SWNOVELS Now You’re Mine: Chapter 22
Hayden moves to leave, but I grab his arm, halting him. He glances down at my hand and then up at me.
“Wait. Please,” I whisper. He watches me carefully, waiting for me to continue. I don’t know what to say, so I blurt out the first thing that comes to mind. “Are you ready to admit you’re in love with me?”
His face is a blank canvas. He considers me, his eyes slowly traveling over my face before he answers, “Almost.”
I rear back, letting go of him. “Point taken.”
“Let me know when your ‘almost’ is a ‘yes,’ Callie.”
I squint up at him. “You too.”
Once he’s gone, I sink to the floor and hug my knees to my chest. His willingness to take this at whatever pace I want is something I hadn’t expected. Isn’t that enough to prove he cares about me and wants to move on?
After getting out of the shower and drying off, I walk into the bedroom wrapped in a fresh towel. I grab my laptop, sit on the bed, and pull up my texting thread with Harper.
Calista: I think I finally understand what you meant when you said you’d do anything to protect someone you love. If that’s who you are and who Hayden is, maybe I need to be more understanding and accepting… Anyway, text me when you get this. I need my bff.
Neither Hayden nor Harper talks to me for the next forty-eight hours. By hour forty-nine, I’m ready to beg Hayden and lecture Harper. I won’t, but I want to. Instead, I make my way to the office and knock on the door.
Hayden jerks up his head, his gaze brightening with appreciation as it travels over my naked body. “What do you need, Callie?”
“Do you have a minute?” When he nods, I make my way into the room and perch on the edge of the desk. “I need to ask for a favor.”
He frowns. “What is it?”
“As I’m sure you know, I’ve been messaging Harper every day for almost three weeks now, but she hasn’t responded for the last two days. I know it’s probably nothing, but I’m worried. Her suddenly going quiet on me isn’t normal.”
“Your friend is anything but quiet.”
“Exactly.” I cross my legs and place my hands on my lap. “Since you won’t let me have my phone—” I stop and give him a frown. “I was wondering if you could reach out and make sure she’s okay.”
“Give me a second.” He retrieves his phone, types out a text to send, and then places it back on his desk. He picks up his pen and jots down a note on his legal pad before looking back at me. “Done.”
I smile at him. “Thank you.”
The urge to kiss him overcomes me, and I brush my lips over his before I think better of it. His eyes flare, his grip on his pen tightening. When he speaks, his voice is low. “Was there anything else?”
“Nope,” I say quickly. Too quickly.
He lifts a brow, a silent inquiry. “I can always tell when you’re lying. Tell me what you need.”
I press my lips together, biting the inside of my cheek. I can feel Hayden’s power beckoning me, pulling the truth out of me. “I’m tired of fighting with you.”
The air sizzles with attraction, crackling across my skin. My heart pounds in my ears, the sound drowning out everything else except the man in front of me. Hayden’s nostrils flare, and the pen clatters to the desk before he pushes it away.
My lips part, my breath hitching at the hungry look in his eyes. I lean in closer, the need to feel his mouth on mine overwhelming me. I close the distance and press my lips to his. It’s a sweet kiss, but I know it’s more than that.
I’m finally surrendering to him.
He stands and slides his hands over my waist, then runs them over my thighs before gripping my knees and pulling them apart. A small chime sounds, along with a tiny buzzing noise. I blink at him in a daze as he retrieves his phone. He reads the message, and I can sense the immediate change in him. His body goes taut and a muscle flickers along his jaw.
“What is it?” I ask. When he doesn’t answer me, panic builds in my chest. “Hayden?”
He puts the phone away and gives me his full attention. “Your friend is safe.”
I wait for an explanation. When Hayden remains silent, warning bells go off in my head. “What aren’t you telling me?”
His expression remains blank, but he squeezes my knee. “Don’t worry, Callie. Everything is under control.”
“What’s under control? Hayden, what’s going on?”
“Everything is fine.”
“You’re lying to me.”
I lean over to grab his phone, but he stops me by gripping my shoulders. “I just want to talk to her,” I say.
“She’s resting.”
“Convenient.”
“Listen to me. She’s safe and in good hands.”
I jab my finger into his chest. “I swear to God that if you don’t tell me what the hell is going on, I’m going to do something crazy.”
He stares down at me for a while, his gaze scrutinizing my face. Whatever he sees there causes him to blow out a breath. I brace myself for whatever he’s about to tell me.
“Harper has a concussion and a fractured wrist. Even though she was on a crosswalk, it was a hit and run. I can’t get any other details on her condition since I’m not family, but she’s alive.”
“Oh, my God,” I say, my words ending in a sob. “I need to go home.”
“Callie,” he says, his tone gentling, “she’s being treated at the best hospital in the city. Trust me. She’ll be fine.”
I cover my face with my hands, fighting back tears. When I look at him again, I say, “None of this is fine. I need to go home. I have to be there for her. Don’t you understand that?”
He shakes his head. “No.”
“Hayden! Please, just listen to me—”
“The answer is no.” He pockets his cell phone and settles back in the chair. “I hate to do this, Callie, but I won’t risk your life.”
I slide from the desk to kneel on the floor between Hayden’s legs. His gaze widens slightly, but he doesn’t move to stop me when I reach for him. I rest my palms on the tops of his thighs and bow my head, the ends of my hair brushing his pants.
“Please,” I whisper. “I’ll do anything.”
“Anything?”
“Yes.”
He stops to think, but it doesn’t take long. “Forgive me. Not almost but completely.”
I jerk my head up to look at him. “I’m not a robot. I can’t just flip a switch and change my feelings. That’s not how emotions work.”
He leans down to capture my chin between his thumb and index finger. “You’ve already forgiven me. If you hadn’t, you wouldn’t have let me eat that pussy of yours until you drenched my face. If you hadn’t forgiven me, you wouldn’t be naked and on your knees, ready to be fucked, if that’s what I asked for. I want to hear you admit it. Say you forgive me for everything I’ve done since we first met.”
I’m about to deny it, but I stop because he’s right. I don’t feel the anger I did the day we arrived here. I stare up at him, my bottom lip trembling with the nervous energy racing through me. “Let me be clear, if you don’t take me home, I’ll hate you. But right now, I’m willing to forgive you for everything, Hayden.”
He doesn’t give me a triumphant smile like I expect. Instead, he breathes out slowly, as though relieved that a weight has been lifted from him. Before I can ask, he trails a hand down my cheek and along my jaw.
“We’ll be gone within the hour.” A hint of a grin makes its way onto his mouth when he says, “At least it won’t take you long to pack.”