Derek

The next morning, I didn’t run away. Instead, I stayed in Hayden’s bed and watched her until the sun came up. I really needed to get to my house and get my things for practice, but I refused to leave her, not until she woke up.

“Rise and shine, love.” I kissed her bare breast and licked her nipple. She moaned and opened her eyes, greeting me with that sexy smile of hers.

“Good morning, indeed.” She stretched her arms above her head and glanced over at the clock. “Well, it was a good morning. I have to be at work in an hour and a half.”

“And I have to be at practice in two hours. I didn’t want to leave until you were awake. I was thinking about this weekend and wanted to see if you’d like to come to the game with me.”

Eyes wide with excitement, she sat up. “That’d be awesome. Do you think Michael could come, too? He’s moving away this weekend and I want to see him before he goes. He’d love to be there.”

I tapped her chin. “Anything for you, love.”

She sat up and pursed her lips. “What happened to breakfast in bed?”

“How about a coffee from Caramel Café instead? I know you like it there.”

“And how would you know that?”

I cleared my throat, not wanting to answer.

Her lips spread into a full grin and she giggled. “Don’t tell me you’ve been watching me?”

Sighing, I brushed the hair off her face. “I’m not going to lie, I did watch you this past week, hating myself for what I’d done. It was my punishment.” Her smile faded. “I wanted to talk to you, but I knew I fucked up. When I saw you with that other doctor I almost lost my shit.”

She gasped. “Jeremiah? When did you see us?”

My jaw clenched. “The night he kissed you. I wanted to beat the shit out of him for touching you, but I knew I had no right.”

She grabbed my hands. “Derek, there’s nothing going on between me and him. He’s always had a thing for me, but I’ve never reciprocated. That kiss came out of nowhere. If it makes you feel any better, I didn’t kiss him back.”

“As long as that fucker doesn’t do it again, we’ll be fine.” Just the thought of him touching her made me livid. I didn’t want anyone putting his hands on her but me.

“So what does this mean, exactly?” she asked. “Between us, I mean.”

“What do you want it to mean?” I countered.

“Well,” she began with a mischievous leer, “if you don’t want anyone else kissing me, then I guess the same should go for you as well.”

Covering her with my body, I leaned down and kissed her. “Are you saying you want to be mine?”

“Maybe. I might need a little more convincing.” She snickered and wrapped her legs around my waist. My cock twitched, and she didn’t help matters by rubbing her pussy all over it. Making love to her was going to be an addiction I couldn’t quell. I knew without a doubt I’d always want her.

“Last night wasn’t answer enough?” She bit her lip and answered me with a shake of her head. I started to push into her, but then my phone rang. When I reached over to grab it, I looked at the screen and groaned.

“Who is it?” Hayden asked.

Chuckling, I ran a hand through my hair. “It’s my mother.”

Unhooking her legs, she slid out from under me. “Answer it then, silly. We have to get ready to go anyway. We can continue this tonight.” She kissed me on the cheek. “I’m getting in the shower.”

Lounging on her bed, I watched her walk into the bathroom, swaying her hips to mess with me. Fuck, she was going to kill me. “Hey, Ma,” I said into the phone.

“Hello to you, too. If I didn’t call you, you’d probably forget all about me, wouldn’t you?”

I chuckled. “I talked to you two days ago.”

“And that’s an eternity in mother years. Your father and I watched the game the other night. Who is this Hayden? Is she the girl you were on TV with the other week?”

“Yes.” Twenty questions were about to commence. My mother had been reaming my ass about the number of girls I’d been seen with, but I’d never really cared what others thought of me until Hayden.

“Must be serious if you apologized to her during the game the other night. That had to take some work, getting all those kids to hold up those signs.”

“It was worth it,” I admitted in all honesty. I had made the signs myself and walked through the crowd to hand them out before the game. The kids had loved it, and it had given me a chance to meet some of the fans.

“She’s beautiful,” my mother gushed.

“Yes, she is.”

“Are you two actually dating, or is she one of your weekly girlfriends?” she inquired.

“Nice, Ma.”

“What? I’m just a mother who wants to see her son happy instead of whoring around. You need a good girl in your life.”

Hayden turned on the shower and winked at me before shutting the bathroom door. “I do have a good girl, Ma. Hayden and I are officially dating now.”

“You are?” she squealed excitedly. “When are you bringing her home to meet me?”

“One day, I’m sure. With the season starting and her work schedule, I don’t know when we’ll get out there, but I’m sure she’d be happy to meet you and Dad.”

“I look forward to it. I’m just happy you found someone else after all this time. I thought I was going to lose you.”

Sighing, I laid my head on Hayden’s pillow; it smelled like her. “I thought so, too, but not anymore. I’m happy now.”

“And I’m happy for you. Just don’t do anything stupid where you have to apologize on national TV.”

I laughed. “Yes, Ma. Anything else?”

“Only that I love you. Good luck this weekend.”

We said our goodbyes, and I rushed into the shower before Hayden could get out. I had to finish what she’d started.

The Caramel Café was packed and we were running out of time, but I’d promised Hayden breakfast. She ordered a pumpkin spice latte; that was what she drank every single morning, according to the hostess behind the counter. I had to remember that. Since I had a few minutes before I needed to leave for practice, we sat down at one of the outside tables.

“Do you want to get together tonight?” I asked.

“Of course. My place or yours?”

“Mine. And bring a change of clothes in case the night runs late.”

She giggled, and it was the sweetest sound. “I need to go home and check on Patch before I come over. He’s probably mad that we didn’t pay him any attention last night.”

“Then bring him over with you. I’m sure Bear will keep him company.” As a kid, I’d had animals, but Bear was by far the best dog I’d ever had. And since Evan lived nearby, I’d had him check on Bear while I was away.

Her face brightened. “You don’t mind?”

“Not at all. Bear’s getting around much better now. He can actually walk on his own.”

“That’s amazing. I can’t wait to see him. I’m sure Patch will love to come over, too. Maybe we could take them to the Whitewater Center.”

I’d never been there, but I’d heard it was an amazing place. It was set up for Olympians to practice their kayaking skills. You could raft down the course, plus go through several obstacle courses and hiking trails.

“Sounds like a plan. I’ll be home before you, so just come on over after you get off work.”

She leaned over the table and kissed me. “See you then. Now get to practice before you’re late. I don’t want you fined because of me.”

I grasped her chin and held her in place. “It’d be worth it.”

“Good morning, Hayden,” a voice called out.

Hayden’s eyes went wide and she backed away, her gaze meeting someone behind me. I turned to look, and standing with a scowl on his face was the same fucker who’d kissed her. “Hey, Jeremiah,” she greeted awkwardly. “I was just about to head to the office.”

I got to my feet, knowing I would tower over him. Dressed in his uniform and lab coat, he wanted to look intimidating, but I wasn’t falling for it. He may have been more educated than I was, but that wasn’t going to win him Hayden.

“I don’t think we’ve met,” he said, holding out his hand. “I’m Dr. Jeremiah Patton.”

I grabbed his hand and squeezed. “Derek McLaughlin.” Then I dropped his hand and focused back on Hayden. “I’ll see you tonight.”

She glanced from me to Jeremiah nervously. “Okay. Have fun at practice.”

I wanted to walk with her to the clinic, but when Jeremiah didn’t follow her, it was obvious that he had something to say to me. Once she was out of earshot, all pleasantries were gone.

“What the hell are you doing with her?” he growled.

Smirking, I faced him head-on. “I don’t think that’s any of your business. For future reference, though, it might be in your best interest not to ever kiss her again.”

He stepped forward. “Why? Afraid she might like it?”

The rage overwhelmed me, but I had no choice but to rein it in. The last thing I needed was an assault charge—although that fucking cocksucker was going to regret it if he ever touched her like that again. “Don’t push me,” I hissed low. “You’ll regret it.”

“We’ll see about that.”