Hayden’s texts are going to give me a heart attack.
Or an orgasm.
I’m not sure which.
This sexy, flirty side of him is… hot. That’s all there is to it.
“Your face is bright red, girl.” Harper holds out her hand. “Let me see the texts.”
“Promise me you won’t tease me about them.”
“I cross my heart and hope to get laid.”
I hand her the phone and watch as her green eyes widen. Before she bursts out with laughter. “Holy hot damn, girl. I can see why your face is on fire.” She waggles her brows at me. “This man certainly has a way with words.”
My sigh is long and loud. “I’m never showing you texts from him again.”
“No, don’t do that. I need this sexy shit in my life. It’s gold.”
“Harper, I swear…”
She’s never going to let me forget these texts. And knowing Hayden, this is just the beginning. The flirting, the teasing, and the intensity—it’s thrilling and terrifying all at once. Part of me wonders if I’m in over my head.
The other part of me wants more.
Harper cackles, her grin getting bigger by the second. “I wish I was on that jury.”
“Okay, but seriously, don’t you find his bossiness a little much?”
Her face loses all traces of amusement. She nods slowly. “It’s definitely a lot, but he’s very… single-minded when it comes to you.”
“True.”
“Hey,” she says, squeezing my shoulder. “Don’t overthink this. I know he’s complicated, but this man is into you. And you deserve someone who knows what he wants and is willing to wait. If that wasn’t the case, you would’ve had sex last night. Case-in-point, he’s a gentleman. Kind of.”
She smiles at me. “Not every relationship is meant to last, so don’t take it so seriously. Now, your stalker? Take that shit seriously, and if you need Hayden to help you, I don’t see the problem. Two birds, one cock.”
My lips twitch. “That’s not how the saying goes.”
“Sometimes you just click with someone in a way that sets your soul on fire, and that’s okay. It’ll be fine as long as you listen to your instincts and make sure you get what you need too.”
The door to the coffee shop opens, and I spin around, feeling a shift in the atmosphere. Hayden walks in with his gaze already on me. It crackles with the potency of his thoughts.
My heart leaps into my throat when he walks up to the counter. “Hey,” I say, trying to sound casual, while ignoring my racing pulse. “What brings you here?”
“You.” He folds his arms. “Are you ready to leave?”
I nod. “Just give me a second to say bye to Alex.”
After running into the kitchen and telling my boss goodbye, I return to the front and smile at Harper. “I’ll see you in the morning?”
“Of course, at the ass-crack of dawn.” She turns to face Hayden and narrows her gaze. “Take good care of our girl or I’m coming after you.”
Hayden quirks a brow. “Two death threats in less than twenty-four hours, Miss Flynn? That’s a record for me.”
“I’m about to make it three, if you don’t promise me you’ll take things at her pace.” She plants a hand on her hip while using the other to point to her face. “Eyes of a killer, remember?”
“Of course,” Hayden says. “You have my word that I’ll take very good care of Calista.”
Harper’s face splits with a grin. “Okie dokie. Let me know if you need bail money or an alibi. You two have a good night.”
A secret smile curves his lips. “We will.”
I glance at Hayden sitting in the driver’s seat, taking in the look of concentration on his face. “Where are you taking me?”
“I made reservations for LeBoudoir tonight.”
“That’s one of the nicest restaurants in the city. I’ve heard it has amazing French cuisine, but the waitlist is more than six months out.” I pause. “Don’t tell me you made this reservation for someone else, and I just happen to be filling in for her.”
“I haven’t even so much as looked at another woman since I met you.”
My eyebrows shoot up. “You’re just saying that.”
“I never say things I don’t mean, Callie.”
“So you’re not trying to persuade me?”
“I didn’t say that. However, I also want you to have the best of everything.”
I bite my lip. Until he sucks in a breath and his gaze darkens. “If you do that again, I’ll pull this car over so I can have a taste.”
“Sorry,” I mumble.
The rest of the drive is both long and short with Hayden’s sensual threat hanging over me. However, once we get to our destination, I’m more at ease. It’s hard not to give into temptation with this man, but being in a public place will cure me of that.
Le Boudoir is everything I imagined and more.
Dark wood panels line the walls that are lit by the golden glow of crystal chandeliers, positioned above each table. The employees, wearing crisp black suits glide between the tables, speak in hushed tones to preserve the peaceful ambience. The place is elegant with hints of intimacy in the darker corners of the room, its tables filled with couples who provide a constant hum of conversation.
“It’s so beautiful,” I whisper, not wanting to disrupt anyone’s meal.
“Yes, it is.”
I turn to look at him with a smile on my face, only to find him already staring at me. “This way,” he says.
Hayden places his hand on the small of my back, his fingertips gripping me securely. The protective gesture has tendrils of warmth shooting through my whole body. He leads me to a section in the back, one that’s obviously reserved for very special diners who have large bank accounts. I want to protest against the extravagance, but when he glances at me as if I’m his reason for breathing…
I can’t deny this man anything.
He pulls out my chair, and I sit down, immediately nervous to have him across for me. I won’t be able to hide from his scrutiny. “Why did you bring me here?” I ask.
“I wanted to go somewhere where we could enjoy a leisurely dinner with minimal interruptions.”
“So this whole thing isn’t a ploy to convince me to move in with you?”
He lifts his water glass. “I never said that.”
“Fair.” I smooth the napkin over my lap with trembling fingers. “It’s been so long since I’ve been anywhere this nice. I have to admit, I kind of feel out of my element.”
“I want you to listen closely,” he says, fixing with me with a hard look. “You belong anywhere I bring you. No exceptions.”
A blush heats my cheeks and I pick up my water, partially obscuring my face behind the glass. “Thank you.”
The waiter stops by our table a few seconds later and I use his welcome interruption to gather my composure. It’s fleeting. After taking our orders, the man leaves to retrieve our wine, quickly returning. He sets them in front of us and excuses himself until our meal is ready.
The air between Hayden and I takes on an electrical charge once we’re alone.
I smooth out my hair, trying to hide my fidgeting by wrapping a long curl around my finger. He watches me with an intensity that makes it nearly impossible to breathe properly. I reach for my wineglass and take a sip, hoping the alcohol will relax me a little.
Hayden tilts his head. “You’re nervous.” It’s not a question.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Why is a mouse nervous around a cat?”
He smirks at me, making my heart flip in my chest. “I prefer to think of you as a little bird. My little bird.”
“Either way, you’re the predator in this simile.” I shrug. “I just hope you don’t plan on putting me in a cage.”
“It’s for your safety. And others’.”
“Others?”
He nods. “If they touch you, I’ll… Let’s just say, I’d rather they didn’t.”
“This conversation isn’t convincing me to agree to your terms.” I take another sip of my wine. Okay, it’s almost a gulp. When dealing with Hayden, I find that liquid courage helps me be more bold. “Maybe you should take me to my apartment after dinner.”
“I could, but none of your things are there.”
“What the hell?”
His lips thin with displeasure. “Language, Calista.”
“What did you do?”
“Your personal effects are at my home. The furniture was donated to the shelter you used to volunteer at. Hopeful Hearts, right?” When I nod, still fuming, he continues. “If you decide to return to your apartment, it’ll be a new one in a different location, and it’ll be fully furnished.”
I down the contents of my glass and set it on the table with a quiet thud. Leaning forward, I glare at him. “I appreciate you wanting to keep me safe, but this is my life, Hayden. You can’t control every aspect of it.”
His hand shoots out and grasps mine where it rests on the table. It’s so quick I don’t have time to react before he’s tightening his fingers and bringing my knuckles to his mouth, never breaking eye-contact with me. He presses a kiss to each one and then a final one on the palm of my hand, letting his lips linger until I’m squirming in my chair.
“Your life is all I care about, and I’ll do whatever it takes to preserve it, Callie. Even if that means pissing you off.”
“But what about the agreement?”
“The seventy-two hours was an excuse to give you time to come to terms with everything. Because you are going to give me what I want. I won’t leave you alone until I know you’re protected.”
I try to jerk my hand back, but he maintains possession of me by gripping me tighter. As if to soothe my temper, he strokes my knuckles with his thumb. Leisurely. Back and forth until I stop fighting him.
“Give in, little bird. Let me take care of you.”
I swallow hard, captured by his gaze. The determination in his voice. “I let my father take care of me and then I was destroyed when he died. Don’t you see how risky this is for me?”
“I’ll give you financial security, if that’s what it’ll take to get you to say yes.”
“I don’t want to be a charity case,” I say between clenched teeth.
“That’s not how I see you, and you know it.”
He releases me when the waiter arrives with our food. I fold my hands in my lap and bow my head, keeping my attention on the delicious meal sitting in front of me. My stomach grumbles softly, and I pick up my fork to eat, paying I don’t stab Hayden with it for driving me crazy. The fact that I’m having these types of thoughts might be a direct result of being Harper’s best friend.
And I love her for it.
“Please, eat, Callie.”
When I jerk up my head, I find Hayden watching me with curiosity swimming in his gaze. We eat in silence for a few moments, the tension between us palpable.
I know he means well, but why can’t he understand how much his proposal scares me? Maybe he does see it and doesn’t care since it interferes with my safety. However, the thought of relying completely on another person and giving them power over my happiness and security again is terrifying.
Yet Hayden sees his actions as him protecting me, his way of caring for what he considers is already his. Me. His need to possess and control everything around him will either break me or give me freedom in his embrace.
I take a deep breath and lift my gaze to his. “We want the same thing, but your methods need adjustment if this is going to work.”
His brow furrows. “How so?”
“If you want me to be in your life, this thing between us has to be a partnership, not you dictating my every move.” I set down my fork and hold his stare. “I can accept your financial security, but only if you promise to keep it in an account that’s separate from mine. I only want it there as a failsafe and nothing else. As far as living with you, I can agree to the bodyguard, but I want to continue working. And lastly, I want to schedule an end date.”
“End date?” he repeats, the words clipped. He tightens his grip on his fork until his knuckles lose their color. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t expect you to let me live with you forever, so we’ll treat our contract like a lease agreement. I’ll agree to stay for a certain amount of time and then at the end, I’ll have access to the trust fund you set up for me. That way I’m earning the money and not a handout.”
Hayden leans forward, his gaze narrowing infinitesimally. “Are you saying that you want me to pay you for living with me?” When I nod, he clenches his jaw. “That’d make you no better than a whore.”
The words hit me like an cold wind, knocking the breath out of me. His accusation lingers in the air, and I resist the urge to rub the chill from my arms. The anger in his eyes flickers when I bite my lip, quickly morphing into lust.
I shake my head. “I didn’t mean to imply our agreement is purely transactional or that I see myself as a whore. It’s more about finding a sense of security that ensures we both have a future beyond this temporary agreement.”
“There is no future without you in it.”
“Hayden…”
“You’re my life. That won’t change.”
I twist my hands in my lap. “What if it does?”
“You’re mine in life and death. There is no end when it comes to us.”
“I don’t believe that.”
He shrugs. “You don’t have to. I know it to be true. You’re looking for security in material things, so ask for what you want. Money, done. Abstinence, done. Only for a time anyway. A marriage certificate where you’d be my wife and therefore entitled to all my assets? Done. I’d marry you tonight if that’s what you wanted. Whatever it takes to get you to finally understand that you’re everything to me.”
I stare at Hayden, stunned into silence by his passionate declaration. Marriage and money? Just to prove his devotion and commitment to me? I don’t know whether to be flattered or frightened by the intensity of his feelings. They have always bordered on obsession, burning so fiercely they turn consume everything in their path. There are times when I worried they’d destroy me too, but now I’m wondering if the flames will keep me warm and ward off predators that are hunting me.
Perhaps I’ve been afraid of the wrong person. Hayden knows the darkest stains on my soul and still wants me. If this same man would move heaven and earth for me, how can that devotion be anything other than a gift?
He searches my gaze, taking in the look on my face and blows out a sharp breath. He runs his fingers through his hair, finally letting me see the uncertainty beneath his cool exterior. This man has always been sure of himself and me.
I don’t want that to ever change.
“What are you thinking?” he asks. “Talk to me.”
“Yes,” I say softly.
“What?”
“I’m saying yes.”
“To marriage?” When I shake my head, he jerks back. “Then what?”
“I’m saying yes to you, Hayden.”
His brows snap together. “What about my conditions?”
“I don’t care about proposals, a seventy-two hour waiting period, or marriage. I don’t care about the physical or monetary things you can give me, but if that’s what you want, then I’ll find a way to accept it. I’ve used everything as an excuse because I was scared, but I’m putting off the inevitable. All I want is you. So, yes.”
He stands abruptly and his chair teeters before landing with a loud thud. I stare up at him with wide eyes as he rounds the table to stand in front of me. “What are you doing?” I ask.
“When the woman of your darkest fantasies says she wants you, you don’t let anything get in the way of her changing her mind.”
