The Wicked

Two weeks later

I bounce on the balls of my feet outside security in the airport as my eyes scan the masses of people pouring out of the doors. There’s only one person I care about seeing right now, and that’s Hayden. I haven’t seen him in a week, and he’s coming to Luxington to spend the weekend with me. I feel crazy for thinking it, but everything is going amazing with him.

I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop, for something bad to happen, but so far, nothing has. We FaceTime every night at bedtime, he calls me on lunch breaks, and we’ve gotten really good at texting over the last two weeks. It barely feels like he’s across the country, living a separate life to me. He makes me feel so comfortable and loved without even trying to.

We can’t go five minutes without talking to each other, and some nights, we’ve even fallen asleep on FaceTime because we’re too stubborn to say goodbye.

I don’t feel like I need the next two weeks to figure out if this is going to work. Something deep inside of me just knows that this is right, that this is the way it was supposed to be all along.

Now that he’s back in my life, I feel whole again. I feel like I did before all the bad shit happened.

There are parts of me that are still hesitant, but now that I’ve had the chance to get to know the new Hayden, I feel more secure than I ever have. He’s different. It was almost like all the trauma, all the bullshit he went through, shaped him into someone who deserves the love I can give. Maybe he was right when he told me we met at the wrong time, maybe we were always meant to be together, but we just weren’t ready for each other. Whatever happens, though, I’ll always know that I followed my heart, my soul, and my brain.

I gave it time. I tested the waters. I made sure I felt okay with him before taking a leap, and I will always feel smart about that.

But today, I’m going to tell him that I’m flying back to California with him on Sunday, that I’m leaving Luxington behind and we’re never looking back, that we’ll never have to stare our pain and loss in the face again, and that we can finally start our life together.

Throughout my life, I’ve always heard that phrase – when you know, you know – and I never let it hold too much weight. But now that I know… I understand.

Hayden is right for me. He’s the key that opens the parts of me that I hid long ago, and we make each other the best versions of ourselves.

When I spot Hayden’s dark hair over the crowds of people, I stand on my tiptoes to try to catch his eye. When he spots me, his face spreads into that beautiful smile I see in my dreams. My stomach fills with nerves, and I feel my face go hot.

When he pushes through the crowd, he races toward me, dropping his bag on the floor before he picks me up and slams his lips to mine. I fall even more in love with him then, closing my eyes and wrapping my legs around his waist as we kiss in the sea of people, and I feel my heart pounding in my chest.

When his tongue slides against mine, a lightning bolt of need runs through me and sends sparks straight to my core. I pull back, breathing against his mouth. “I need you.”

He smiles against my lips, kissing me again before he puts me back down on my feet. Sliding his fingers through mine, he picks his bag up off the floor and starts to pull me behind him. “Come on.”

My head spins, and when we’ve crossed through the airport, he pulls me into one of the family bathrooms tucked away in the corner. Locking the door, he drops his bag on the floor and looks at me, crooking his finger to bring me closer. “Come here, P.”

As I try to get my mind to catch up with my heart, I step up to him and kiss him again, threading my fingers through his hair. His hands find my waist, and he pushes my dress up over my hips before he slides his fingers under the seam of my panties and pulls them down.

I moan against his tongue, desire pooling between my legs as he kicks my panties to the side and then starts undoing the button on his jeans.

“Hayden,” I moan, pulling back to look at him.

“I missed you,” he says, breathless and needy as he pulls his zipper down. When he frees his cock from his pants, my mouth waters and I reach for him. While I wrap my hand around him, he grabs onto my hips and lifts me, spinning around to press me against the door.

“Hold on to me, baby,” he groans, squeezing my ass with one hand and sliding his cock through my center with the other.

I grab his shoulders, then we’re both rolling our hips as he slides inside me.

“Jesus,” he moans, licking up my throat as he thrusts into me. “Already so fucking wet, dripping down my cock.”

Squeezing his shoulders, I moan and lean my head back as he moves his hips faster between my legs. “Phone sex isn’t enough, H. I miss feeling you inside of me.”

He groans in agreement, kissing me and pounding into me harder. When he pulls back, he’s smirking at me. “You could always move to California now, then I could fuck you every day.”

“Okay,” I moan, feeling my climax snaking around my core.

He stills, and if I wasn’t so horny, I’d laugh at the look on his face. “What? I was kidding.”

I try my best to grind my hips against him to keep fucking him, but it’s difficult, and I moan in frustration. “I’ll go back with you on Sunday. Fuck me, H, please.”

“Are you being serious, or are you chasing your nut? I can’t tell,” he says, holding completely still, even as I’m grinding against him.

I smack his shoulders, moaning out a whine. “Hayden!”

He laughs, thrusting into me hard and fast. When I yell, he presses his hand against my mouth, covering it tight enough that my noises come out muffled and unrecognizable. The inside walls of my pussy tighten around him, pulsing as my orgasm crashes into me, and his face falls into my neck as he moans, making my skin vibrate.

I bite his hand, trying to hold back from screaming as I fall over and over, pleasure making my whole body shake and writhe against him, then he’s coming as well, filling me and pulsing inside of me.

He fucks me hard through his orgasm, my back hitting the door.

When his climax fizzles out, he breathes into my neck and moans my name, gripping onto my ass to keep me pressed against the wall. I run my hands down his back, making him twitch inside of me, then I wiggle my hips to get him to set me back on my feet.

When he does, he pulls from my neck and looks into my eyes. “Answer me, Penelope.”

“I love you.” I kiss him, and when I pull back, I pinch his bottom lip between my fingers. “I’m coming with you on Sunday.”

His mouth opens like he’s going to say something, but he presses it closed again before he does. Shaking his head, he laughs softly and rubs his hand over his jaw. “God, I fucking love you.”

I wiggle my eyebrows. “You ready for a new roommate, handsome?”

“Fuck yes, I am.” He grins, slamming his lips to mine.