Once You’re Mine: Chapter 36

“You bitch!”

Everyone in the Sugar Cube, including my boss Alex and me, turns to stare at Harper. I know I’m not the only person with my mouth hanging open.

“What?” She flips her hair over her shoulder. “I was worried about my bestie boo, okay?”

I give my co-worker a tiny wave and walk up to the counter, my face hot with embarrassment. “Hey, Harper. Hey, Alex. Sorry about not coming into work today. I accidentally slept in.”

He waves a hand in dismissal. “When your boyfriend called me this morning to tell me you were exhausted and needed a day to rest, I was glad to hear it. Today is the first shift you asked to have off, and frankly, it’s about time.” He lifts a brow. “Which also makes me wonder why you’re here.”

“I need to talk to Harper. Don’t worry, I won’t interfere.”

Before Alex can respond, my best friend beckons me. “Come on, Calista. Get back here before I die from curiosity.”

I make my way behind the counter, put on my apron—earning a frown from Alex—and go to stand beside Harper at the coffee machine. “Why don’t you teach me how to make a couple things while we chat between customers?”

“Deal. So…” she says, drawing out the word. “What ended up happening last night with your boyfriend?”

Her emphasis on the word makes me cringe. “It’s not like that.”

“Then what’s it like?”

“Well, for starters, Hayden and I aren’t official. At least, not that I’m aware of.”

Unless you count him wanting to kill someone because of me.

Harper runs her gaze up and down my body. “Well, something’s official. I know that outfit didn’t come from you.”

“You’re right. Hayden picked it out for me.”

“Damn. Is there anything that man can’t do? I bet he’s amazing in the sack.” She sighs, her lashes fluttering. “I’m going to need details. Inches, girth, etc…”

“Harper! At least lower your damn voice.”

She grins at me. “I was wondering if caliente Calista was gone now that the alcohol is out of your system. Glad to see her again.”

“I mean it,” I say between clenched teeth. “I’ll leave if you don’t attempt to keep this private.”

“Fine.” She lowers her voice to a whisper. “Tell me about the sex.”

I inhale a preparatory breath, knowing she’s not going to readily accept my answer. “We didn’t have sex.”

“This is a crime against humanity. Okay, so maybe you didn’t do everything, but did you do something?”

My mind conjures images of Hayden and the feel of his hands on my skin… his fingers inside me. Instantly, my sex clenches, wanting fulfillment. My breathing thins and my blush returns.

“I knew it!” When I frown at Harper’s loud response, she brings her voice back down to a whisper. “I knew it! What did he do exactly?”

“Perv much?”

“Perv a lot. Why are you surprised by this?”

I lean close, unwilling to let anyone overhear what I’m about to say. “He fingered me, and I came so hard that I nearly collapsed.”

“Oh shit.”

I nod. “But that’s all that happened. I swear.”

“Why didn’t you do more?”

Because Hayden found out I was drugged and possibly raped, and lost his fucking mind.

“Because he didn’t want to take advantage of me while I was drunk,” I say.

“A lawyer with morals. That’s hot in a way I didn’t realize until now.”

“So, tell me about you.”

Harper launches into her story which features a lot of sex and things I didn’t even consider or know were possible. By the end I am blushing furiously and nearly run into the kitchen to put my head in the freezer. I don’t have to because my friend has pity on me and changes the subject.

“Even though we both had a lot of fun last night, something’s weighing on you,” she says. “I can see it in your face. Did the stalker bother you again?” When I shake my head, she purses her lips. “Then what?”

“Hayden wants me to move in with him.”

I lean back and wait for the fireworks show that is Harper Flynn.

“Interesting,” she says slowly.

“That’s it? Someone I barely know asks me to move in with him, and that’s all you have to say?”

“Give me a minute. I’m thinking.”

I smooth the material of my blouse, needing an outlet for the bristling energy coursing through me. “He said it was to protect me from my stalker, which is really nice, but I hardly know Hayden.”

“You’ve known him longer than you think.”

When I frown at her, she winks at me and walks over to Alex to hand him a freshly made cappuccino. By the time she returns to my side, I’m tapping my fingers on my thigh with impatience.

“You told me he was an attorney when he first walked in here,” she explains. “How else would you know that if you hadn’t met him? We haven’t talked about the things that went on with your dad, and I’m cool with that, but I have a feeling you and Mr. finger-me-like-a-god Bennett had a moment at some point. Or else he wouldn’t act the way he does around you. That might not be enough of a reason to move in with the guy, but having a stalker changes everything. The devil you know type of thing.”

My forehead scrunches with the churning of my thoughts. “I think I need a cake pop.”

Harper takes one from the display case and shoves a chocolate cake pop into my hands. “Here, you look like you need this. Sugar helps the brain, right?”

I nod. My mind drifts back to the day Hayden first walked into the coffee shop, returning like a familiar stranger from the shadows of my past. I had known him, but he treated me very differently back then. Especially when I testified at court.

That didn’t stop me from being attracted to him.

And it didn’t stop him from wanting to protect me.

He’s a monster and a savior, all in one.

My skin prickles at the memory of his threat: “I’ll make them suffer in ways no one has ever suffered. Before I fucking kill them.” There’s no doubt in my mind that he meant every word. To a degree I don’t want to clarify. He’ll use his hands to enact vengeance.

And use those same hands to extract pleasure from me.

My thighs clench at the memory of his touch, the way his fingers whispered across my skin. “You’re right,” I murmur, my words more for me than Harper. “There’s… something between us that I can’t wrap my head around. He’s acknowledged it as well and told me that we’re inevitable.”

“Wow, that’s fucking romantic.” She tilts her head. “Or psychotic. Take your pick.”

A reluctant smile works its way onto my mouth. Only to disappear at my next thought. “That’s true, but he’s intense. It’s one of the reasons that makes me hesitate when it comes to him.”

I swallow hard and glance at Harper, who’s watching me with a mix of concern and curiosity. There’s no way I can tell her everything, but she’s smart enough to read between the lines.

“So, he’s a real bad boy, not some jackass pretending to be tough, huh?” When I nod, she arches her brow. “And not just the garden-variety kind. Interesting.”

I groan. “I know how it sounds. But when I’m with him he’s the only one who makes me feel safe.”

“Considering you have a stalker, that’s not exactly a bad thing.”

“I know.” I groan again, louder this time, and cover my face with my hands. “I feel like no matter what I do, it’ll be a mistake.”

“Look at me.” When I let my arms fall to my sides, she pins me with a look. It’s caring but stern and I stand a little straighter. “You’re one of the strongest, most hard-working women I know,” she says. “If being with Hayden felt wrong, you’d already be out the door. But you’re still here and talking it over with me, aren’t you?”

Her words resonate with unexpected truth, loosening the knots of tension along my shoulders. She’s right. I wouldn’t stay if I really thought Hayden would hurt me. Even when I provoked him last night, he always remained in control of his actions and his temper. The only time he didn’t was because he was enraged on my behalf. Not at me.

“No one can take away your strength,” she says. “Not even Mr. Tall-dark-and-dangerous-dick-size Bennett. But if he does step out of line, I’ve got a bat with his name on it. And it’s not just any bat, but a ‘Lucille.’”

I blink at her. “A what?”

“Zombie show reference. Don’t worry about it. I’m just saying I’ll fuck him up bad. Regardless of what you decide, please be careful.”

“I think I’ll stay with him and take it one day at a time. Worst-case scenario, I can sleep on the floor in your dorm, right?”

Harper chuckles. “Yep!”

I throw my arms around her and squeeze my friend tightly, beyond grateful for her support. And perspective. Although my connection with Hayden is intense and complicated, I’m going into it with my eyes open to the risks. His protectiveness is seductive and giving up some of my independence won’t be easy, but at the end of the day, I have a stalker.

Hayden is the perfect person to deal with that.