Until Alex - J. Nathan Page 0,15

loose.

“Ready?” he asked.

I nodded, wondering why I felt so let down that he didn’t compliment me.

Hayden placed his hand on the small of my back and guided me toward the stairwell. Tiny tingles resonated in the spot. Geez. Did his touch need to feel so electric? Like I was special. Like he needed to take care of me.

I hadn’t seen his hand on that girl’s back he took home the other night.

“Are you letting me drive?”

“Nope,” he answered as we descended the stairs.

Outside, the heat assailed us like a wall of glass. Being inside an air-conditioned building made it easy to forget how painstakingly hot Texas summers were. Even for a coastal town, the thick heat clung heavily to the air and snatched your breath away.

Hayden guided me to a big black truck in the corner of the lot, so masculine and conspicuous. Just like him. Catching me by surprise, he stopped on the passenger side and opened the door.

I grabbed hold of the interior handle and lifted myself inside. As he rounded the front of his truck, I tried to make sense of his actions. His quiet appraisal. His hand on my back. Him opening the door.

Did he consider it a date?

Did he think I’d be one of those girls who’d go back to his apartment at the end of the night?

Did he feel sorry for the girl who couldn’t sleep or stop crying for four days?

If I were a betting girl, I’d take the latter.

HAYDEN

I could barely focus on the dark road in front of me. Where was I supposed to take Alex looking all sexy like that? If I took her to Baxter’s, the guys would be all over her. And I was in no mood to throw down. I also risked running into girls I’d slept with. Definitely not something I wanted to happen in front of Alex. If I took her to dinner, she’d think it was a date.

It definitely wasn’t a date.

I chanced a quick peek over at her nestled in the passenger side of my truck. She stared out her window at the passing stores and restaurants, spinning a silver ring on her middle finger. I clearly made her nervous. Especially in such tight quarters.

I wondered why she hadn’t mentioned the nineties’ rock blaring from my speakers. Other girls complained the second they got into my truck. Either it was too outdated, too loud, or not country. But not Alex.

“So where you from?” I asked, needing to break the awkward silence between us.

Her eyes shot to mine, an unfathomable expression on her face. “I didn’t tell you?”

I turned down the music and shook my head. Why was she so surprised? She hadn’t told me anything.

“Austin.”

I spotted Remy’s truck in Baxter’s parking lot. Nope. Not going there. He’d have Alex in tears in seconds with his vulgar mouth, blunt assertions, and foul sense of humor. “You like it there?”

I shot her a side-long glance, instantly noticing her moist eyes. Shit. My attention flew back to the road, unequipped to deal with whatever the hell this was.

“I did,” her voice was soft, sad.

Even with the weight of her stare, and the underlying meaning of her words, I didn’t dare look back. I knew how it felt to harbor secrets, ones you didn’t want anyone else knowing. But I also knew how it felt to have people around who didn’t give a damn.

Fuuuuck.

“So whatever brought you here sucked pretty bad, huh?” I peeked over to gauge her response.

Her eyes dropped to her lap and she nodded.

“Well then tonight’s exactly what you need.”

She didn’t look at me, but a small smile tipped her lips. “I sure hope so.”

Great. I still had no clue where to take her.

The further I drove, the further away from town we got. Maybe that had been my plan all along. Get her away from my demons.

ALEX

I glanced over at Hayden. His left hand relaxed on the steering wheel while his right hand played the beat of an old Pearl Jam song on the seat between us. God. I wished the old song didn’t send me into such a tailspin. I’d been lost in my head for most of the ride, memories of my dad overtaking my thoughts from the first note.

I wondered how Hayden did it. How he always appeared so cool and collected. Was he really? Or was it just a front to keep others out?

Without warning, he whipped the steering wheel to the left. My body slammed into the passenger