When I reemerge from my room, I’m wearing a loose, striped tank top and my comfiest leggings. Hayes glances at me, but then goes back to staring blankly at the muted television screen, his brow furrowed.
“Thanks for waiting,” I say, leaning over the pizza to take the first slice from the box. When I offer the next slice to Hayes, he holds out his plate without even looking at me. Okay, then.
“Want to watch something while we eat?” His voice is low and gravelly, and he still doesn’t look at me.
“Sure.”
I’m not sure how he knew that I needed this tonight. Pizza, movie, and a good friend. I’m not sure why, but that combination really makes most problems feel smaller.
He turns the volume up, settling on whatever superhero movie is playing on a loop tonight. I sink into the couch next to him, enjoying the warmth of another person so close to me. But Hayes isn’t just any other person. We sit in silence through the opening credits. I take a bite of pizza, building up the courage to look at him.
Hayes is already working on his next slice of pizza by the time I sneak a glance at him.
“Do you want to stay for a while? I mean, at least until the movie is over?” I ask, barely recognizing my own voice. I sound much more sure of myself than I actually am.
That tiny, mysterious muscle in his jaw twitches. The same muscle I see jump a lot when I’m around.
“Sure, I’ll stay.”
5
HAYES
This is an interesting turn of events.
My current status? I’m sitting on Maren’s couch watching a movie with her. Which is fine and nothing unusual.
Except for the fact there’s a fence post in my boxer briefs right now, and I can’t let Maren know that. Uncomfortable, I shift my position, but it’s nothing compared to the embarrassment I’d feel if she knew how hot I get for her, and the reaction my body has when she’s around.
What the hell is she doing in that flimsy tank top with nothing underneath? It’s taking every ounce of self-control to keep my eyes trained on the TV screen and not where they want to go.
For now, I have to focus. At least the movie is good. And the pizza is fine, although what I want to be tasting is between her legs.
Fuck.
My focus lasted all of five seconds.
New plan.
Maybe some conversation will help take my mind off all the filthy thoughts running rampant through my brain.
“So, uh, have you seen this one before?” I jerk my chin toward the screen, where the main character is scaling the side of a building with ease.
Maren nods, her mouth full of pizza. She wipes the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand, just like I imagine she would after sucking me off.
For fuck’s sake! Get it together, Hayes.
“Are you kidding? It’s a classic,” she says after swallowing, crossing her legs underneath her.
My brows rise with surprise. “I didn’t take you for a superhero movie buff.”
She shrugs. “When you grow up with Wolfie for a brother . . .”
I grunt in understanding, and a comfortable silence falls between us. The talking is helping, so I try to think of something else to say.
“So, how are you—” I say, just as she says, “I was wondering—”
Maren giggles and nods at me, but I wave her on.
“No, you go.”
“I was going to ask about the caterers. Any luck?”
Right. Shop talk. The reason I’m here.
Saving her place of employment that’s also very near and dear to her heart is the goal, and of course, that’s where her mind’s at right now. I’m the only one who can’t keep his mind out of the gutter for more than two seconds.
“Yeah, I got some good leads. Here, take a look.” I pull my computer from the coffee table and into my lap.
Maren climbs up onto the couch next to me and nestles into my side. Thank God for the two pounds of plastic and metal in my lap, which is all that’s saving me from a world of sin right now.
We scroll through the fruits of my labor while a fight scene plays in the background. Maren makes small sounds of approval at each website, which only makes it harder to keep my cool.
“These are incredible,” she says, clutching my arm tighter and pressing her cheek into my shoulder. “Thank you so much, Hayes. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.”
I can think of about a million ideas . . . “Don’t mention it. I’m happy to help.”
I put my laptop away again—the new laptop I had to buy to replace the one Sam tossed onto the sidewalk.
The feeling of making Maren happy, of helping her when she needs it? It just might be better than sex. Not that I don’t want to test that theory out before drawing any conclusions.
She lets go of my arm and throws her head back on the couch with a sigh of relief. “I feel so much better already,” she says happily. “Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty more to do, but it feels like things are looking up in all aspects of my life.”
“Yeah? Even, uh . . .” I nod my head to her lap, and she stares back at me blankly. “You’re feeling better . . . down there too?” I shift my gaze briefly to her leggings before meeting her eyes.
A pretty blush creeps over her cheeks and down her neck. She tries to suppress a smile and looks at the floor, shifting in her seat. “It’s still a little tender. But yeah, it’s almost all healed up.”
I can still kiss it better. “Good. I was worried.”
“You were worried about my . . . down there?”
Fuck, fuck, fuck. “No, I mean—in a medical sense. I just
