Page 198 of The Way I Hate Him
He moves around to the other side of the island while I take the card in hand and slide my finger under the sealed flap. I pop it open and pull out a simple card with an almond on the front. I chuckle knowing he got this from The Almond Store.
I open the card, and on the inside, he’s taken up nearly the whole page with a note to me. I look up at him, and he leans down on the counter, hands in front of him, and nods for me to read it.
Hattie,
I can remember the moments before you walked into my life.
Dark.
Dreary.
I was lost.
I was stuck in a rut, going from city to city but never feeling anything. I’d spend hours in my dressing rooms, staring up at the ceiling, not a thought running through my mind, barely a pulse to keep me moving. I felt so...numb.
And then I came home to Almond Bay where you stepped into my life, replacing that numbness with light. Hope. As you know, at first, I didn’t respond well to your light, to how your presence in my home resurrected something deeply lacking within me. But you brought humor. You brought joy back into my very mundane life.
Your electric sunshine . . . it consumed me, and now that I can call you mine, I know I’ll never be able to go back to a world where you’re not in it.
Look up at me because I have something to say to you . . .
Tears welling in my eyes, I lower the card and look at Hayes. His eyes are so sincere, his expression soft and handsome, those steely eyes making me feel weak.
“I love you, baby,” he says, stealing the breath right from my lungs.
I slowly lower the card to the island, my heart hammering.I wasn’t sure he was there yet.I wasn’t even sure he’d say those three little words anytime soon.
“And I don’t expect you to say anything in return,” he continues, “but I couldn’t go another day without telling you how much I care for you, how much you mean to me, and I figured today would be the best way to do that.”
“Hayes,” I barely say above a whisper, my throat choked up from the elation, the surprise, the relief flying through me. I reach for his hand, and he offers it to me. “I love you, too.” A smile breaks out over my lips, and I repeat, “I love you so much.”
His shoulders relax, and the sexiest smirk passes over his lips. “Christ, that feels good to hear that.” He sighs. “And this is exactly why I put an island between us because I desperately want to show you just how much I love you.” His eyes are full of innuendo.
“Show me,” I say.
He shakes his head. “Not now, baby. Tonight.” But he rounds the island and comes up to me. He grips my face, and his thumb presses under my chin, angling my head up for him. He leans down and places a soft kiss on my lips. “Fuck, I love you.”
My fingers lace through his belt loop, holding him close. “I love you, too.”
He sighs and rubs his nose against mine. “Hearing you say that is like a sin ricocheting through me, like I shouldn’t be hearing such sweet words from your lips, but fuck will I hold on to them.”
“You deserve them, Hayes. You deserve everything we can give to each other.”
I slip my hands under his shirt, and he freezes.
“Hattie . . .”
“What?” I ask, my fingers brushing over his abs.
“I said tonight.”
“And it’s my birthday, so I say now.” I lift my hands, taking his shirt with them, and he groans while letting me take it off. I toss it to the side and lean in, pressing soft kisses to his chest.
“Breakfast is going to be cold.”
“It’s in a warmer,” I say as I move my hands up to his thick pecs. “I want to feel you, Hayes. I want you to . . . make love to me.”
Groaning, he lifts me up by the ass. I wrap my legs around his waist, and together, he walks us down the hallway to his bedroom, where he places me gently on his bed. Eyes on me the entire time, he undoes his pants and pushes them down along with his boxer briefs. His delicious cock springs forward, and I feel my mouth water from the sight of him. Brawny biceps flex as he grips his cock for a moment, slowly gliding his fist up and down his length while his eyes stay trained on me and his teeth pull on his bottom lip.
