“You. You’re what’s wrong. Now kiss me.”
He crushes his lips to mine instantly, his hands digging into my hair, pulling it out of my tight ponytail. I kiss him with all the fury I am feeling. How dare he do all these nice things for me? How dare he make me question my resolve to not get involved with anyone, but also, how dare he wait so long to kiss me? Because his lips are everything. And his kisses are like air. Now that he has kissed me, I realize I haven’t been living for the past few weeks. A massive part has been missing.
Him. He was missing. His touch that’s demanding, not friendly. His lips that are passionate and made for kissing, not just those half smiles. And his hands that always steal a cookie from behind the counter. They’ve been missing from my body where they were meant to be all this time.
He moans into my mouth as our tongues tangle. Just as I’m about to sayfuck it, and insist we try out the new sofa, his phone vibrates in his pocket. And it vibrates. And vibrates.
“You should take it,” I say against his mouth. “It might be important.”
“Nothing is more important than you right now,” he says as the phone stops. “You see? Not important.”
The phone starts up again. “Just take it.” I laugh and take a step back.
He huffs but takes the phone out of his pocket, his brows knitting at the Caller ID. “Hi,” he answers, clearly familiar with the person on the other end. “Is everything okay?” He pauses. “Right… And no one else?… Of course. No, no, it’s fine. I’ll be there… Okay, bye. See you soon.” He turns off the phone and looks at me longingly. “I’m really sorry, Sugar. I have to go.”
“No worries.” I smile at him, but inside, my stomach is churning. I’ve been here before. I’ve heard the dodgy phone calls and the lame excuses for why he has to leave, and it didn’t end well for me. “Is everything okay?”
“I think so. It’s just—” He runs his hand through his hair. “It’s a long story.”
“It’s fine. You can tell me some other time. Just go.”
“I’ll see you tonight?”
“Actually, I’m taking a half day. So… see you tomorrow?”
“I’m away on business.” he groans. “Maybe I could—”
“I’ll see you when I see you.” I laugh. But it sounds hollow even to my ears.
He growls and walks over to me, his hands going straight for my face as he presses his lips against mine. “I hate to be leaving right now, but I really have to.”
“Go, just go.”
“Until next time Natasha,” he says, his eyes making promises I’m not sure he will keep, and turns on his heel.
I try to exhale the frustration out of my body. But it doesn’t help. The situation still feels wrong and oddly familiar. But Hayden is different, right?
A guy wouldn’t pursue me for almost three weeks, holding himself back after he’s already slept with me. Unless he is the ultimate dick.
And as much as Google says he’s ruthless and unforgiving in a business situation, Hayden Frost is just… different with me. Am I being sold a lie?
If so, what’s the end goal here?
I can’t focus on anything I’m supposed to be doing, so I cut my losses short as soon as Nancy comes in for her shift. It’s probably for the best that I take off early, as I’m surely just going to mess up even more than I already have. No one wants a batch of cookies with salt in them instead of sugar. No one.
When I finally get to my apartment building, I breathe a sigh of relief. All I need is a glass of wine and a steamy bath to clear my head and figure out the next steps for the situation I’m in.
Fitzy catches me inside the lobby. “Tasha, darling!”
“Hi, Fitzy.” I smile at the older woman. Her make-up is immaculate today. The winged eyeliner puts my sporadic attempts to shame. “How’s it going?”
“I’m glad I caught you,” she exclaims, lifting a hand that’s holding a martini glass, a lone olive swimming inside the clear liquid. “I must insist you come to the party tonight. You haven’t made an appearance in months! A young girl like yourself should relax a little every so often. Trust me, when I was your age, I had three boyfriends.”
“Three?”
“Three. One to relax with. One to get me gifts. And one for the sex.”
I choke on my saliva. “For what?”