29. Cassidy

My stomach churnsas I lay in Hayden"s bed and stare up at the ceiling. All day, I"ve felt like there were eyes on me and after I nearly scrubbed my skin off in the shower this morning after seeing those fucking terrifying photos on my phone, I'm feeling completely untethered.

I mean, seriously. What the hell am I supposed to do? Do I have, like, a stalker now? On top of everything else?

Bile creeps up my throat, but I swallow it down.

It can"t be Roman because he was with Hayden in Portland. So... what, then? Could someone from my OnlyFans have found out where I live?

I shudder at the thought. Fuck, I hope not.

I pull the heavy-but-soft comforter up to my chin. It helps to know I"m not alone in this huge house, that Sawyer"s here, but it"s not the same. As angry as I"ve been at Hayden for what he did, he still makes me feel protected. And right now, that"s what I need. Safety.

I clutch my phone in my hand, blinking against the brightness as I check the time again.

12:12 a.m.

Maybe I should make a wish.

Where would I even start? I"d need at least a dozen wishes to fix the mess that is my life.

I sigh and toss my phone onto his pillow beside me, inhaling the smell of him as it fills the air. I groan, wanting to shove my face into the pillowcase and breathe him in. That"s not normal, right?

There"s something wrong with me, I think.

This man tattooed his name on my body without my consent.

I try to keep reminding myself, but I think saying the words over and over is just desensitizing me to them instead. I"m still not letting him inside of me until he does the same, though. Fair"s fair.

There"s a creak in the hall, and my heart jumps straight into my throat, blocking the scream that wants to tear out of me. I should probably look for some kind of weapon, but I reach down and yank the blanket up to my chin, reverting to that thing I did when I was a kid and something scared me—if I can't see them, they can't see me.

Flawed logic, but no one ever said the hindbrain was smart.

The door swings open, and then Hayden's here, standing in the doorway. His eyes bore into me like a predator ready to pounce, hungry and feral. His gaze pierces through me, as if he wants to devour every inch of my being until there's nothing left but my soul for him to steal.

I scramble out of bed, almost falling when the blankets tangle around my legs, but I catch myself and lunge at him. He catches me in his strong arms and lifts me off the ground, holding me against his chest as I wrap my arms around his neck. "Welcome home," I whisper, burying my face in his neck to breathe in the scent of cologne and home.

He laughs softly and carries me back to the bed, sitting on the edge with me in his lap as my legs wrap around him. "This is the kind of greeting I want every time, but next time do it naked." He kisses my temple, my cheek, the tip of my nose before his lips find mine.

It's sweet and exactly what I need right now.

I melt into him, letting him kiss away the fear and anxiety that"s been building all day. The tension bleeds out of me and I didn't realize how tense I must've been all day because now my muscles are actually sore from how tight I've been wound.

But now Hayden's here and he can carry my worry for a while on those broad shoulders of his. I'm good with it.

I'm playing with his tongue ring as it slides into my mouth, getting lost in the taste of him. If he asks, I'd deny it but I missed him so much it actually hurt. Now that he's back, it feels like everything's going to be okay.

His hands run up and down my back, soothing me as he deepens the kiss. My back hits the bed as he tosses me on it and I was so caught up in the taste of him, I didn"t even realize we were moving. The breath puffs out of my lungs as Hayden looms over me, a dark god whose eyes glint as they drag across my body.

He stares into my eyes, and I think he's actually looking at my soul. I think I might be looking at his, too. "Holy shit, you love me."

He's smirking at me now and I shove him away from me. Okay, I try to shove him away from me. He doesn't actually move at all.

"What? No, I don't."

"Uh-huh."

Now he just sounds smug. I"m pretending that I"m not freaking out on the inside, that my heart didn"t just come to a screeching stop and then go zero to sixty in half a second. Okay, I may have gotten attached to Hayden despite my best efforts not to. He's so much more than I thought he was. Protective, the most gorgeous guy I've ever seen, and instead of being intimidated by my need for independence, he goes toe to toe with me and actually seems to like it.

But it"s not love... right?

It can"t be.

Except when I look up into his face and see the way he"s looking down at me, it feels like it could be.

"Stop looking at me like that," I whisper.

His smile grows bigger, and he leans down to nip at my earlobe. "Like what?"

"Like you love me too."

He chuckles and licks the shell of my ear, sending a shiver down my spine. "Can"t help it. I think I might."

I groan, pushing him away from me again, and this time, he lets me. He seems to shake off the effect I have on him while I"m just laying here, in his bed, drunk on the possibility of him. Of a future with him.

Shit, he"s dangerous. It's like I forget everything when he"s this close. I sit up and slide back to the headboard, leaning against it as he sinks onto the mattress beside me and holds out his hand.

Thankfully, he drops the whole I love you thing.

"Let me see the picture."

"Pictures," I correct, happy to have an excuse to talk about something else. I waste no time digging my phone out of the sheets and handing it over.

He scrolls through them before his jaw tics and he looks up at me with those eyes of his that I can"t help but get lost in. I blink away my sudden hypnosis. It's really unfair how hot he is with his piercings and muscles and all that darkness inside of him. "I"ll take care of it."

"What does that mean?" I ask, narrowing my eyes at him and holding my hand out for my phone, but he sticks it in his pocket instead.

He stands and starts toward the door. "Did you know my dad"s a senator?"

I follow him, getting whiplash at the change of subject. "Uh, no. I didn"t...?" There"s a question at the end because what the hell is he talking about now?

Hayden walks out into the hall and toward his office. It"s still stacked with boxes because he hasn"t unpacked since he and his brother moved in. I only discovered it was an office because I snooped. Sue me.

Hayden digs around in one of the boxes and pulls out a sleek laptop, sitting in the chair behind the desk and opening the computer. "Well, he is. And that means access to connections you don"t have."

"Like what?"

He unwinds a cord and plugs it into the side of the computer and then my phone before starting to type. "Like his hacker who"s now my hacker. I"ll get him on this."

He types and while he does, I watch his straight teeth sink into his plush lower lip. The one that's a little swollen from our makeout session. My eyes burn because I"m not blinking, so I overcompensate and blink ten times. By the time I"m done, he"s unplugging my phone and handing it back. "Done."

He closes the lid on his computer and stands, stalking over to me. There"s no mistaking the intent in his eyes. I hold up my palm, and it pushes against his hard chest. The heat of his body seeps into my skin, and I shiver. "No touching."

"Like hell you"re going to stop me from—"

I lift my chin so I"m staring up at him. "You tattooed your name on my body. Until you tattoo mine on yours, no more sex."

He throws his head back and laughs. Then he bends down and grabs me, tossing me over his shoulder. "You think you can hold out on me, Princess?" He smacks my ass, and I yelp as he carries me back to the bedroom. "After what you did when I was gone? Torturing me, ignoring me, shooting that video and posting it when I told you not to."

My stomach flips as he tosses me onto the bed again and then crawls over me. His eyes are wild, and I know he"s not going to give up until he"s inside of me. But I also know I have more willpower than he thinks.

He tries to kiss me, but I turn my face away so his lips land on my cheek. "My name on your body or blue balls. You pick."

He flips me onto my stomach and pulls me ass-up into his lap. God, I love how he just tosses me around. "We"ll see how you feel after you take your punishment." He smacks my ass again and then yanks down my panties, making me yelp. My skin is already hot where he hit me, causing little aching pulses between my legs.

"Hayden!" My voice is a warning, but it comes out breathless. "I thought we already determined this isn't much of a punishment."

He spreads my legs and slides a finger inside of me, pumping it in and out as his other hand rubs my clit. "You"re already wet for me, Princess." Yeah, I can't deny it. Kissing him earlier, having his body dominate mine just does it for me. He leans over me, pressing his chest against my back as he whispers in my ear. "It"s only a matter of time until you give in."

"Or you do. You only have to," his palm comes down again on my bare ass and I gasp, "do one simple thing, Hayden. My name, your skin. Easy."

He growls and flips me back onto my back, hovering over me with his eyes blazing. "You think I won't do it? I"ll tattoo your name anywhere if that"s what it takes. Your cunt belongs to me. This is the one and only time I"ll let you keep me from what's mine."

I swallow hard and stare up at him, knowing he means every word. And I also know I"m going to win this battle. He's as addicted to me as I am to him—even if I'm not willing to admit it—maybe more.

And when he gives in, I"m going to be right there waiting for him to take everything he wants from me.

But until then, we"re playing by my rules.