“Wait, high school? I don’t remember him from high school.”
Our school was big, Lane was a couple of years ahead of me, but there’s no doubt in my mind that if Hayden ever strolled the halls of Bellemont High, I’d have noticed.
“Hayden went to Naperville High; he was their quarterback.”
Ah.
The meaning behind Lane’s words explains a lot more than the words themselves. It gives me a rough extent of the animosity between the two. Hayden was on the opposing football team - Bellemont’s rivals.
The Batman to our Superman.
“What are you doing here, Carmichael? You stalking Veronica?”
Hayden says nothing, only continuing to glare at Lane. I roll my eyes.
Honestly. Men.
I try shrugging out of the hand that is still wrapped around my wrist. That’s when I remember that Lane fucking kissed me. I momentarily forget about Hayden’s hold on me to turn on Lane. He doesn’t even notice because he’s locked in the testosterone match of the year.
My hand snaps out to slap him across his face, finally getting his attention on me - the woman fuming in front of him. At five-foot-seven, it’s not often that I feel any kind of small, but as I stand between Lane and Hayden, I’m just a bush between two trees.
“You kissed me!”
“I know.” He sulks, pathetically trying to sound like he’s actually sorry. I know he’s faking it because he did the same thing the last time he tried kissing me. It was back in high school as he tried to make his then-girlfriend jealous. I slapped him, warned him that if he ever did it again that would happen, and then I slapped him again for good measure.
This time I’ll let him off with just one. There was no tongue.
I turn back to Hayden with a crinkled brow. “It’s funny, I was just thinking about you.”
I don’t tell him that I was thinking about him as Lane kissed me, or that for those few seconds I was comparing notes. His kiss scored off the charts. I don’t know how he’s still single for that matter, with a mouth like that I can only imagine the female attention he must get.
Well, shit. Is he single?
That never came up during our one-night stand.
“Let’s go.” What?
Uhhh. “Excuse me?”
“Your date’s over. Come on, I need to talk to you.”
Oh fuck. What if he has an STD?
That thought scares me stiff. Did we use a condom?
We must have. I would have insisted on it. But I’d had a couple drinks on an empty stomach. Hmm.
The real question is; do I trust myself enough to be sure?
Hayden’s hand on my arm draws my attention. It’s big and warm, and that warmth seems to spread through my entire body. With a soft tug, I’ve decided to see what he wants.
“I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” I say to Lane - who doesn’t look in the least bit happy about this new development. I snatch up my handbag and jacket before turning to follow Hayden.
The whole strut through the restaurant my eyes were glued to the sculpted ass of the gorgeous man in front of me. Now, I totally understand why men are always offering for women to go first. It’s not such a hardship, after all, it’s more like winning a golden ticket to splash mountain.
I have no idea where we’re going or why I’m letting him take me, but I follow regardless. With a small shrug and a wave to Lane, we push through the exit, leading us out into the cold night air.
6
Hayden
Wow.
Why the hell did that work?
I didn’t expect that to work. I expected a red mark on my cheek as I stormed out. But that wasn’t the case.
Veronica actually came with me. She doesn’t even know me. This must mean something. That she likes me? That she wants to go another round? That she’s worried I have herpes? Whatever it was, I’d take it because I know that it was her trust in me that allowed her to climb into my car.
We drive for a while. I purposefully take the long way back to her place just to prolong the time I have alone with her.
Suddenly guilt washes over me as I realize that she hasn’t eaten. I’d stolen her away from her dinner and then not provided her with a replacement. How thoughtless of me.
“Are you hungry? We can stop for something if you’d like?” I want to say I’m sorry but I’m not and I won’t lie to her.
“I have leftovers waiting for me at home.” She easily dismisses my offer and continues silently watching out the window.
Okay. Nevermind then.
As we pull up outside the modern double story, I notice she hasn’t asked how I knew where she lived. I think I’ve gotten away with it too until I see her eyes narrow and her eyebrows scrunch together. I recognize that face from earlier, back at the restaurant.
We sit there in silence. I don’t know what to say, I don’t know what she expects to hear. She shifts in her seat, turning to face me. Clearly, she’s not going anywhere just yet.
What she doesn’t realize is that as she shifted, so did the skirt of her dress. The material having slid higher up her smooth tan skin.
I struggle to hold back a grunt at the thoughts that flood through my head. I imagine reaching my hand over the console and pushing the material up even further, finding out for myself what she has on under that damn dress.
For a second, I wonder if she’s teasing me on purpose.
There’s no way for me to subtly adjust myself, not without her knowing that she has my cock stiff as a post from just looking at her.
“Are you gonna tell me what the fuck is going on?” Her words surprise me - her soft melodic voice is sweet but her words are spicy.
If I were being completely honest with her, I would say ‘no’. There’s no way I could tell her that I was more or less stalking her for the perfect chance to ‘bump’ into her. Instead, I decide to take my chances and ignore her question.
“What were you doing kissing Lane?”
“Woah. Steady your horse, cowboy. I can kiss whoever I want.”
“Are you together?”
“If we were together, I wouldn’t have been sneaking out of your bed last weekend.”
“Good.”
“Good? I don’t even know you, yet, you come storming in - you drag me away, you know where I live, you’re acting like a jealous freak…” She huffs, tightens her hand on her handle, and turns to open the car door.
“Wait.” I finally get some satisfaction as I reach over to touch her thigh, stilling her movements entirely. “I’m sorry.”
It’s a genuine apology, but all I can think about is how soft her skin is.
“I can’t even explain my actions…” All I know is that I’ve been acting crazed since I woke up without her on Monday morning.
“Wait there,” I reluctantly let go of her leg and exit the vehicle. I round the car quickly to open her door, then offer her my hand.
The door shuts, and she leans against the car, unmoving. And now it’s my turn to convey confusion.
Veronica sighs and looks me in the eye, “I should be running from you…”
I hold my breath as she takes a step forward - towards me.
“You have trouble stamped all over you…”