Page 62 of Wanting More
Both he and Finn laughed at that as the door shut. Surrounded by quiet yet again, Hayden got up from his seat and came over to lean on the bar. Giving her a soft smile, his eyes fixed her with a heavy stare that made her breath catch.
Knowing what he usually drank, she turned around and began gathering the ingredients.
It was nice having laughter and familiarity surrounding her, but Sapphire couldn't deny the tiny bit of relief she felt once Finn left. With Hayden and Joel, she could be her usual reticent self if she wanted. Snarky comments and moody bouts of silence were fine with these two. But meeting new people? God, it was exhausting just with that tiny bit of interaction. And when the guys came downstairs and were so familiar with Finn, Sapphire immediately felt herself begin to pull back. Back to the ice queen moniker, she earned back in Houston.
Frowning, she made a promise to herself to do better. If Finn was willing, then Sapphire would try. She would try hard not to alienate herself and maybe, just maybe, make a friend in this godforsaken town.
Chapter nineteen
"Fuck,myneckhurts,"Joel groaned as they walked up the stairs from the dark café.
His voice echoed off the walls making Hayden wince. He hoped Sapphire couldn't hear them from the third floor. It was late. So late, in fact, that the black sky was fading into that early morning grey that eventually allowed passage of the first morning rays. He did not want her being disturbed at this hour.
In a much quieter voice, Hayden responded, barely stifling a yawn of his own. "It’s probably because you played eight games of pool tonight."
This time Joel let out a deeper, much quieter groan as they reached the top of the stairs. "Don't say that," he muttered, looking back at him with a pained expression. "That would mean I'm getting old, and I'm not, dammit. I'm still in my thirties—early thirties, goddammit!"
Hayden didn't say anything. He just gave his brother a knowing look that said it all.
Joel cursed under his breath and headed toward the kitchen. The smell of something delicious wafted from the kitchen filling the air and making both their mouths water. Pulling out the pot from the stove while Hayden shrugged off his jacket, Joel sat it on the table and lifted the lid. Both men made a deep animalistic sound at the sight of the creamy soup.
Earlier that night, Sapphire had group texted them saying she was making soup due to the sudden cold snap.
It was the last cold snap of the year. At least that is what the weather app promised. Although, the term cold snap didn't quite do the sudden thirty-nine-degree weather any justice considering it had been in the seventies last week and was projected to be in the seventies again by the end of the week. Crazy Texas weather.
Shrugging out of his own jacket, Joel grabbed two bowls from the cabinets and left the door to the oven hanging open, allowing a little bit of heat from within to filter around them as they both sat at the table.
Without saying anything, both men dug in.
Taking another spoonful of his soup, Hayden glanced up at Joel, who was staring at his bowl like a starving man. They hadn't talked at all about what happened that night. How they practically made fools of themselves, wanting Sapphire to touch them. Or worse—the things Joel had said about spanking her and him watching as Hayden did the same.
The urge to get up from his chair and grab a beer or a shot of anything strong to wash away the memory was overwhelming. Hayden closed his eyes. How could Joel even say that? How could he have let him get away with saying that? He should have snatched him up right there and dragged him to the bathroom, and warned him right then and there…but he didn't. How could he when Hayden saw how the words had affected her? He watched with an almost primal concentration as her neck reddened slightly through the hue of her soft golden skin and the way her nipples hardened and pushed against her shirt. The sight had turned his body into cement in his chair. And the image of doing just what Joel said had flashed through his mind—and stayed. Now there wasn't a day the sordid fantasy did not play in his mind.
The sound of her little cry as he yanked her across his lap or the soft flesh of her round ass slapping against his hand.
Jesus, he had to stop! Dropping his spoon with a clank into his bowl, Hayden stood up from his chair, sliding noisily across the floor.
"What the hell?" Joel hissed at him, his face murderous. "You trying to scare her awake or what?"
Joel's protective words felt like a spark going off near tinder. Hayden dropped his arctic gaze at the man in the chair. He watched as the muscles in Joel's shoulders tensed, and a hard look passed over his face. For weeks now, there had been a storm brewing between them, one that neither one addressed. Because Hayden knew if he did, if he walked head first into that invisible storm that raged between them, the changes between them would be irrevocable.
Putting his dishes in the dishwasher, Hayden walked to the bathroom and shut the door. By the time he was done with his shower, the first rays of sunlight were coming in through the large open windows of the living room.
With only a towel around his waist, Hayden glanced at Joel's closed door with a frown before opening the door to his room and stepping in. Hayden immediately stopped at the sight before him. Laying on his bed curled into a tight ball on the right side, the side he usually slept on, was Sapphire.
For a full minute, Hayden did not move. He just stood there blinking at the sight in front of him, questioning his sanity. Tightly wrapped in his covers, Sapphire lay on her side facing the wall. Her eyes which he was so used to seeing lit up with that snooty arrogance he had come to love, were now closed with a serene gentleness he had never seen from her.
As if reacting to the weight of his gaze, Sapphire stirred slightly, jarring Hayden back to reality and reminding him he was only wearing a damp towel.
With near feline grace, Hayden moved to his dresser and pulled out his boxers, and slipped them on, all the while keeping his eyes on her. Again, she moved, settling deeper into his pillow with a soft feminine grunt that went directly to his cock. Desperately, Hayden looked around as he pushed back his damp hair from his face and spotted his lounge pants on the floor. With quick work, he added the much-needed layer of protection and let out a shaky breath.
What in the hell was she doing in here?
Walking to the side of the bed, he stopped just where her feet stopped and sat down on the bed's edge. Tentatively, he reached out a hand for her, hovering just above her hip. He didn't want to wake her, but he needed to know why she was in here.
Gently, he lowered his hand to her warm hip and bit back the groan that rumbled in his chest. Holy fuck, it felt right touching her. With every last fiber of his control, Hayden tenderly shook her until he watched her eyes flutter open. At first, she just stared ahead blankly before turning and giving him a dreamy look.
Hayden wanted to kiss her. The sudden powerful urge was near painful to resist. Forbidden and deliciously wonderful, the images of him crawling over her supple body and lowering his lips to hers infected his thoughts. Another pulse of need coursed through his veins and ached in his cock.
