16

Hailey

My stomach growled, and Christian wrapped his arm around my waist. His body spooned mine in bed, and he whispered in my ear, "I guess it's time for breakfast."

I smiled. Despite the tumultuous weeks prior, the last few days had been incredible. Being with Christian felt like visiting an amusement park every day. I smiled, I laughed, I ate, and he gave me the wildest rides of my life.

I turned over in his arms. "Yes, I think I need some sustenance."

Kissing my lips gently, he said. "I've been slacking on my duties."

"Maybe. But only because your new ones have taken up so much of our time."

He squeezed my ass, and I giggled underneath his neck. "I can't say I regret that," he said.

"But… we should get up and have something to eat."

I stretched in bed, nearly naked except for a thin white T-shirt and panties. "All right. I'm getting up." But I didn't make any attempt to sit up.

"Come on, sleepyhead," Christian teased and scooped me up from the crumpled sheets. I squealed when he threw me over his shoulder and carried me across the house.

After I slapped his bottom, he finally set me down on the white countertop. I leaned down and kissed him. Leisurely, I nipped at his bottom lip and shamelessly ran my hands over his sculpted chest and arms. "How are you so cut when I've never seen you work out?"

He laughed. "Because I've usually finished my workout by the time you get up from bed, my auburn sleeping beauty," he said with a smile and kissed me again.

I groaned. "I've never been a morning person."

"That's okay. I love you for it."

"You do?"

"Yes. I get my exercise done and half my emails answered by the time you get up. It's perfect."

I smirked. "See. We're a perfect match."

He bit his bottom lip. "Yeah, I think so."

With one last kiss, he pushed off and turned to open the refrigerator. Sticking his head inside, he asked, "The usual?"

"Yup. Why change a good routine?"

"Nothing wrong with routine, darling. It's my M.O."

"That's for sure. I noticed you hang up all your clothes and organize them by color. Even your shoes are stored in a row in the closet."

"Mmm-hmmm," he said as he cracked an egg into a bowl and then another.

"Have you always been like that?"

"Like what?"

"Obsessed with keeping things neat."

He shrugged. "For as long as I can remember. If I wasn't born that way, my father made sure I became that way."

"How strict was he?"

"He never resorted to violence or anything like that. I had lots of space growing up, but he was particular about how his house was run and which choices I made for my future."

"When do you think I'll meet him?" The question came out before I realized its implications. It was too soon to ask such a question. Christian stopped scrambling the eggs and shrugged again. "I'm not sure. He lives on the East Coast like me."

He lives on the East Coast like me .

I hadn't even thought about our living arrangements. Would he be up to moving to California? How long was he hired to work as my bodyguard?

"Christian, I never asked you. How long is your contract for? I never asked my mother."

He stirred some milk into the egg while he contemplated my question.

"I signed a three-month contract. We're going to revisit it when the time's up."

"Three months?"

That only left another six weeks or so.

"Yes. But Hailey, I understand how that's all changed now."

"You do?" my chest lightened.

"Of course. What's happening between us changes everything. We need to talk about where we're going to live and how this is going to work between us. But we have time. We don't have to get into it now."

"Right." His words made sense, but for some reason, it still bothered me knowing that he lived on the other side of the country.

"What are your plans for today?" he asked, pouring the mixture onto a hot pan.

I shook my head. "I'm sorry. I haven't even helped you with breakfast. I'll put the bread in the toaster. Juice, okay?"

"Juice is perfect." He kissed me before grabbing a wooden spatula to scramble the eggs.

I put four slices of bread into the toaster and poured two glasses of juice. "Um, no plans for today. I'm completely free. What about you?"

He plated the eggs. "I have to visit the police station this morning. One of the bouncers at the door last night sent me a picture of some guy looking to get into the club with a fake ticket. I want to run his picture against the mug shots on file. Just to ensure this guy is only a persistent fan and we have nothing more to worry about."

As we sat down at the table, he grabbed my hand. "Hailey, I won't be more than a couple of hours. Don't leave the house or open the door to anyone until I get back."

I nodded. "I won't." Taking a bite of my breakfast, I smiled. "I might use my pool today."

Christian groaned. "You're saying you'll be here wearing only a bikini and possibly dripping wet?" he shook his head. "I'll be home in less than two hours."

I laughed out loud. I loved it when he told me how much he desired me. Whenever Trey wanted to have sex, it was all about him. It should have been a red flag, but I hadn't seen it at the time.

After breakfast, I watched Christian dress. He was meticulous with the details. His closet was stacked with suits in various shades of gray and blue. They were kept inside dry cleaner bags and the shirt buttons were wrapped in tissue paper.

He had an organizer for his ties and a case for his watches. He picked a silver one and fastened it on his wrist. "Don't you get tired of wearing suits every day?" I asked.

He shook his head. "It's a uniform to me. Almost like armor. I put it on to let others know who I am and what I'm about. We send messages by the way we dress, walk, and talk. When I'm off duty, I don't care about what others think, but when I'm at work, I want people to know that I mean business."

I walked up to him, still wearing only my T-shirt, and helped him button his shirt. His chest rose on an intake of breath when my fingers lingered over his exposed tan skin.

"Hailey, you're not making this easy."

I smirked. "I wasn't trying to."

He groaned, but picked up a blue tie and wrapped it around his neck. The way his fingers moved through the fabric fascinated me more than it should have. Everything about this man seemed new and exciting.

When he finished, he leaned down and kissed me. Slowly at first, then I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my body against his. He growled. "Keep that enthusiasm for when I get back."

I smiled. "Hurry."

"I will." He kissed me one last time before heading out the front door.

***

For the next little while, I puttered around the house, sipping my coffee and watching the clouds move slowly along the sky. I hummed a new melody and scribbled it down on a pad of paper, but I didn't pick up my guitar. Not yet. I wanted to enjoy the feeling of doing nothing for a little longer. Since moving to California, I haven't stopped working. I wasn't complaining. I loved writing and composing songs. Sure, performing them was stressful, but the joy of hearing one of my songs on the radio was worth it. It was a dream come true, and I was grateful for it.

I changed into my bikini, threw on a sun hat, and walked down the cobbled pathway to my pool. Pressing a button, I turned on the waterfall and listened to the water pouring into the pool as I closed my eyes and relaxed.

My little slice of heaven lasted for perhaps thirty minutes before my phone rang.

It was an unknown number. Normally, I ignored those, but today, I was in a good mood and didn't mind the distraction. I would tell the person at the other end of the line that I didn't need any duct cleaning services today, but thank you for calling.

"Hello," I answered.

"Hailey?"

"Mom?"

"Yes, it's me. Thank God you answered."

"Where are you calling from?"

"Someone lent me their cell phone. My car broke down. Can you come pick me up, sweetie?"

"Yes, of course I can. Where are you?"

"I'll ping you the address. I have no idea where this is exactly. I was following the GPS to a meeting when I drove through a construction site. I must have gotten a nail in my tire because a few minutes later, I was swerving off to the side."

"Thank God, you're ok. Do you need me to call a tow truck?"

"No. I've already taken care of that. I just want to get out of here. Can you come now?" Her voice cracked and my heart went out to her. She must feel scared and alone.

I stood from the lounge chair and walked back towards the house. "I'll be there as soon as I can, Mom. Don't panic."

"Thanks, sweetie."

A few seconds after I hung up, an address popped up in a text. It wasn't far, but with Los Angeles traffic, it could take upwards of thirty minutes to get there.

I hurriedly put on a pair of jeans and a rock band T-shirt over my bikini. Before I left, I belatedly remembered my promise to Christian. Shit.

If I told him where I was going, he'd make me wait for him and I didn't want my mom waiting at the side of the road all alone for much longer. If I texted him the message, he would receive it right away, but if I left a note for him, he wouldn't get it until he got back home. And by then, I may be back home with my mom, anyway.

I scribbled, "Went to pick up my mom. Will be back in an hour to explain the whole thing. Love you." I looked at the last words. They came out so naturally. It should scare me how quickly this was all moving, but I didn't have time to think about it now. Besides, from our conversation this morning, Christian seemed to be on the same page as me.

Without any other thought or delay, I grabbed my car keys and pulled out of the garage.

After plugging the address into my phone, I checked the message again. The tiny dot indicating her location had moved. Not very far, but it seemed like she was inside a building now and not on the side of the road.

I was relieved. I hoped she'd found a coffee shop or someplace to sit while she waited for me to arrive.

Traffic was slow, but at least it was moving. As predicted, I arrived nearly half an hour later. There was a sign over the building: Papa's Grill. But when I walked up closer, the windows were covered with brown paper. I stepped back to see if there was another building close by that I may have missed, but there was nothing else for miles. Just a gas station further down the road.

I tried the door, and it opened.

"Mom?"