n. A dozen girls hovering around to congratulate him. Scouts. Coaches. The other team.
But he didn’t notice them. His eyes were glued to mine and his hands clung to my back and the same sort of shift that had taken place between me and Oliver in my bedroom and me and Jackson at the party took place on the metal bleachers.
After a shower and change, Oliver drove us in his Mustang across town to Dad’s Diner because they were “starving,” and needed fuel. With Hayden’s fingers linked with mine, he led me to their favorite booth, the circular one in the corner, and we piled in.
Anderson’s absence was noted. He was texted. He was cursed. Then it was decided he was a loser for not coming and the food arrived at the table and he was forgotten, at least for the moment.
Already full on fries and coke, I only got a piece of pie, but the boys? They made up for my lack of eating with massive plates of hamburgers, fries, pies, and ice cream. They laughed and joked with one another, threw fries, guzzled drinks, and celebrated Hayden’s win.
Despite my pleasure of simply being with them, I couldn’t help but feel hyper-aware that from the outside it looked like the price for my inclusion in this group was my body. The only consolation was that I knew the truth. They’d asked me for nothing. And that was sexier than any pick-up line tossed at me over the past few weeks.
“There’s no way you can beat me,” Oliver said, rolling his eyes.
Jackson scoffed. “Dude, classic Ms. Pac-Man is my jam.”
“Your jam?”
“Yeah, my jam. Don’t mock my choice of lingo—or my favorite game.”
Oliver eyed him. “I’ll bet you a milkshake I can beat your high score.”
Jackson shook his head. “Foolish bet, my friend.”
I stared at the two of them in disbelief. I finally got a seat at the exclusive table of the Allendale Four and this was the topic of conversation. Ms. Pac-Man? I glanced at Hayden and he smiled at their nonsense and shrugged.
Oliver stood, stretching and flexing his fingers. “Excuse me, Heaven, I’ve got a bet to settle.”
“Don’t worry, babe,” Jackson said, kissing me on the cheek and then standing himself. “This won’t take long.”
The two moved to the back of the diner, toward the video games, roughhousing along the way. At this point the diner was basically empty, just the cook and waitress working behind the counter.
I watched the boys go and raised an eyebrow. “This happen often?”
Hayden rubbed his face. “Every freaking time.”
He took the opportunity to slide a little closer and threw an arm over my shoulder. He looked at my plate. “How’s the pie?”
“Good.” I licked my fork. “Want to try a bite?”
“I’ve been waiting for you to ask.”
The implication in his voice was heavy, flirty, and having the full weight of Hayden’s attention was a lot to handle. With the others there was something light—even the years-long jabs between Anderson and I—but Hayden, he was different. I felt it in my soul.
I scooped up a heaping forkful of cherry and crust and lifted it to his mouth. It hovered near his pink lips, which were twisted in a sexy smirk until he opened up.
I always, always, thought the whole feeding someone thing was lame. In movies, commercials, books…but holy shit, watching Hayden slowly chew while a small piece of flakey crust stuck to his bottom lip, did. Things. To. Me.
“Uh…” I started, at a complete loss for real words. I swallowed and pointed to his mouth. “You, uh…”
He touched his lip, then flicks his tongue out, swiping at the crust. It didn’t budge, stuck with the gooey sugar of the filling. “Got it?” he asked, his eyes twinkling.
“Well…” I leaned forward and his hand slid down around my waist. My eyes were zeroed in on his mouth, the sugar, the soft pink of his lips. The world fell away from us; the diner, the waiter, the sound of the video games in the back, and I fell into him, kissing the crust off his lip.
He reacted instantly, moving his hands to my face. I tasted the sugar on his mouth, the hunger of more basic, primal desires. My heart pounded with excitement—exhilaration—I was kissing Hayden Perkins and damn, he was kissing me back.
There was no doubt he liked it. That he liked me and with the pie, and the game, and the others forgotten, Hayden and I slowly, seductively, got to know one another a little better.
Chapter 12