Chapter 376
Chapter 376
Hayden didn’t ask any questions and stopped immediately.
But I added, “It’s fine. Let’s go upstairs.
In the darkness, I lowered my head, and the image of the person by the car flashed before my eyes.
I didn’t expect Jace to find me here–this apartment’s about to be demolished. But somehow, he knew. And he came anyway.
What’s the point of showing up now?
Hayden’s strides were long, his pace quick, taking two steps at a time.
“Open the door,” he said, slightly out of breath.
I fumbled with the keys and opened the door. The second we stepped inside, Hayden lifted me onto the shoe cabinet, his eyes locked on mine.
In the dark, his gaze was intense, like the ocean at night–deep, dangerous, as if it could pull me under.
I swallowed, trying to say something, but before I could, his lips were on mine.
“Kiki, you can have it however you want now,” Hayden muttered, shrugging off his jacket, fingers tugging at his collar.
Earlier, by the car, I had been the one craving him, desperate for his touch. But now… now it was him.
Except… that spark I’d felt earlier–it was gone. The urgency had slipped away, and I knew it wouldn’t come back. Not tonight.
But Hayden… he was still there, still wrapped up in that need, just as I had been before.
Maybe he sensed the shift in me. He stopped, resting his head against my neck, his breathing heavy,
tense.
Neither of us spoke. We just stayed like that, frozen in place.
After a long moment, his breathing slowed, and he lifted his head from my neck.
I reached for him, my hand resting on his chest. “Hayden…”
He looked down at me, and my heart skipped a beat.
Had he seen Jace downstairs? Was he reading too much into my silence?
“I… my period hasn’t ended yet,” I whispered.
“Mm.” That was all he said.
It was the kind of answer I’d heard from him before, but this time, it felt… cold. Disappointed.
“Please don’t overthink it,” I tried to explain.
“I’m not,” he replied, his voice soft but firm as he gently squeezed my hand. “You’re the one overthinking.”
“Shower, then sleep,” Hayden said, lifting me off the cabinet and carrying me toward the bathroom.
+25 BONUS
Chapter 376
He was always like this–so patient, so steady. No matter how I acted or how things went, he never got
angry.
That side of him made me feel guilty. Just as he was about to leave the bathroom, I grabbed him, pulling him back toward me, standing on my toes to kiss him again.
Hayden’s hand pressed firmly on my waist, grounding me. “Kiki, do you think I’m easy to push around?”
I froze, caught off guard by his words.
Hayden looked down at me, frustration flickering in his eyes. “You take advantage of the fact that I can’t be harsh with you–that I won’t scold or push you. And so, you keep pushing me.”
This six–foot–two man, standing there with that look of quiet frustration, sounded almost like a child who’d been holding in his feelings for too long.
I didn’t know what to say, My mouth opened, but no words came out.
He slowly released my hand and walked out of the bathroom.
I stood there, feeling like a child who had messed up and had no idea how to fix it.
I didn’t take a shower. Instead, I stood there for what felt like forever before pushing the bathroom door open and running out. “Hayden…”
He had just reached the door, his hand on the knob, and turned back to look at me.
My lips trembled. “I’m sor-”
Before I could finish, he interrupted, his voice calm. “I’m not leaving. I’m just going to my room to grab something. I’ll be right back.”
As soon as he said that, tears welled up in my eyes. One by one, they spilled over, and then suddenly, it became a steady stream.
I didn’t even know why I was crying. I was the one who had teased him, who had lit that spark between us -only to leave him hanging.
