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A smile teased his lips before they met mine, softly as though it were a test. Hayden released me abruptly and bolted for the door. I’d agreed to be his girlfriend and he was leaving? I should’ve known better.
When he reached the doorknob, he turned the button, locking it. He spun, his gaze fixing on me, and headed back. Grabbing my waist, he lifted me onto the sink.
I closed my eyes and let him take over, allowing the sensation and emotion to be the victor until my insides ached for him. My knees rested against Hayden’s hips; my hands at his waist brought him closer, so I could take the kiss deeper.
He leaped away. “Jesus, Tessa.”
“What?”
Hayden backed against the wall, ru
“What did I do wrong?” Had I screwed up already?
“Maybe you should be a little less… uh… cooperative.”
“You mean easy?” I squinted, praying that’s not what he meant.
“No.” In a flash, he positioned himself where he’d left off. “I’m having a hard time holding back. So unless you want to be mauled, try not to be so…”
“Easy?” I suggested again.
He chuckled. “Incredibly persuasive.” He lifted me off the sink and set me on the tile floor. “Let’s get out of here before you’re compromised.”
I followed him out the side door where the noise intruded a little less.
“It might not be such a good idea to sleep in the same house.” Even though I wanted him nearby. The withdrawals would be awful, as I’d already discovered earlier that evening. I pressed the button on my clicker and the lights came on in my car across the street. “I… I don’t work that way, Hayden.”
“What way?” He stepped off the curb with me.
“It’s hard for me to… you know.” I realized how that might sound and quickly pushed on. “I mean, I’m not frigid or anything.”
“You’re anything but frigid,” he said firmly, stopping in front of my car.
Leaning an arm on the driver’s side rearview mirror, I stared at my toes. “If we slept together too soon, I might freak. Of course, that wouldn’t matter if you were done with me anyway—”
“It’s not like that, Tessa.”
Hayden hadn’t thought this through. Otherwise he wouldn’t give up other girls for me. It wasn’t his way.
“It doesn’t seem like that to you right now.” I took a deep breath, knowing I was about to give him a way out. I didn’t want him to take it. Still, he needed to know it was there.
“It isn’t as simple as giving in to each other, then breaking up later,” I said. “Hayden, they’ll figure out what you are and when they do, you’ll have to make a decision. And what if we choose opposite sides? Until then, we’ll have to work together and we can’t let ourselves get so screwed up over each other that we mess up somewhere. One stupid mistake could get either of us killed.”
He tipped my chin up and looked into my eyes. “I realize that.”
I nodded and sagged against the car door in relief.
“What’s your plan? Any idea yet which side you’ll choose?” he asked.
“First, I want to find out who killed my sister. I also need to find out why there’s more than one witch in my family. Then I have to figure out a way to raise Bree without putting her in danger. Somehow, I need to be the exception and not have to choose sides.”
“Choose Frank and Lila and you’ll be safe. Simple.”
“And if I learned that one of them killed Zoe?”
Hayden’s jaw tightened. “Then don’t poke around.”
“Can’t do that.” I shook my head. “If something’s wrong, I can’t sit on it and do nothing. I’m not made that way.”
He nodded. “As much as I hate that about you right now, it’s the thing I like most about you. I’m in. But I didn’t hear you mention an actual plan. Do you have one?”
“No. All I know is that you can’t distract me, so we need to keep things light. Which means you can’t spend the night.”
Hayden took a deep breath, shoving his hands in his pockets. “I hate to admit it, but you might be right. We need to concentrate on staying alive.”
“So we sleep at our own houses from now on?” I said, not quite believing he’d agree to it. Hoping he’d shoot down my plan.
“Nope. Because I won’t sleep if I’m somewhere else worrying about you. Nothing has changed. You’ve still got sorcerers with questionable intentions watching you.”
“Do you really think they’d hurt me? They have no reason to do anything until I choose sides.” As the words came out, my stomach clenched. Everyone had assumed that Zoe had been killed for choosing wrongly. Maybe there was some other reason we weren’t aware of. If I didn’t have all the facts, I could make the same mistake and die too.
“Is it really worth the chance that someone like Rena might decide to get rid of you?”
“No.” I grasped the handle of my car door.
“I’ll follow you home.”
Chapter Twenty-six
Hayden
Bad idea. Worst plan yet.
We were about to spend the night in the same house, as boyfriend and girlfriend. I had Tessa right where I wanted her. But if her cravings were even half as intense as mine, we’d end up in bed together. I had no problem taking our relationship to the next level, but she would — as she’d already said. The last thing I needed was Tessa feeling guilty over what she’d done. Guilt could make you do things you wouldn’t normally do and I couldn’t risk her breaking things off with me.
Tonight, I would be the most patient guy in the world.
After parking my car around the corner, I retrieved my overnight bag from the trunk, thankful I’d pla
“You can still sleep here.” Tessa went straight for her dresser and pulled out what looked like pajamas then bunched them against her chest. “I’ll sleep in Bree’s bed, as usual.”
The idea of closing the bedroom door and stripping her naked flashed through my mind. I almost slapped my forehead at that line of thinking.
“I can’t stay in here with you. I...I’m sorry.” She made her way back to the door, careful not to touch me as she passed.
“Hey,” I said before she disappeared. “You’re welcome to join me later. If you want to. I won’t say no.” Good going, Hayden. Way to make her feel comfortable.
“Exactly what I needed to hear. Thanks for that.” She gave a short hysterical laugh and bolted.
It was after midnight, way past my bedtime. At least I wouldn’t have hours of lying awake and missing Tessa.
Two hours later, I stared at the ceiling of Tessa’s room as if jacked up on caffeine. Only because I was stupid enough to keep hoping she’d come in and slip under the covers beside me. It wasn’t going to happen. I knew it. People like Tessa thought ahead, pla
What was I doing with her anyway? We were nothing alike, except for our common bond — we were virtual orphans who stepped up and got the job done when it needed doing. She could have refused to tutor me. Instead, she helped, because she felt compassion. Then she blackmailed Brad into behaving to protect a boy she didn’t even know. I couldn’t forget her commitment to Bree either.
Tessa was a survivor. And a helper. I loved that about her.
“Hi.” The hallway light silhouetted Tessa’s frame. “Can’t sleep either?” she asked.
“No.” I held my breath, waiting to see what she would do. But it was too late — I’d already gotten a whiff of her shampoo. She smelled too good not to touch and my body tensed in an effort to stay still.
Tessa hesitated, then cautiously moved toward the dresser in her baggy sweats and oversized t-shirt. I couldn’t read her face. I tried to peek in her head to see what she was thinking, but I hit a brick wall. What did she want?