Page 131 of Hayden's Stalker

We get out of the van, and the sun shines down on us as we head toward the pool hall. I can’t help but notice the change in Tati’s demeanor the moment we’re in public again. It’s always a reminder of the fact that I have a stalker. I’m not scared, though, because I know she’s here with me, along with the other bodyguards.

When we enter the building, a bored-looking staff member looks up at us, and his eyes widen as he takes us in. I’m used to this response from people, especially when we’re all together in a group.

Sebastian walks up to the counter and smiles at the man. “Hi, could we get a table at the back, please?”

“Uh, sure, of course. Snooker or pool?”

“Pool, thanks.”

The guy hands over a tray of pool balls, and we follow his instructions to our table. There’s only one other table in use, with an older couple playing snooker at the side of the room.

“I might as well get my slaughter out of the way, early. Are you ready to play me, princess?” Sebastian asks Lita.

She laughs and turns to Heather before she asks, “Do you want to hold Mira?”

“I’ll doanythingto facilitate this match-up,” Heather grins as she takes their baby out of Lita’s arms.

“Tatiana and I can get everyone drinks,” I offer. “Beers okay for everyone?”

The guys confirm they’re fine with that, and Heather says, “I’ll have a rum and Coke.”

“It’s before ten, so water for me,” Ariana says with a laugh.

I nod, and Tati follows me as we head back to the counter. She walks slowly, and I stay next to her but keep a very respectable distance between us.

“I dislike not getting to touch you,” I tell her under my breath.

“That’s not very professional, Hayden Vega.” She raises an eyebrow at me.

I chuckle, “I flirted harder with you before we had sex than I get to do now.”

“Which was the whole point of me agreeing to be in a relationship with you,” she points out.

My heart swells when she says it. Even though we’ve said we love each other, we haven’t actually stated outright that we’re in a relationship now.

“We’re officially in a relationship, are we?” I ask her.

Her cheeks turn pink, and she shrugs. “I mean, I thought so.”

“I’m just teasing you,” I grin at her. “I’ve never told someone I loved them if I didn’t want to be in a relationship with them. You’re no exception to that.”

Tatiana Swanson is officially my girlfriend.

It feels so good knowing this, even if nobody else can know it. I carry this knowledge with me like a lucky charm as we approach the counter. I order the drinks for our group, and when we’ve got them, we head back toward our table.

As we’re walking back to the group, Tati whispers in a strange voice, “I love you, Hayden.”

I halt in my tracks and turn to look at her. I stare into her eyes, trying to understand what caused this reaction. She looksconflicted, and I know that she fought against us being together for so long. She almost certainly feels guilty for finally giving in to being with me.

I tell her softly, “I love you, too.”

I keep looking at her, and I hate that I can’t just hug her right now. I want to make her feel better, but I know that everyone would notice if I did.

She swallows heavily and says, “We should probably take these drinks to your friends soon. They’re probably already going to wonder what the fuck we’re talking about right now.”

“I’ll tell them you told me about the latest stalker email,” I say.

“I thought you hated lying?” she cringes.

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