“Are we going to your place?”
A small smile dances on his lips, and he nods. “You wanting some of this?” he asks with a cocky wink as he grabs his crotch with his free hand.
“Ugh, you’re so full of yourself.” I roll my eyes, but I can’t stop the giggle that falls from my lips. “I am never asking you anything ever again.” My words are filled with annoyance, but when he grabs my thigh and gives it a squeeze, I melt into his touch.
“We’re going to dinner at my favorite place, and then we’ll hang out until I need to bring you home,” Kayden tells me as he drives through the city until we reach a small, intimate restaurant I note has photos of noodles and sushi on the door.
“Chinese?”
“Japanese,” he informs me as he parks and kills the engine. “Is that okay?”
“Of course. I actually love sushi.” When I tell him this, the smile on his face is pure happiness. “I love learning about you.”
“You know pretty much everything about me.” He pushes open his door and heads my way to help me out. The alarm clicks, and we head into the restaurant that’s not at all busy, which is nice.
We’re led to a booth where I slip in, and Kayden shocks me when he slides in beside me instead of opposite. A server appears, offering us a friendly smile to take our order. I allow Kayden to do the honors since he seems to know what’s tasty.
Once we’re alone, he sits back and rests his arm across the booth behind me, the warmth of him keeping me safe and comfortable. I’m tempted to lean into him, but I want to talk.
“So,” I say. “Since classes are going to only get more intense as the year progresses, what are we going to do when I don’t get to see you often?”
“I’ve already got a plan,” he announces. “I’ll be picking you up from school every single day because, after class, we’re going to get started on the car you and your dad were meant to fix up.”
“You remembered?”
“Of course,” he tells me honestly. “I want you to have that memory, and I want it to be a happy one.” There’s affection burning in his eyes, and even though I want to admit I’m feeling more than I thought I would, I don’t. Mom said to take it slow, and I plan to do that. But it’s times like this that make me want to just say fuck it and tell him just what’s racing through my mind.
“What?”
I glance up, noticing he’s staring, and I realize I lost a few moments thinking about telling him. “Nothing. You make me happy.” That’s the truth. I have always found it difficult to admit my feelings, to tell someone how I’m feeling or what’s bothering me, and with him, it’s just as hard. But, with those piercing eyes looking right through me, it’s almost as if I don’t need to tell him. He knows.
“You’ve changed me a lot, Haelee,” Kayden admits, using my real name and not the nickname he calls me. “When we first met, I had a feeling you would rock my world and knock it on its axis, but I didn’t expect to be here almost a month into this strange relationship and not want to run a mile.”
“Strange relationship?” I test playfully with a poke in his ribs. The lightness of our conversation sets me at ease. And I’m thankful for it because when I start thinking about feelings and emotions, my chest still hurts from the past. At some point, I’m going to have to put everything behind me and stop looking back. But sometimes, it’s more difficult than I can imagine.
“Yeah, it’s not like we started off on the best foot,” Kayden reminds me with a grin. That’s also the truth.
“But then you realized how amazing I am, and you didn’t want to let me go.” I laugh out loud at my words, but Kayden doesn’t laugh. He looks serious, as if he’s about to admit something, and for a second, I pull in a deep breath and wait.
He slowly nods. “Yeah, that’s exactly it. A beauty who stole my heart and mind and kept it locked up in her dainty hands.” And at his words, my stomach tumbles. Even though it’s not what I thought he would say, it still makes me feel like I’m floating.
“I promise to keep it safe.”
“And I promise to keep yours safe,” Kayden attests before leaning in to kiss me, and as always, my toes curl as pleasure rockets through me at the contact. It doesn’t matter what he does, he always sends my body and mind into disarray.
He pulls away and locks his gaze with mine. The electricity zinging in the air around us sizzles with promise, with something even more intense than I’m expecting.
“You’re mine. I meant it when I said it.” His words are a salve, a balm to the usual worry that snakes its way through me, and I allow it to calm the tension. As much as I want to relax and enjoy our journey, there’s something that’s still bothering me, and even though I know I should bring it up, I don’t want to break the spell.
So, instead of mentioning it, I revel in the warmth of Kayden. Our food arrives, and even as we enjoy the meal and head back to his place for dessert, I know something is coming.
A storm.
A tornado.
Something is about to crash into our lives, and even though I’m not sure what it will be, I know it’s going to wreck the happiness we’ve found and leave destruction in its wake.
20
Kayden
Walking into Mercer Industries with the memory of Haelee on my mind and on my lips has me grinning even though I’m about to step into a board meeting I’ve been dreading.
I took her home after our lunch, but I can’t stop craving more of her. There is something about being her first, and it comes out every time we’re together, including fucking her again right after we ate our lunch. I knew she was mine the moment I laid my eyes on her, but it was when she clawed my back, when she wrapped her legs around my waist, and when she pulled me closer, wanting me to take the one thing she held dear that I knew I couldn’t, wouldn’t, deny her anything.
The sun is out today, and being in a fucking suit and tie has me uncomfortable. I’ve always hated dressing up. The noose around my neck is frustrating as I push open the door to the boardroom. All eight men sit around the large table, but what shocks me is that at the head of it is my mother.
There’s a look of disdain painted on her face as if it’s been etched in those lines and wrinkles she tries so hard to hide. But I see her. I’ve always seen the way she looks at me.
I never understood how a mother could be so unloving. There’s not a bone in her body that’s maternal in any way. I’m convinced she only had me because my father wanted an heir.
“Mother,” I greet her, then take in each man as they watch me settle at the opposite end of the table. “Gentlemen.” Once I’m seated, my mother rises and makes her way toward me. Something seems off, and I’m almost certain she’s about to deal a blow that’ll hit me right in the jaw.
I wouldn’t put it past her to steal something my father left to me. Yes, I wanted her help with this company because my focus was on racing. But to have her claim it fully, that’s not something I’m prepared for. She sets a folder on the shiny mahogany in front of me.