Page 97 of Never Quiet

She left her bedroom as Ash let Hayden into the apartment. He was resplendent in a tailored dark gray suit that made his light gray eyes pop. His black hair was swept away from his face.

Callileah was reading a book on her couch.

“Callie, are you certain about this? If I bend over…”

“Supermodels don’t bend over, ho. Get out,” she said without looking away from her page. “Hey, Uncle Hayden.”

“Hi, Callie.” He looked at Amanda. “You are…breathtaking.”

“Thank you. So are you.” She touched the rim of his glasses. “These frames are wonderful.”

“My tongue is stuck to the roof of my mouth.”

“Liar.” Laughing, she shook her head. “You’re constantly surrounded by beautiful, intelligent, and fierce women.”

“I am and yet,” he winked, “I can’t make them blush.” Bowing slightly, he extended his arm and Amanda put hers through it. “See you later, Callie.”

“The place is yours, Callileah. No wild parties.”

“I’m not staying here. Who knows what you two will get up to when you get back?” She cackled wickedly as she stood. “Kidding. You look really hot together though.” She walked past them into the hall and her limp was barely noticeable. “I just wanted to see you in that dress and evaluate Uncle Hayden’s suit. So nice. Love you guys and have fun!”

Their protective details were present but invisible as they ate dinner in another gorgeous restaurant that had candles on the table and soft music playing.

Conversation didn’t stop and she loved making him laugh. She suspected he didn’t laugh nearly enough. They skipped randomly from one topic to the next for two hours.

It was always that way with them and she hoped he looked forward to the time they spent together as much as she did.

After they finished dessert, he asked, “How would you like to go dancing, Amanda?”

“I’d love it but…is there somewhere easy to cover?”

“There happens to be a fantastic location not far from here that caters to a specific lifestyle. Something mostly practiced by the wealthy. Because of this, the security is the best in the city. It’s called Trois.”

“French for three.” In a low voice, she asked, “Are these uber wealthy people rocking ménage relationships?”

“You’re eighteen. How do you manage to keep surprising me?”

“Stop thinking about my age because it will make you feel weird when you react to me sexually.” His breath caught and she smiled. “Think of us as the same age because I’ve proven I can keep up mentally.”

“That’s…accurate,” he answered quietly.

Sitting back, she crossed her legs. She noticed that the more time they spent in each other’s company, the longer Hayden’s eyes lingered on her body.

Amanda didn’t mind. She wanted him to look at her. She wanted him to want her…because she wanted him.

Most of her relationship with Hayden had been through technology over the years – the phone and computer.

Spending so much time in his physical presence quickly made her aware of him as a man. Her desire had been steadily growing since he visited her in the Keys.

She explained, “I haven’t experienced much myself obviously. I do, however, read a lot. When I run out of the higher-thinking selections someone like me is supposed to read or crave something different to, let’s say, entertain me. Erotica offers interesting options.” She winked. “I know about all sorts of things but have so many questions.”

He was quiet for a long moment. “Amanda.”

“Yes, Hayden?”

“You worry me.”

“I don’t worry you – that’s what worries you.”

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