“I really had a great time. Thanks for letting Tessa tag along.” Hayden’s thumb continues to caress my cheek while I stare up at him, bumbling over anything to say. “It was a great event. I’m sure you guys got a lot of investors…and more people to drink your…er…drinks.”
Hayden laughs, and lines pull at the corners of his eyes. He’s an absolutely gorgeous specimen of a man. And a wonderful human. I tilt my head to the side, studying him, and he laughs harder. “I think you’re properly drunk, Gracie.”
It’s like water on the low embers that were starting to spark. My eyes shut, and Hayden senses the shift immediately. He leans in and presses a kiss against my cheek before pulling me in tight for a hug.
“I’m sorry,” I crow, knowing that he was going to kiss me. Knowing that I’m not quite ready. And feeling shitty about it just the same. “You went to all this trouble,” I say against his chest.
Hayden’s hands move against my back, offering a circling reassurance. “Don’t ever apologize for sharing the night with me. I had a great time. And when you’re ready for your new beginning, I’ll still be here.”
I sigh against his chest. What a perfect answer. And I do want to be ready. I’m so close to being ready. Maybe I just need to pull off the Band-Aid…kiss this man…get it over with.
When Hayden looks down and smiles, I feel a pang in my chest. I’m not ready for him to go. “Hayden, wait,” I say as he begins to turn to leave.
Hayden spins back around and tosses me one of his cheeky winks, and my smile comes effortlessly. “Can I help you with something?”
I bite my lip as I consider what I’m thinking of asking. I study his face, his kind eyes, the blue an almost cobalt, deeper as they stare at me with an obvious hunger.
His fists open and shut, as if he’s physically holding himself back from reaching out and touching me. And I can’t help but wonder how those hands would feel sliding against my throat. How he would taste. Probably not like whiskey. Maybe like wine and happiness. Something I’m grasping at, yet continues to evade me. Making up my mind, I nod and stutter, “I…uh, will you stay the night?”
Hayden doesn’t hide his surprise, his eyes knitting together as he really questions me. “Are you sure?”
Before I can let myself overthink my next words, I hold out my hand to his, trusting him to be gentle, to take care of me, and to help me move forward. “Please…I need you to touch me.”