Until Alex - J. Nathan Page 0,54

worked last time. Hayden’s receptive body didn’t disappoint.

“Morning, sweetheart,” he whispered into my ear, his warm raspy breath a balm on my neck.

“Morning.” I couldn’t stop my grin. It was crazy. My entire world had crashed down around me. But in the little bubble Hayden and I shared, the place where his ability to protect me and comfort me encompassed me whole, everything seemed like it might be okay. Like I might be okay.

“You’re not planning on going in today are you?”

I spun in his arms and wrapped my arms around his waist. He tensed a bit, but I didn’t care. “If I don’t go, she wins.”

Hayden looked down at me, his gorgeous eyes gentle. “You sure?”

“Nope. But someone once told me I was a survivor.”

That slow cocky grin slipped across his face. “That someone must be very smart.”

I looked him dead in the eyes, without even a hint of a smile. “And a hottie.”

His brows arched. “Oh, yeah?”

I bit my bottom lip and nodded slowly, knowing exactly where I wanted the moment to go. Where I needed it to go.

But Hayden’s eyes squeezed shut, as if in unfathomable pain. “We should probably get up then.”

Seriously?

If any other girl had given him the same subtle go-ahead, it would’ve led to some serious stripping. But since it was me, super fragile me, he wouldn’t go there. But he had to feel our palpable chemistry, so charged in such close proximity.

Bastard.

“I’m gonna do this alone.”

“Al—”

I shook my head. “My battle. I’ll fight it.” My eyes flashed around his room. “And you know, I’ve been thinking. If this is all I can have…” I met his gaze. “I’d like to have it.”

The tension around his eyes dissolved, and he smiled a dimple digging, teeth showing, wide as a canyon smile. Then, as if it were happening in slow motion, he inched closer until our noses brushed. My tongue shot out, moistening my bottom lip in anticipation.

Hayden’s hands gripped my hips, holding on fiercely as he closed the distance between us. Our lips collided in an explosion of sensations. His delicious kisses, gentle yet firm, consumed me. He wasn’t rough or hasty. I wasn’t those other girls. I was something special, and he planned to savor every second he got with me.

My fingers trailed up his muscular back and wove into his hair. Pressing my fingertips to the back of his head, I pulled him closer, molding myself into his solid chest and sucking his bottom lip into my mouth. I couldn’t stop myself. I opened my lips slightly on a moan. That was all the encouragement he needed. His tongue plunged inside, caressing and moving with mine in a rhythmic dance. My God. It was sexy as hell.

I melted into him. The steady racing of his heart against my chest ignited tiny goose bumps all over my body. I deepened the kiss, needing more. So much more.

Hayden’s hands slipped up the back of my T-shirt, his fingers caressing my bare skin. Warm ripples swelled deep in my belly. I didn’t want him to stop. I wanted to stay like that with him and never leave. I wanted the outside world to just slip away as he brought every one of my fantasies to life.

But slowly, he pulled back, breaking the kiss. Our heaving chests and panting breaths mirrored one another. His eyes zoned in on my swollen lips. I assumed it meant he wasn’t done with me, but his eyes lifted to mine. “If we don’t get up—”

“We’re never getting up?”

His lazy smile said he was trying to do the right thing. But his thumbs tracing tiny circles all over my back said what’s a few more minutes?

* * *

With only seconds to spare, I pulled into the campus parking lot nabbing the last available spot. Even though the mystery of what lay beneath my clothes no longer existed, I still covered as much of my skin as possible, donning jeans and a long-sleeve black top.

I hurried across the vacant quad, up the three flights of stairs in the English building, and slipped into Lit 350 as the professor began her lecture.

The girl with the razor-sharp bangs beside me shot me a remorseful nod. I wanted to tell her she wasn’t to blame, but why bother talking about it. It just reminded me it happened.

Unfortunately, not everyone appeared apologetic. Girls glared like I’d stolen their boyfriends, and guys stared like they wanted to ravage me. But I wouldn’t let their unwanted attention ruin