Chapter 12: Now You’re Mine: Chapter 12

Warm sunlight filters through the curtains, rousing me from a deep and peaceful sleep. For a moment, I’m disoriented, still caught in the hazy remnants of a dream. Then it all comes flooding back.

Hayden fucking me like a savage.

His words to me.

My submission to him.

I stretch languidly, the soreness in my muscles a delicious reminder of last night. With a frown I roll over, silently wondering why Haden isn’t holding me, but discover his side of the bed is empty. I reach out to find his spot cool to the touch. He must have woken up early.

As I sit up, the sheet slips down to pool around my naked waist. I take a moment to admire the love bites blooming across my breasts and hips, vivid souvenirs of his claiming. Heat pools low in my belly at the memories they invoke.

After his raw, emotional confession last night, our ensuing intimacy had felt different… more tender and connected. With each reverent caress and kiss, I felt the ice around Hayden’s heart melting.

When he finally joined our bodies for the second time, there was a new sensitivity to his touch, as if I were something infinitely precious. And later, wrapped in each other’s arms and spent, he whispered, “Please, don’t make me love you.”

My breath still catches remembering those words. It’s the closest thing to a declaration of love I’ve gotten from him. Part of me remains wary, afraid to hope after so much heartbreak. But a larger part now feels certain he cares for me just as deeply as I care for him.

Maybe he said doesn’t want to love me because he already does…

I slide from the bed and rummage through Hayden’s drawer, searching for one of his t-shirts to wear. After putting on a soft gray one that stops mid-thigh on me, I inhale the scent of him underneath the smell of detergent. This man makes my pulse race without even trying.

Standing in the middle of his room, I stare at the black-and-white picture above his dresser. Even though the woman’s face is away from the viewer, she’s beautiful. Her profile is dainty, and her body is well-proportioned, but that’s not what makes her attractive. It’s the air of mystery that surrounds her, as though she’s on her way to meet her lover for the last time.

Looking at this photograph stirs up the insecurity I felt the first time I was in Hayden’s bedroom. Add that to the shyness I’m experiencing this morning, and I’m tempted to dive back under the covers.

The scent of coffee invades my senses, a reminder that the man encompassing my thoughts is waiting for me. I leave the bedroom and walk down the hallway, stopping to pause just outside the kitchen. Hayden stands with his back to me. His hair is messy and sticking up in some areas, but that only makes him more attractive. Well, that and his bare chest and the sweatpants hanging low on his hips.

I stare in shock. It never crossed my mind that someone like Hayden, a man who’s always dressed to impress, would own sweatpants, let alone wear them.

My heart beats faster the longer I look at him. I want to greet him and let him know I’m standing there, but my mouth is dry, and I can’t form words. I’m not shy anymore. I’ve been struck stupid.

He turns to face me and leans against the island, the muscles in his torso flexing. “Good morning, Callie.”

“Hi.” It comes out as a squeak, and my cheeks heat with embarrassment. This man has fucked me ten ways from Sunday, and I can’t greet him without being self-conscious? Unbelievable.

“Come here,” he says. When I remain still, he frowns. “What’s wrong? Is your injury bothering you?”

“No, I mean, yes. Wait. I need a second.” I take a deep breath and release it slowly. It does nothing to rid me of my nerves, and I give up trying. “Who’s the woman in the picture hanging on your bedroom wall?”

“Come here, and I’ll answer you.”

I lift my chin. “Answer me, and I’ll come to you.”

“Oh, you’ll come all right.”

He stalks toward me. A tiny shriek leaves me—half excitement, half surprise—but I stand my ground with my heart thrashing in my chest. When he’s only inches away, I throw up my hands, palms facing him.

“My stitches feel tight,” I say. “Please don’t grab me.”

Hayden comes to an abrupt halt. He towers over me, staring down at me with concern etched into his features. “Instead of interrogating me about a photograph, you should’ve mentioned your discomfort.”

I shrug, and immediately regret it when the movement pulls the skin of my shoulder taut. “Well, I’m telling you now.”

“I’ll get your medication.”

“I just hate how sleepy I get when I take them.”

He does an about-face to head back into the kitchen. I sag against the wall, careful not to lean on my wound, taking a moment to catch my breath. There’s no doubt in my mind that Hayden would’ve fucked me right then if I hadn’t spoken up about my stitches paining me.

His appetite is insatiable. Although I’m not complaining, I wonder how much his need for dominance motivates it. He uses sex as a power tactic, but would he keep doing it if I gave in?

When he returns with a glass of water and pills in hand, he offers them to me. I’m quick to down the medication. “The woman in the black-and-white picture. Who is she, Hayden?”

The side of his mouth lifts. “Why is this so important to you?”

“You better not laugh at me. This is serious.”

“I’m not going to tease you about this. You can stop looking at me like you want to strangle me.” He tilts his head. “Are you jealous, Callie?”

Yes.

I scoff. “Don’t let my question inflate your already large ego. Who is she, and why is she on your bedroom wall, of all places?”

He leans down until I can see the blue of his eyes sparkling with amusement and pleasure. “It’s you.”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

I spin on my heel and race to the bedroom, Hayden’s laughter following me. The sound, carefree and joyous, has my heart squeezing in on itself. This is only the third time I’ve heard him laugh. I might like the dark and broody part of his personality, but this is something special.

After coming to a hard stop in front of the dresser, I stare up at the photo. I barely notice Hayden coming to stand behind me until he leans forward to place his mouth next to my ear.

“The only woman I’ll allow in this room is you.”

“I can’t believe it,” I whisper. “God, you are such a stalker.”

He laughs again, and I press my lips together to fight back a smile. I haven’t exactly forgiven him for that stunt, but after dealing with the nightmare from my past, Hayden is the only person that makes me feel safe. Ironic, since he scared the shit out of me in the beginning.

“I plead guilty,” he says. He drags his lips down the side of my neck, placing an open-mouthed kiss on the sensitive skin there. I shiver, evidence that my body obeys him more than it does me. “I took this picture to keep from kidnapping you.”

“Am I supposed to give you an award for that?” I huff. “How long ago was this?”

“The week after your father’s funeral.”

I stiffen. “Are you saying you’ve been following me for months?”

Hayden grabs my shoulders, careful to avoid my injury, and turns me to face him. “I needed to know what kind of woman you were. Now that I know, I’m never going back to life without you. I can’t.”

“I don’t know if I can, either.”

He tightens his hold on me. “I want to kiss you so badly.”

“Why don’t you?”

“Because if I do, I’ll fuck you, and I have to leave soon.”

“Let me guess, I have to stay here all day?” When he nods, I roll my eyes. “I know this may come as a shock to you, but I like working and staying busy.”

Instead of arguing with me, he presses a kiss to my forehead. The tender action leaves me staring up at him in shock. First Hayden’s laughing, and now he’s being sweet… How can I not forgive him? Maybe I already have, or I wouldn’t have given him every part of me last night.

“Callie, I know you don’t want to hear this, but someone sent you that package to frighten you. Until I know who they are and what they want from you, I’m going to do everything in my power to keep you safe.”

I place my hands on his chest. “Do you think I’m in danger?”

“I’m not willing to take a chance with your life.”

“That’s not an answer.”

He averts his gaze in a rare show of uncertainty. Or maybe it’s to hide his fear… “Someone killed your father and his lover and assaulted his daughter. I think this mysterious person has a vendetta against the senator. With him being deceased, you’re the only target left. Let’s not dismiss the fact that both you and his secretary had the same drug compound in your systems on the night the crimes took place. It’s all too connected to be coincidental.”

I slowly nod my head, absorbing this information. It’s nothing new, but hearing it all at once after everything that happened yesterday puts it into perspective. Someone has to solve this case and bring the person behind it to justice, or I’ll always have to look over my shoulder, waiting for someone to come after me.

“Why now?” I ask. “My father’s funeral was months ago. If this person thought to hurt me, then why didn’t they do it when I first moved out of my father’s estate?”

“Maybe because they saw someone stalking you and it kept them at a distance?”

When Hayden winks at me, I nearly melt into the floor. His expression turns serious, and he blows out a breath. “All jokes aside, I don’t have an answer for you. What I do know is that I’ll get to the bottom of this. Until I do, I’m going to need you to make good on the promise you made me.”

I scrunch my head in confusion. “Which one? You demand a lot of things.”

“You promised to let me protect you.”

“Oh, right. At least this prison is comfortable.”

“You’re not staying here.”