20. Cassidy

I gaspas I startle awake. My bedroom"s dark except for the dull glow of the streetlight outside, and I sit up, willing my heart to slow down as I figure out what woke me up. My ears strain as I listen while my fingers fumble for my phone.

Of course the night I demand Hayden go home and I"m trying to prove I"ve got this adulting shit down, something freaks me out and I wish he was here.

Figures.

The sheets beside me have never been colder.

When my fingertips bump into my cell, it falls to the floor with a loud thump that might as well be a gunshot going off in the silence. I lean over the edge of my bed and grab it, wincing at the brightness of the screen as I check the time. It"s almost two in the morning.

I"m about to put it back on my nightstand when a shadow moves across my window, making me freeze. Not my heart, though. No, that takes off like a ripple across a dark pond, fast and uncontrollable. My eyes lock on the window, but nothing else moves. Maybe it was just a trick of the light.

Maybe I'm losing my mind.

But then there"s a creak outside my door that has me on my feet and moving toward it, grabbing the baseball bat I keep by my bed as I do. "Who"s there?" I demand, trying to sound braver than I feel.

Another creak and then a thump, like someone"s bumping into the wall. Yup, there's one hundred percent someone in my apartment.

Shit.

I pull up 9-1-1 on my phone and have my finger hovering over the call button as I ease my bedroom door open with the bat raised over my head. One-handed bat swinging probably isn't the best idea, but I'm not giving up my phone or my weapon, so I'll have to deal. "Whoever you are, you better get the hell out of here before I call the cops!"

The hallway"s dark and empty, but I can hear footsteps now, coming from the kitchen. I creep down the hall on my tiptoes, trying to be silent as I make my way toward whoever"s in my apartment. My heart"s pounding so hard it"s making me dizzy and my hands are slick with sweat where they"re gripping the bat and my phone.

When I get to the end of the hall, I peek around the corner and see a shadow moving around my kitchen. It looks human-sized, but that doesn"t mean anything. It could be anyone. I can"t see enough to identify any part of them.

"Get the fuck out of my house!" I scream, and whoever it is bolts past me and the front door slams open as they fly out into the hall. I finally hit the call button and give the police my address, letting them know someone broke in.

I'm panting and my whole body's shaking. My fingers ache from how tight my grip is on the bat and on my phone. No way am I letting either go until the cops show up. I know it"s stupid of me, but I send Hayden a text, too. I"m sure he"s not even awake, but I"m terrified and for some idiotic reason, I want him here with me.

He makes me feel safe.

I never claimed to be smart.

Cassidy: Someone broke into my apartment

Cassidy: The police are on their way, but I could use a distraction if you"re awake

It takes about thirty seconds for him to respond.

Hayden: What the fuck?

My phone buzzes in my hand and I answer it, putting it on speaker as I pace back and forth in my living room, waiting for the cops to get here. I already flipped on all the lights. Every single one. "Are you okay?" Hayden asks, his voice rough like he just woke up. It sounds like he"s moving with fabric rustling in the background and the jingling of metal, probably his keys.

"Yeah," I say, trying to sound calmer than I feel. "They ran out when I confronted them."

"You confronted them?" he growls. "What the fuck were you thinking?"

Before remembering he can"t see me, I shrug. "I don"t know. I wasn"t really thinking at all. I was scared and just reacted."

He sighs and I hear his car start up in the background. "This is why I should always be there with you, Princess. I"m on my way."

I ignore the first part of what he said, not in the mood to fight with him. Especially because I know right now, there's a good chance I'd give in to everything he wants. "You don"t have to do that," I say, even though part of me is relieved. A big part. "The cops will be here soon."

"I wasn"t asking," he says, his voice leaving no room for me to question him. "And you don't need the cops. You have me."

My heart constricts and I breathe out some of the crippling fear as I sink down onto my couch and stare at the front door, waiting for someone to come through it. Hoping it's the good kind of someone. "Okay," I whisper, not wanting to fight with him right now.

"I"ll be there in minutes, Princess," he says, his voice softer now. "I won"t let anyone hurt you."

I nod and then remember he can"t see me again. "Okay." Right now it feels like I'm only capable of that one word.

We hang up and I wait for what feels like forever until I hear sirens outside. The cops fill my open doorway and I motion for them to come in, but right on their heels is Hayden. His hair"s a mess and he"s in joggers and a hoodie as he strides straight for me. He pulls me against him without saying a word and there"s no fight left in me. I sink into him, letting the bat fall at my feet and breathing him in as my fingers curl into the fabric of his sweatshirt. I need the reminder that he"s real and he"s here. He's my safe place, and when the hell did that happen?

I don"t even notice his brother"s behind him until he speaks.

"Is she okay?" Sawyer asks Hayden.

Hayden nods and turns us around to face his brother. "She"s fine."

Sawyer nods back and then steps forward to pull me into a quick hug, ignoring his brother's noise of irritation as I'm pulled out of his arms. He doesn't fully let me go, so the hug is awkward. "I"m glad you"re okay."

I blink at him. "Thank you. But you didn't have to come."

He grins at me, stepping back when Hayden looks like he's about to get violent. "Of course I did." He shrugs like it"s no big deal. "We"re family."

My heart constricts again and I stare up at Hayden, who"s looking down at me with a protective sort of concern etched on his features. The last thing I want to do is talk to the police, not when the adrenaline is starting to subside and I'm letting Hayden take on more and more of my weight while he literally holds me up. My eyelids are heavy as I fight to keep them up with my forehead resting against Hayden's shoulder.

Like he can read my mind, Hayden takes charge, filling them in on everything he knows and he doesn"t let me go when I have to speak up and answer their questions. The fabric of Hayden"s shirt muffles some of my words, but no one says anything, and if they did, I think he might just lose his shit.

Not having to be the one who handles things for once is nice, though.

Eventually, the cops leave, and Hayden asks his brother to go grab us some coffee and breakfast. At the thought of hot food, my stomach lets out a truly impressive growl.

When Sawyer"s gone, Hayden leads me back to my bedroom, pulling me into bed with him like it"s the most natural thing in the world. And maybe it is.

"You okay?" he asks as we lay there in the dark.

I nod against his chest, breathing in his scent and letting it relax me. "I"m fine."

He makes a low noise in his throat that sounds like he doesn"t believe me, but he doesn"t push it. "Time to pack a bag, Princess."

I brush him off. "I"ll be fine here. The police said they just thought it was someone trying to rob me. I doubt they"ll come back now that they know I"ll bash their skull in with my bat." I"m trying to joke, but it falls flat.

I can't see it, but I can feel Hayden's scowl in the dark. His displeasure is radiating off him. "I"m going on the road today and I can"t be thousands of miles away worrying about you. So either come with me while we travel, or stay at my house while I"m gone. Sawyer will be there, but he"ll be at the hospital a lot, so you"ll mostly have the place to yourself."

He must be able to sense that I'm about to tell him no because he doesn't give me the chance. Instead, he jumps up and stalks to my closet, throwing open the door and digging around until he finds a suitcase. Then he starts shoving clothes in it. "I"m not fucking asking, Cassidy. You"re coming home with me. The end." He shoots me a look, daring me to fight him, but at this point I"m just fighting to fight, not because I want to be here alone. I"m tired.

So damn tired.

"Fine."

Some of the weight slips off my shoulders, knowing I"m not going to be alone with Hayden so far away. But seriously… Since when does he feel like home? And since when do I depend on a man to make me feel safe?

"And while you"re gone, I"m having a security system put in this place. Since you refuse to move in with me." He glares at me as he tosses a handful of lacy underwear into the bag. I don't actually think he's packing anything in there but underwear. "And don"t even think about telling me no. It"s happening."

I look him right in the eye. "No."

His mouth curves into a malicious grin and he drops the bag at his feet, steps over it, and grips my wrist. He pulls me over to the bed where he sinks down and then yanks me so I"m sprawled out over his lap.

"I don"t think you understand," he says, his voice gravelly and foreboding as he smooths his hand over my ass, pulling down my sleep shorts so there's nothing between his skin and mine. "I play to fucking win." He smacks my ass hard enough to sting and I yelp, trying to squirm away from him, but he just holds me tighter. "And you"re my greatest game." He smacks me again and I moan. The sting from the slap turns into heat and shoots straight between my legs. I have to bite my cheek to keep a moan from slipping out.

"What the—"

His palm lands on my ass again, and this time I push up into him, seeking out more of the delicious warmth spreading across my skin before burrowing down deep.

"I"m not going to stop until I"m your whole goddamn world." He spanks me again, his fingers digging into my hip where he"s holding me still.

I"m breathing hard now, my nipples pressing against his thighs and my clit tingling. He only needs to move his fingers a few inches… "Hayden," I moan.

He smacks me one more time and then turns me over, fixing my shorts and then pulling me up so I"m straddling him. We're nose to nose and neither one of us seems to want to say anything to break this spell between us.

His brother, though, has no issues ruining the vibe.

"Sorry to interrupt," Sawyer drawls from somewhere behind us, not sounding sorry at all. "But I"ve got breakfast. And coffee."

Hayden pulls back and grins at me like he won, which I think somehow he did. Then he kisses me hard for only a second or two before standing up with me in his arms like I weigh nothing. He sets me on my unsteady feet and turns to his brother, who"s standing in my doorway with bags of food and a tray of coffees. "About fucking time."

Sawyer laughs and flips him off. "It"s been like fifteen minutes."

Hayden shrugs and grabs the bag of food, pulling out a breakfast sandwich that smells like heaven. "Hungry, Princess?" he asks me, holding it out.

I take it from him, suddenly starving as I realize I haven"t eaten since yesterday afternoon, my horniness quickly forgotten in favor of greasy carb-filled deliciousness. Hayden grabs his own food and we all sit down on my couch to eat, Sawyer filling me in on some hospital gossip about people I don"t know while Hayden watches me with an intensity that causes me to squirm.

When I"m done eating, Hayden stands up and grabs my suitcase before stalking toward the door without looking back. "Let"s go."

My eyes are too tired to roll, so I stand up and follow him as Sawyer falls in line behind me, their two massive bodies blocking me from anyone or anything that might try to get close. Sawyer plucks my keys off the side table and locks the door before following us down to Hayden"s car.

"You need to be more careful," Hayden says as he buckles himself into the driver"s seat as Sawyer climbs in behind us. "And stop fighting me about moving in."

I shrug and look out the window as we drive away from my apartment building and head toward his house. "Maybe I don"t want to be a damsel in distress."

He reaches over and takes my hand, lacing our fingers together and squeezing tight. "I"m not asking you to be."

And that"s the thing.

Hayden Vaughn doesn"t ask for anything. He just takes it. Maybe it"s time I let him.

At least until he gets tired of me and moves on. But if that day ever comes, I'm starting to think he'll leave me with a hole in my heart that nothing will ever fill.