Page 18 of Deadly Promise
That wasn’t suspicious in the least, but Hayden decided to ignore it for now since he had to deal with Teagan.
They found him sitting on his butt, his back pressed against the car.
Heated asphalt warmed Hayden’s knees as he dropped down beside Teagan, who had his face buried against his drawn-up legs like a turtle trying to disappear into its shell. Behind them, Liam’s boots scraped to a halt, keeping enough distance not to crowd but close enough that Hayden could smell that woodsy scent rolling off him.
“Hey, hon,” Hayden said softly, bumping Teagan’s shoulder with his own. “Want to tell me why you’re sulking?”
Teagan’s voice came out muffled against his knees. “I kissed him. Well, he kissed me. But I kissed back, and my mouth just opened like some kind of betrayal portal and—”
“Your mouth has lips made for corruption,” Liam interrupted, his voice carrying a low rumble that made arousal pool low in Hayden’s belly. “Can’t blame a guy for wanting a taste.”
Teagan’s head snapped up, hazel eyes wide with indignation. “Lips made for corruption? What kind of Victorian romance novel did you crawl out of?”
Relief flooded through Hayden at the spark of sass. Teagan in full panic mode was manageable. Teagan going silent meant real trouble.
“Says the guy with a mouth that could convince saints to sin,” Liam shot back, crossing his arms in a way that made his biceps strain against his shirt. For a moment, Hayden had a hard time looking away. “Don’t act innocent when you practically climbed me like a tree,” Liam added. “Your fingers in my hair, pulling me closer—”
“I did not climb you!” Pink bloomed across Teagan’s cheeks, spreading down his neck. “You cornered me on the counter with your stupid broad shoulders and your stupid cedar smell and made my brain leak out my ears! That’s not fair. You’re built like a Greek statue that came to life and decided to seduce mortals for fun.”
Hayden bit back a laugh. Watching them volley accusations like this was better than guilt and misunderstanding.
“Me?” Liam’s eyebrows hiked toward his hairline. “You’re the one who spread your legs the second I got close. Like you were issuing an invitation with those thighs.”
“Those thighs could crack walnuts,” Teagan muttered. Then louder, he said, “You have hands the size of dinner plates! You grabbed my face like you were palming a basketball. What was I supposed to do?”
“Not make those sexy little sounds that made me want to—”
“Stop talking!” Teagan’s face had gone from red to burgundy.
Liam didn’t listen. “One minute I’m offering iced tea, the next you’re looking at me with those eyes—”
“What’s wrong with my eyes?” Teagan demanded.
“They’re beautiful. That’s the problem,” Liam replied.
Hayden couldn’t hold back the grin anymore. “Teag, we literally discussed Operation Seduction this morning. Remember? After I gave you a blowjob?”
Liam sucked in a sharp breath. “You sucked his cock after Aiden and I left?”
“Hush.” Hayden held up his hand. “One meltdown at a time.”
“You could’ve at least let me watch,” Liam grumbled, arms crossed.
Teagan blinked at Hayden. “Operation what now?”
“You said you were attracted to him. I said I was too. We agreed to explore it.” Hayden kept his voice patient even as amusement bubbled up. “Ring any bells? Or did Liam’s apparent basketball-palming technique fry your brain cells?”
“I was ambushed,” Liam said, humor threading through his voice. “Seduced by someone who looks innocent but kisses like he’s trying to steal souls. Never stood a chance.”
Something shifted in Hayden’s gut at the mental image of Teagan wrapped around Liam in that kitchen. Not jealousy—something hotter, hungrier. Without overthinking it, he rose to his feet and pulled Teagan up with him.
“Come here,” he murmured, cupping Teagan’s face with far less basketball-palming technique than Liam apparently possessed. Their mouths met in a kiss that started soft but quickly deepened when Teagan’s fingers twisted in Hayden’s shirt.
Breaking away before his brain completely checked out, Hayden turned Teagan toward Liam, keeping his hands on those narrow hips. “Now kiss him.”
“Hayden…” Teagan made a strangled sound.
“Trust me.” He pressed closer to Teagan’s back, feeling the rapid rise and fall of his breathing. “I want to see it.”
