up since Archer fell in love with Hadley. Betty's taking credit for getting them together, and now she wants to advertise the rest of us as available."
"I may have helped come up with some of the taglines," I admit.
"Excuse me?" Hayes pulls back to stare at me in surprise.
"Well, I didn't know any of you, so it seemed like harmless fun.
And Grandma was visiting last summer. Betty invited us over for some spicy margs one night.
I'm a lightweight compared to those two, and I may have riffed with her a bit.
" I bury my face into Hayes' chest with a laugh, refusing to look at him until his fingers tickle my ribs.
"No. Oh, my god! I'm very ticklish!" I shriek, trying to get away, but good Lord, this man is strong.
"Are you the reason I was forced to wear a shirt that said I screw like a boss at the holiday festival?"
"Yes! Oh, my god!"
His fingers dance across my ribs with a fresh round of tickles, and I squeal loudly. I’m laughing so hard that I can hardly speak.
Finally, Hayes stops the torture and lets me catch my breath. His big body cages me in, and I stare up at him, wiping tears off my cheeks as a fresh round of giggles takes over. When I finally get control over myself, we grin at each other, and he leans down, giving me a long, lingering kiss.
"The important thing is that you regret it," he says when he pulls back, and his body settles on top of me.
"Hell, no." I shrug when Hayes gapes at me in disbelief. "I have a standing invitation as the substitute player at Bunco each month because of my contributions. I'd do it again in a heartbeat."
"Cutthroat," Hayes grumbles, but his eyes crinkle.
I grin at him. "The Bunco ladies are my aspiration in life."
Hayes raises his eyes at my comment, but I nod to let him know how serious I am.
"Picture me as an old lady, sloshed on whatever drink they're serving that week, and playing Bunco. That is what you are signing up for with me." I laugh like I'm joking, but my heart beats faster as I wait for his response.
Hayes grins at me, his eyes sparkling. "Sara, I want nothing more than to be the old guy who drives your lightweight ass home at the end of the night and pours you into bed."
Good answer.
"Marry me," Hayes says.
I startle, my eyes going wide as I wonder if I'm hearing things.
"Please," he adds, grinning at me when I don't respond.
"What?" I laugh nervously, pulling back to stare at him. Yeah, I heard what I heard.
I reach forward, running my fingers through his hair. "This can just be a weekend, Hayes. I don't need you to promise me forever."
He props himself up on his elbow, staring down at me. "I want forever with you."
"Don't play with my heart, Hayes."
"Never," he promises, shaking his head adamantly. He puts his hand on my chest, right over my heart. "This is mine."
I bite my lip because he's not wrong.
Taking my hand, he places it in the same spot on his chest. "And this is yours."
Tears prick the back of my eyes as I gaze at him. Why am I doubting him? I feel it. Why shouldn't he?
"Marry me," he says again, grinning like he knows it’s already a foregone conclusion.
I nod. He's right, I'm in.
He pumps his fist in the air and whoops, then kisses me everywhere: my lips, my face, my neck.
I laugh, cupping his face so he’s looking at me when he tries to bury it between my breasts. “I love you, Hayes."
"I love you." He kisses me long and soft, like he's trying to express his love with the press of his lips.
"We need to wait to tell my family. I'm not hijacking my cousin's day," I warn.
Hayes nods. "I was thinking we could go to the ceremony and skip the reception," he says in between kisses, as he makes his way down my body.
"Oh, yeah? You want to go get dinner and celebrate instead?"
"Yeah. I know this great restaurant in Vegas."
"Vegas?"
"Why waste the money?" Hayes asks, kissing up my inner thigh.
I gasp, as much from the realization of what he's asking me to do as from the feeling of his tongue on my clit. "W-what?" I breathe out, knowing I should have this important conversation face to face, but unwilling to stop him from his current task.
He's so fucking good at this.
"I want to elope. Tomorrow night or Sunday morning, whatever you pick. But first, I'm going to have a little dessert."
"Oh, God!" My hand tangles in his hair as his tongue and fingers work their magic.
"Is that a yes?" Hayes growls, the vibrations on my sex making me moan. "Will you run off and marry me this weekend?"
I glance down at him, buried between my legs. His dark-brown eyes are locked on me and so full of the hope and desire that I want for the rest of my life.
"Yes," I whisper a little shyly.
He grins and gives my clit a long swipe with his tongue.
I say it again, louder. "Yes!"
"Good girl," Hayes murmurs, his breath hot against my slit. "After this, I want to hear more about those big toys of yours."
My laughter turns to a moan as my new fiancé proves he’s as talented with his tongue as he is with his fingers.