Page 218 of Risking the Pucking Defense

“I think, hell, yes, baby. Do you have any idea how long I’ve been fantasizing about fucking you from behind while my name is branded across your back?”

“A week or two?” I hedge, knowing I’m miles out.

“How about a year,” he groans, pressing the front of his body against mine.

“That’s a long time.”

A dark chuckle spills from his lips. “You’re telling me.”

His lips find mine ten seconds before the elevator dings and the doors open on my floor.

“Goddamn it,” he mutters as he takes a step back and rearranges himself in his sweats.

“I’m assuming my surprise wasn’t that,” I say, nodding toward his semi.

“It wasn’t what I was thinking of at the time, but that can certainly be arranged.”

Side by side, we make our way to my front door, and then Hayden lets me go ahead of him.

“Oh my god,” I shriek when I see the state of my kitchen. “What the hell have you done?”

“Oh. Shit. I didn’t realize I’d made that much of a mess,” Hayden explains, coming up behind me and inspecting the damage. “But I made cinnamon buns.”

He walks toward the tray of unbaked buns and holds them out proudly.

“They look great.”

“They’ve been proving for a little too long. I hope I haven’t ruined them.”

Spinning around, I turn my oven on to preheat.

“I’m sure they’ll be fine,” I assure him. “I need to go shower, and then we’ll have one and I’ll…tell you a little more about my previous life. If it’s about to come knocking, then I need you to be aware of what might be heading your way.”

“That sounds ominous.”

“Brandon is a bad person who only cares about himself and what those around him can do for him. It was never going to end well.”

“Right, well…I’ll tidy this up then, I guess.”

I leave Hayden to it. As much as I want to spend time with him, I know that I need to tell him everything, and to do that, I need a moment to gather my thoughts and figure out how to explain what my life was like before I escaped and started over.

I spend longer than necessary indulging in the hot water, and then I spend even longer on my face care routine.

My heart lurches when I hear Hayden in the bedroom, and after giving myself a good talking to, I step out and join him.

My steps falter in the doorway when I find a tray waiting in the middle of the bed with two fully loaded hot chocolates and a plate of freshly baked cinnamon buns, and even better, behind it, Hayden rests back against the headboard wearing nothing but his gray sweatpants.

Damn, that boy knows exactly what he’s doing.

“They smell good, so I’m hopeful they'll taste decent,” he says as I make my way over and crawl onto the bed beside him.

He reaches for one, and before I know what’s happening, he’s moving it toward my mouth.

His eyes hold mine, and they dance with delight as I take a bite.

“Omm muh gawd,” I mumble. It’s still warm, and it’s so sweet and perfect.

“Yeah?”