Page 7 of My Forbidden Holidate

Raising an eyebrow, I lean back further and slide my palms down the outside of her thighs. “Hayden.”

A shiver runs down her spine, and her eyes dilate.Oh,she liked that.

“I said,” she huffs, “that’s not possible. You’re always socollectedwhen I’m around.”

I consider her perspective for a moment as I drink in her appearance. I want to see her like this more often— open to me, willing,all mine. “You were off-limits. But you’re not tonight.”

“Oh, you’ll play with me just for tonight, then?” She’s teasing, but her shoulders stiffen as she says it.

“I’m careful about who I let around my daughter,” I say honestly. This isn’t where I had wanted the conversation to go, but we might as well discuss it now that we’re here. “I trust you with her. She likes you.Ilike you. But if I’m bringing a woman into her life, I have to make sure she’s going to stay. After her mother left…” I trail off, the memory of Star weeping as her mom packed her bags and walked out the door a painful one. “I can’t allow Star to go through that again.”

“I understand.” Hayden trails one of her knuckles across my cheek as she stares into my soul. “She needs to be protected from that kind of pain.”

“She does,” I agree. “And I’m trusting you not to break either of our hearts.”

“I’m not going anywhere.” She sits up straighter and wraps her arms around my neck. “Even after I graduate. I don’t have any plans. I can stay here and help you with Star. It’s all I want to do, actually. I’ve thought about it a lot. About you.” Her smile is genuine, and it melts my heart. “But um, that’s a lot for one night.” She forces a laugh and looks away from me. “We don’t have to, um, make that kind of commitment right away.”

We don’t, but I want to. As long as it’s with Hayden.

But, part of my goals for the night are to make her comfortable. And right now, she’s pulling away from me since we’re going too fast. We can continue the discussion later.

“That got heavier than I intended,” I admit, running a hand through my hair to pull it from my eyes. “Let’s get through tonight and then we’ll talk, okay?”

Hayden nods and her smile is back. Small, shy, but still there. “I’d like that.”

I help her off the fountain and we take our bag of treats to the park, where I can fulfill whatever Hayden’s mysterious wish for the night is.

4

Hayden

I didn’t think this part through, thewhat comes nextpart. In my head, things flowed fluidly from the hand kiss to the footsie at the restaurant, then to the long moonlit walk in the park, then to the panties around the ankles…

But now, standing in the park overlooking the sparkling pond, wrapped in Dan’s arms, fighting off the late winter chill in the air… How do we get to the next part?

“You’re awful quiet,” Dan notes, resting his chin on the top of my head. “Penny for your thoughts?”

My entire body tenses. Oh god, what if this was all a mistake? What if I’m really,reallybad at this kissing thing and this dating thing and doing anything other than what we’re doing now—

just standing here, holding each other? What if I’m deluding myself into thinking that tonight can be any more than one night— that any of this means anything—

“Slow down there,” he says gently. “I can feel your heart going a mile a minute. Talk to me.”

Biting my lip, I shut my eyes tight. Should I say anything? We could just pretend that I’m not being weird and go back to laughing and kissing and—

“Hey.” Dan loosens his hold on me enough to slide from behind and leans against the railing, giving me some space. “It’s okay. Whatever you have to say won’t scare me.”

Sighing, I keep my eyes closed as I word vomit out everything that’s on my mind. “You’re so much older than me.” Smacking my forehead with a groan, I rush ahead. “Not like that! That’s not what I— I just mean that I— I’m not used to all thisstuff.” I wave my hands in the air as if that will emphasize my point. “Everything with you feelswonderfulandright, and you make me feel….” I hold onto the fluttery feeling in my chest as I exhale. “I just don’t want to disappoint you. With my inexperience. Because I’m inexperienced. With all of this.”

Silent seconds stretch between us, and I recoil.Oh god, I said too much. I knew it. I should have just pretended to know what I’m doing—

“Hayden,” Dan says gently, slipping his hands in mine and squeezing. “If your age or experience bothered me, I would have said goodnight the moment I recognized you at the restaurant. You are the woman I’m choosing to spend tonight with, willingly,excitedly.There’s nowhere else I’d rather be right now than with you.” He holds my gaze and my heart hammers wildly in my chest.

“As far as experience goes…” He cups my cheek in his palm and leans in to kiss me, slow and sweet. My insides melt from his touch, and all my worries evaporate with the gentle care he takes with me. “That’s something we can easily change at any moment.”

The atmosphere shifts in a split second, and the vulnerability fluttering in my chest slips away with another taste of Dan’s lips on mine. Before I know it, his fingers slide into my hair and he pulls me closer, deepening the kiss like it’s the most natural thing in the world.

“Hayden,” he rasps, nipping the flesh of my bottom lip. “I don’t want to pressure you, but if I don’t stop kissing you…” Our noses brush and he exhales harshly. “I won’t stop. I can’t stop. You’re addictive. I crave every part of you.”

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