Page 63 of Wanting More
Sapphire blinked again, and he watched realization flood through those cinnamon eyes.
She sat bolt upright in front of him. Wearing that cute satin bonnet over her hair combined with what looked to be pink and blue Care Bear pajamas, she looked warm and inviting. But it was her frightened expression that dispelled his tempting thoughts.
"Oh shit, Hayden, I'm sorry. I-" she began, and Hayden signaled for her to lower her panicked voice.
Holding up his hand for silence, Hayden looked over his shoulder and listened as the sound of Joel's door opening echoed in the hall. Neither one of them moved as they listened to the gentle creaks of the floorboards as Joel crossed the hall. Hayden's heart even stopped for that second as he listened. Scenes of Joel storming inside his room and seeing Sapphire in his bed played out in his head. The thought made him want to groan. It would definitely turn into a fight. Joel would swing first and ask questions later. The storm they had both been edging around since her arrival would blow up around them if he saw this scene.
Hearing the door to the bathroom shut, Hayden let out a breath and turned back to Sapphire's wide eyes.
"Okay," he whispered pointedly. "Go on."
Sapphire nodded and moved around in the bed until she brought out her feet, and Hayden noticed with a lurch in his chest one foot was bandaged.
"I forgot that I left one of the windows in my room open from this morning. It felt cool and nice out, and I wanted to air out the room a bit. But I forgot," she explained, and Hayden could see her look down at the sheets in her hand in regret. "And when I did remember and tried closing it, it wouldn't budge. So, I kind of threw all my weight on it, and…" Her words trailed off, and she looked at her foot.
Carefully, Hayden grabbed her ankle and gently lifted her foot to his lap.
"And then what?" he quietly commanded her to continue as he looked at the poorly done bandaging.
"I…I kind of slammed the window down, and the glass pane broke," she admitted in a small tone.
Hayden winced at the thought of the old sharp glass falling onto her delicate foot. "I need to look at this," he announced.
"I think it’s ok. I looked at some videos online, and I think I did a-"
"No," he cut her off firmly.
Gingerly placing her foot back onto the bed, Hayden stood up and listened for the sounds in the bathroom next door. As he listened, he glanced back down at her and nearly groaned. Just like she did the other night, her wide eyes were glued to his exposed body. He could practically feel her eyes tracing his tattoos and down his abs to where his night pants hung low on his waist. Knowing she was observing him so closely, taking in and appreciating the hard work he put his body through, made his chest swell with need.
Thankfully the sound of the water turning on brought his focus back. "Wait here," he commanded.
With near-silent movements, he left his room and made it down the hall to the kitchen. Grabbing the first aid kit and a glass of water, Hayden slipped quietly back into his room.
Setting the glass of water on the bedside table and the first aid kit on the bed next to them, he lifted and motioned for her to put her foot on his lap.
"Hold up the light on your phone," he instructed as he began peeling away the bulky bandages.
"I think I got all the glass," she whispered as she clicked on the light on her phone and held it up.
"I want to be sure," he murmured, staring closely at the cut along the top of her foot. It wasn't as bad as he feared, but the sight of the angry red cut across her golden skin angered him.
Bending down, he searched the beginning of the torn flesh and followed its bloody path, slowly looking for a shimmer of light as he carefully tilted her foot. The light above him began to shake, and Hayden looked up. Sapphire's hand shook as she bit her bottom lip.
Reaching out, he clasped her hand, holding her phone, and pulled it gently forward. Without thinking, Hayden placed a soft kiss on the back of her hand and looked back up at her. Her mouth was slightly parted, and she stared at him deeply. Looking at her was like sinking into a fluffy cloud only to discover the wispy white substance was plush and cushioned to touch, pulling you in until it surrounded you completely.
Hayden did not let go of her hand, instead, he placed another kiss on the back of her hand and stroked the side of her foot tenderly. "Hold it steady." His voice was thick, and his breathing a bit labored, but he somehow managed to turn away from her fathomless eyes that beckoned him with innocent want back to her injury.
Seeing it was clear from shards, he dabbed some peroxide on a cotton ball and dabbed at the cut. He kept an eye on her expression as he cleaned it, noting every little wince that she made. Finally, he was able to put on the ointment and redressed her foot with tighter, more efficient bandaging.
"Wow, yours is so much better," she exclaimed.
Hayden shrugged as he grabbed the first aid kit behind him on the bed. "As much as Joel and I have gotten injured in the past, I had no choice but to be."
"Back in your old life…in that gang?" she asked hesitantly.
"Mmm," he nodded. Neither he nor she moved from their position. She kept her leg extended across his lap, and he kept his grip lightly on her ankle. "Tell me," he began. "Why didn't you just text us about the window earlier this evening? I would have come home and fixed it for you."
She shrugged and looked away. "It was my dumb mistake. I shouldn't have forced it. Why call you or Joel from the bar when I could just sleep in another room? And I would have slept in the living room, but I knew it would take a while for the heater to warm the big room."
