Page 104 of Puppy Love

I try to roll my eyes, but it hurts.

“You’re ridiculous,” I mumble. Hayden shoots me a grin.

“You love me.”

His voice remains intentionally soft, so the agonizing throbbing doesn’t intensify. Sometimes, I think he may be the most self-aware person on Earth.

“I do.”

My eyes close as a gentle hand presses to my forehead. I feel myself slowly sinking, my brain fighting me to fall asleep.

“Keep talking, so I don’t pass out,” I say. All I want is to get some rest, but Natalia might rip Hayden’s throat out if she came back to me unconscious.

“About what?” he asks, still speaking softly.

“Anything.”

There’s a long pause, and I almost open my eyes to shoot him a bossy look before he finally speaks.

26“So, you and Violet, huh?”

My eyes jolt open, and I immediately sit up, which is a total mistake. My head pounds, the room spins, and—

Bleugch.

Thank god Natalia put a trash can right next to my bed. I groan, wiping my mouth on the shoulder of my hospital gown.

“Ew. That bad huh?” Hayden jokes, handing me a bottle of water. “That’s all yours, sport. Please do not return it.”

The water rinses the back of my throat, providing cool, sweet relief from the acidity. When I finally feel my stomach settle, I lean back into the bed.

“What do you mean, me and Violet?” I ask defensively.

Hayden chuckles, scooting back as he shakes his head.

“Nothing really. I just—I have a feeling... that there might be more to you two than the contract?” he says, still maintaining his distance.

“I’m not going to throw up,” I say, closing my eyes.

Hayden forces a smile. “Sure, love. Just being safe.”

I don’t have to look at Hayden to know he’s staring into my soul. I can feel it, the intense stare of those sweet blue eyes. I sigh.

“There isn’t anything more.” I pause, waiting for him to speak but he doesn’t. “I mean sure, we might, like, be friends, sort of. But that’s it. It’s platonic.”

Hayden’s hand runs up my arm. “It’s platonic,” he says. “But you have sex?”

I nod, then wince. “Yes.”

Hayden stays quiet for a moment. Then he squeezes my hand.

“Do you want it to be?”

“What?”

“Well, you said it’s platonic, but do you want it to be?”

An ache radiates in my brows as I furrow them, my lips pursing uncomfortably. I don’t answer right away because I don’t want Hayden to hear the haste in my voice when I say it. I want him to think it’s something I never thought to consider. Finally, after a long stretch of silence, I answer him.

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