Page 101 of The Hallows Queen

He moans, stretching his arm over me farther and curling a leg over my waist. “Morning.”

I brush my face against his. “Hey, H.”

“What time is it?” He grinds his pelvis against mine, but the motion isn’t sexual, it just brings him even closer to me.

“Almost six.”

He groans, kissing my neck. “Too early.”

“Can we talk?” I ask softly, running my hands over his lower back. “I think we need to get some things figured out before we head home.”

He pulls back so he can look at me, and I find myself getting lost in the darkness of his swollen eyes. His face has grown messy with stubble, and his lips are bitten raw. “Yeah.”

I breathe deep, blowing it out slowly. “You really scared me last night.”

“I’m sorry,” he whispers, squeezing his eyes shut like he’s embarrassed. “I didn’t mean to, P.”

“I know,” I say, holding him tighter. “And I think that’s part of the problem – you can’t help but self-destruct when you feel any amount of negative emotion, and that fucking terrifies me.”

He shakes his head, looking at me again. “It isn’t like that. I just don’t like feeling the way I felt last night, especially when it comes to my dad. You know that. I just needed to numb it.”

“I know,” I repeat, unsure if I should continue, but I do anyway. “But there’re healthier ways to deal with those feelings besides getting so fucked up you can’t control yourself. What if I hadn’t been there last night? Something could have happened to you… you could have gotten hurt.”

“I can take care of myself,” he says defensively.

“But you don’t have to anymore – you have me,” I whisper, feeling him pull away from me emotionally. “All I’m asking for is for you totry.”

He sighs softly, then closes his eyes again. “Tell me you love me.”

“I love you, Hayden,” I whisper, then press a light kiss to his lips and cup his jaw. “I love you so fucking much, and I want everything we’ve talked about, but we’re never going to have it if you keep going down this path.”

He nods. “I know.”

“So just try. For me, forus. Try to get better. I’m here and I’ll help you.”

He opens his eyes. “Okay.”

“Okay?” I repeat, the look in his eyes giving me hope.

“I’ll get better for you, Penelope.”

Chapter29

Hayden

We get backto Luxington just after sunset, and I drop Penelope at her apartment, then head home.

My entire body hurts like I’ve been hit by a truck, and my mental health isn’t in the best place either. I’m ready to get into my bed and ignore the world for the rest of the night.

Traffic is light for a Sunday, so I make it back to my house quickly and park the Mercedes in the garage since I plan on taking the Maserati to school tomorrow. I notice when I’m walking through the kitchen from the garage that the TV is on in the living room, so I head that way to turn it off before I drag myself upstairs.

Only, I find my father sitting on the couch, arm thrown over the back while he drinks a glass of golden liquor.

Stopping dead in my tracks, I drop my bag on the floor, and he turns to look at me.

“You’re home.”

“What the fuck are you doing here?” I growl, staring at him.

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