Page 85 of Wanting More
Hayden bent his head, watching with painful hunger as her pebbled nipples came closer. If he tasted them, it was over. The moment their no doubt velvety softness hit his lips, he was fucking done. He would strip her here and now and fuck her raw against this counter.
Her fingers combed through his hair while all the while pulling him closer to her chest. Hayden braced himself against the counter as the soft peaks of her breasts glided across his cheeks.
Closing his eyes, he let one last coherent thought filter through his mind.
Rules.
Yes, rules.
Hayden knew what would happen if he did this. If he tasted her fully, it would destroy any possibility for this already crazy idea to work between the three of them. It would be constant tit for tat. Never-ending jealousy and retaliations between him and Joel.
"No," he groaned more to himself than anything.
With the strength only God could provide, Hayden pulled away from the silken flesh dragging across the stubble of his beard.
Holding her by her shoulders, he pushed himself back. "Tomorrow," he promised, his voice like sandpaper.
Like the morning mist burning away under the slow rising sun, the heady haze of desire faded from her eyes, replaced by a blinking shock that made him smile.
"Nooo, Hayden, don't," Sapphire begged, pulling again at his shaggy, long hair, trying to pull him back to her.
And dear God, he nearly did. Hayden wanted to sink into the searing hot heat of her silken thighs and lose himself. He wanted to rip off her jeans and pull back the tiny triangle of fabric he knew instinctively matched her bra, and bury his face into her warmth.
He wanted to taste her right here on this counter. Take that little pearl buried within her folds between his teeth until she lost that brittle armor of hers until the walls of icy reserve melted just for him, leaving her languid and out of breath against the countertop. It would be an image he would savor secretly as customers came and went the following days, knowing that right here in this spot, she had come apart just for him.
Steeling himself, Hayden gathered the fraying edges of his control and stepped back jerkily, catching her beckoning hand in his. He brought her cool fingers to his lips and kissed them, closing his eyes as they stroked at the stubble of his beard. She was a damn siren.
"Tomorrow," he repeated roughly, just as much for him as for her.
Sapphire pouted, shooting him a scathing look as she snatched her bra back down. Hayden bit back a groan of regret.
Reluctantly he helped her off the counter, enjoying the way her body glided against him for the briefest moment.
Pausing by the door to the upstairs, she looked up at him, holding her discarded shirt in her hands. "You promise that things won't be different tomorrow?"
He couldn't stop his hand as he reached for her bare shoulder. Gently he glided it up until he cupped her neck and met her gaze. "Oh, it will be different, but not how you're thinking."
Hesitation flickered over her face, and he leaned in and covered her lips with his once more. This time the kiss was soft, filled with promises of more to come. He tried to keep his hips away from her, but he should have known she wouldn't let him. Sensing his throbbing need, Sapphire pushed herself against him, the hard rise of his need jutting into her stomach as she opened her mouth further for him, accepting his hungry kiss at every turn.
"I don't want you to go," she breathed against him, her chest heaving against him for much-needed air.
Hayden buried his face into her golden streaked curls. He enjoyed the way her hands glided over his chest, taking in every inch of hard work he put into it.
"As much as I want to stay, I can’t," he exhaled deeply as her hand snaked around his waist. He closed his eyes and tilted his head back, enjoying the feel of her touch as he continued to speak. "It's a safety thing. The bar needs two people minimum and ideally three on busy nights—like tonight."
"You're right," she said. "I don’t want anything to happen to Joel."
Hayden's eyes snapped open. God, he didn’t want to hear that bastard's name right now. But he didn’t say anything. This was never going to work if he let this anger fester.
Grabbing her by the chin, he tilted her face up, forcing her to meet her eyes. Something in him cooled at the hint of embarrassment he saw there. It made the vulnerability he was feeling himself ease a little. Standing here in her underwear, the prideful girl that had come to possess his every waking thought had given him exactly what he needed. With three simple words, the betrayal he had nearly drowned in earlier dissipated. He placed a quick kiss on her lips, mentally etching the soft feel of them into his soul.
"I love you too." The words felt right. So, fucking right, it nearly stole his breath away, making his next words come out rougher than he intended. "Now go upstairs, get dressed, and we'll see you in the morning."
For the few moments it took her to climb the stairs, he watched her with undisguised hunger until she reached the top of the steps. Locking both doors on his way out, Hayden glanced up at the light coming on upstairs as he straightened the heavy bike and turned on the engine.
He needed to have a long talk with Joel.
Chapter twenty-five
