Until Alex - J. Nathan Page 0,12

a glow over his sleeping form, shadowing his strong jawline and perfect nose. Was that a tiny scar on the bridge of his nose? I hadn’t noticed that before.

His freakishly long eyelashes fanned out, skimming the tops of his cheeks. His flawless skin, with a dusting of early morning stubble, made him appear older than he normally did. I wondered how old he really was. And why he stayed outside with me when he could’ve woken me up. Or left me alone. It wouldn’t have been the first time.

I shifted my focus to the dark building. Why hadn’t my aunt woken me? Had she forgotten about me? It’s not like she was used to having a roommate.

My hands shot to my pockets. Great. No key.

“Hey,” Hayden’s raspy voice purred.

My eyes shot down. His head rested on his palm as he looked up at me with tired eyes. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

He shrugged, slipping his phone from his pocket. Probably checking if any of his women had called. I hoped he hadn’t blown them off on my account. On second thought, yes I did.

“What time is it?”

“Just after three.”

My eyes widened. “Why didn’t you wake me?”

The corners of his lips tipped up. “What kind of miracle worker would I be if I didn’t let an insomniac sleep when she finally fell asleep?”

My hand shot to my mouth, covering a wide yawn. “Glad to see you’re not slacking on the job.”

Hayden pushed himself up to a sitting position, working the kinks out of his neck. “Well since you’re up, I guess I’m no good after all.”

“You’re admitting you’re not good at something?”

He lowered his voice, his hooded eyes luring me in. “Oh, I’m good at lots of things.”

I stared at his cocky grin, grasping his intent and liking it way too much.

He jumped to his feet and extended his hand down to me. “Come on. Let’s get you inside.”

I reached up and grabbed hold of it. A wave of charged energy buzzed through me as he pulled me to my feet. Holy hell. I looked for a reaction, a confirmation he’d felt it too. But his eyes stared down at my feet.

Once I was steady, he released my hand, leaving me utterly bereft. But how could that be? I’d only known him for a couple days. And really, what did I know?

These feelings I felt couldn’t be normal. Rational. Healthy. Especially after all I’d been through.

Hayden seized my comforter from the grass and led me into the building, guiding me with his free hand on the small of my back. Oh. I liked that. Especially the tingling sensation accompanying his touch.

We stepped onto the second floor and the stairwell door clicked behind us. I paused, cringing at the thought of waking my aunt to get into her apartment.

Hayden walked by his apartment and stopped in front of my aunt’s. He didn’t say a word as I stepped beside him. He just gazed down at me, his eyes unexpectedly gentle.

My heart jumped to my throat. I couldn’t remember the last time a guy made me that nervous.

“Your aunt gave it to me.”

Oblivious to anything but the flecks of silver in his blue eyes, my voice came out a whisper. “Huh?”

He held up his index finger in the space between us.

I blinked away the Hayden-induced haze to find a shiny gold key dangling from it. “Tonight?”

Hayden’s forehead creased.

“The key. Did she give it to you tonight or did you already have it?”

His eyes narrowed. “Why would I have her key?”

I shrugged. “Maybe you two have a little thing going on. An arrangement.”

Hayden’s eyes gave no indication of what he thought. He simply turned to the door and unlocked it.

Had I gotten it right? Were they hooking up? My aunt was thirty-seven, but she could easily pass for late twenties. And God only knew how old Hayden was. It’s not like he divulged anything willingly.

He turned back to me and held out the key. I reached for it, but he closed his fingers over mine. “You figured it out,” he lowered his voice, his gaze holding mine. “We’ve been going at it for months now.” He tightened his grip as he leaned closer. My breath caught in my throat. My palms dampened. “And it’s been hot. Unbelievably hot.”

I sucked in a silent breath, his words flustering me beyond reason. Maybe it wasn’t his words. Maybe it was the way his eyes held mine, caressing them with a deep penetrating intensity. Or the