Page 53 of Hayden's Haven
“I, ah, wanted to see if Fergusson finished the lab.”
“He did a fabulous job.”
“Yes, he did.”
Hayden’s words weren’t cold exactly, but something was definitely off about him. If she was going to stay with Damien’s pack, they’d need to learn to get along, not always running away from each other.
“Why don’t you come in and take a look. I mean, you might as well see the project you started.”
His hesitation was clear, but Hayden finally released the inner door and entered. Granted, the lab was rather sparse without their equipment, but the space itself was quite impressive.
Dark eyes stayed trained on her until he stood before her.
No, her Hayden wasn’t distracted. He was completely focused on her, except his body remained tense before her. He folded his arms across his chest, creating a barrier. His body language said enough.
It was time to be brave, to be the independent shifter she’d sought to be for most of her life
“I’m sorry, Hayden.” She reached up to cup his cheek, and his hand caught her wrist, like a steel vice.
Then he stepped in so close she could smell his scent as she never smelled it before. She had always thought he smelled like spring water, but that was only the surface, the scent her human side could scent. There were so many layers to Hayden that she could smell now. Beneath the spring water was the delicate honeysuckle layer interwoven with strands of ash, like from a bonfire. Just like Hayden, a mixture of sweet and fire wrapped in a calming layer of water.
“You have nothing to be sorry for,” he said, his voice deep, serious, almost wolf-like. Black eyes intensified.
Heat spread through her, even before he backed her against a counter. “I ran when I should have stayed. Then I left you with those shifters who wanted to hurt you. Again, I should have stayed, spoken up for you.”
“And get injured in the process? What type of shifter would I have been to allow that?”
“It’s not your job to protect me,” she said as he released her wrist only to kiss the tender flesh where he had pressed a tad too hard. That kiss was tender, erotic, and way too tempting. And damn confusing. She lowered her arm, not sure what to do.
A low growl vibrated from his chest, but he didn’t bare his teeth. Hayden wasn’t angry with her, but he was angry. Her wolf nipped and whimpered inside, pushing her to do something to help him, but what?
She reached up to the glistening droplets of water in his hair from the snow that had melted and brushed them back, except she couldn’t force her hand to stop. The need to touch was instinctive. Her fingers glided through his thick, wavy hair. His growl intensified.
“Please don’t growl,” she whispered as the growl sliced through her to a place where she shoved the bad memories.
He stopped immediately, and his face relaxed. He didn’t know, he hadn’t realized what he had been doing. “Who hurt you, Mila?” he asked, eyes soft as they watched her closely.
She shrugged. “It doesn’t matter now, does it.”
“You matter. Everything about you matters. And it’s my job to protect you, not the other way around. That’s how this works.”
“This? What exactly isthis, Hayden? We’re both hiding things from one another, we don’t talk, we don’tneedone another. A relationship must be more than attraction and lust.”
“There are things in my past that you won’t like,” he said as he ran his hand down her arm, creating a hypnotic effect as he dragged the tip of his forefinger back and forth. His touch felt so good, magical, as it always did.
Mila eased herself against his chest and simply breathed him in for a minute. “I guess we share something after all.” Tentatively his arms enveloped her, bringing her more than his sweet warmth, but a feeling of being wanted, maybe even loved. Her mind was playing tricks on her again. A shifter like her didn’t end up with a strong shifter like Hayden. It just didn’t happen.
Hayden took a deep breath. “I can be demanding, focused at times, to the point I don’t always listen to others. I didn’t. . . I mean, I hope I didn’t. . . Did I force you, Mila?”
She smiled, as she cupped his cheek. “Hayden, I loved every minute with you.”
Dark brows knit together. It wasn’t the answer he had expected, and he didn’t seem entirely pleased either. “You ran.”
“Not from you.” Never from you. “There are times I flashback to my past. But you’re right. I shouldn’t have run.”
“Will you tell me about whoever it was that hurt you?” he asked. His face was an odd mixture of pain, regret, and hope.
She had never talked about Vance to anyone after she had gone to her alpha for help. Truman said he’d talk with Vance. And he had. That had been the reason for the beating she received later that night. She never went back to Truman after that. Or anyone else. She had delved into research more at that point, especially since it justified her going to town to use the computer. Vance had assigned a guard to her by then, but Nash hadn’t watched what she was doing online. She’d taken the opportunity to continue talking with Kate via encoded emails and researching ways to get away.
