Page 74 of The Hallows Queen

It doesn’t, so by the time I’m stepping out onto the bathmat, I’m still annoyed as a motherfucker.

The sun is rising outside my window when I get back into my bedroom. I grab my phone to check how much time I have until I need to be at work.

It’s already 6, so I ignore the few notifications I have and toss my phone back to the table. After I get dressed quickly, I run to the kitchen to make my coffee, and then head to the bathroom to get ready.

By 6:30, my hair and makeup are done, and I’m pouring my third cup of coffee into a travel mug and grabbing my purse to leave.

It isn’t until I’m at the first intersection with a red light that I check my phone again.

There’s a text message from Hayden, so I hit that notification first.

Hayden:

I had somewhere to be before school. I’ll see you in class.

I roll my eyes. He had to be somewhere? Somewhere so important he couldn’t wake me up to say goodbye?

I lock my phone in frustration and toss it in the empty cupholder, put my hands on the steering wheel, and stare at the red light.He had somewhere to be.I laugh, gripping the steering wheel tighter in frustration. What a crock of shit. It takes two seconds to wake someone up and say‘hey, I have somewhere to be, gotta go, see ya later, thanks for the life-changing sex.’

What a fucking asshole.

Chapter21

Hayden

The last thingI want to be doing right now is sitting at breakfast with Carson, Logan, and Levi. I want to be back under Penelope’s sheets, basking in the warmth of her skin and spreading her thighs. I want to wake her up with my face between her legs, my tongue tracing places that make her quake and writhe with pleasure.

Instead, I’m at the Raines-Briar kitchen table, watching Carson feed Logan pancakes like a pussy.

Levi has been pretty silent, shoveling eggs and bacon into his mouth like he hasn’t had a meal in a week – it’s making me nauseous. This whole morning is making me nauseous.

“You got some syrup right…” Carson leans forward and licks the side of Logan’s lips. “Here.”

She chuckles, leaning in to kiss him before he can sit back down.

“Dude,” I say, putting down my fork. “Why were we invited to breakfast if you guys were going to ignore us and play syrup sex games?”

“Hayden,” Carson’s mom chastises me from where she’s sitting at the breakfast bar.

Logan laughs, pushing Carson away. “We invited you to breakfast because we’re a family and we miss you.”

“And we had leftovers from first day breakfast yesterday,” Logan’s dad adds from his seat next to Carson’s mom.

Logan narrows her eyes at her father playfully, making this family breakfast seem like a cookie-cutter, Hallmark movie.

“No complaints here,” Levi says around a mouthful of food. “This shit is good.”

“And why are you eating like you’ve been hibernating for six weeks? Slow down, you’re going to get heartburn,” I snap, eyeing Levi.

“Something you want to talk about, Hayden?” Carson asks, cutting into his stack of pancakes. “You’re kind of pissy this morning.”

“Did our cycles sync?” Logan adds, her mouth quirking to the side in a humored grin.

I roll my eyes at the entire table, putting my fork down. “Just tired. You guys ready to go?”

Carson looks at his watch. “We have a half hour, relax.”

I push my chair out and stand up, feeling all the hairs on my arms lifting in irritation. “Just take your Jeep to school. I’ll see you there.”

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