Layers(43)

He tilts his head, deepening his stare. “What is it, Hayley? What aren’t you telling me?”

Everything. Nothing. I open my mouth to speak and pause, trying to choose the right words, figure out what I want to tell him. He first looks at me, assessing, and then stands. He walks toward me, minimizing the distance between us, then he hugs me tight, wrapping me in a cage of his firmness and warmth; I rest my forehead on his chest. I force out the tight air in my lungs, upset at him and most of all with myself that this is exactly what I wanted since that call. He slightly tips his shoulder so I will raise my head to look at him.

“What aren’t you telling me?” he whispers, releasing a thousand butterflies from my core to flicker inside my stomach in a tornado.

“I’m upset with you.”

He bends his head, pressing his forehead to mine. “Keep going,” he coaxes gently.

“I didn’t appreciate the way our call was conducted. You didn’t listen to what I had to say.”

He exhales and says, “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“I am not at your beck and call, you know.”

“Why would you say something like that?”

I inhale deeply. “You just act that way.”

“What do you mean?”

“If I tell you that I can’t talk, then I can’t. The main point is listening to what I have to say; also, including me in your plans would be a good start.”

As an answer he pulls me closer to him squeezing me tight, my cheek against his chest. I inhale his sedating scent and relax. I wrap my arms around his waist and lean myself closer, deeper into him. You’re half way to heartbreakville, Hales. Look how affected you are by him, and in such a short time.

“Look at me,” he whispers to my head, nuzzling it tenderly. “You smell so good,” he adds, breathing me in. I raise my head for our eyes to meet; he bends to kiss me, one sincere, warm kiss. A kiss that tells me he is sorry to have made me feel that way.

“Come home with me, sleep over tonight.”

“Okay,” I answer with no hesitation. I want him. I want him and don’t want to let go. Reluctantly I detach from his embrace to pack an overnight bag.

Knocking on the bathroom door, I enter, not even waiting for Tasha to reply, and sit at the edge of the bath.

“You look troubled, I don’t like it. Are you okay?”

“I’m okay now.”

“I didn’t know something was wrong when I let him in,” she apologizes.

“It’s fine, it really is. I was upset with him and all I wanted was him. Does that even make any sense? It doesn’t to me …” I loop my watchband around my wrist.

She puts her wet hand on mine, I shift my eyes to level with hers. “It makes sense, Hales, it makes crystal clear sense. You’re falling for him …”

I think for a minute about what she just said and tell her that I’m leaving now to spend the night at Daniel’s, pushing away the thought of her observation.

“Go, but do take care of that heart of yours that I adore so much.” And to lift my spirits she adds, “And like I said before, I still stand behind my words. If he hurts you, regardless of the fact that he’s the god of Stark Software and could have me fired in no time, I will still kick his butt.”

I chuckle. “‘God’? Really?”

She laughs.

“Bye.” I kiss her head and go to the “god” that lifts me up and drops me down without out any visible effort.

“Let’s go,” I say, and he takes my bag from me then takes my hand in his as we walk to his car. This time it’s a black Alfa spider.

“Nice car.” I admire the slick vehicle.

“Thanks,” he smiles.

“Speaking about cars, I should return yours.”

“Keep it for now; I want you to drive a safe vehicle,” he declares

I let it pass; I’ve had enough arguing for one day.

As soon as we buckle up he pushes the gas pedal and the car roars, jumping ahead. Daniel switches on the iPod. Does he have a different one in each of the cars? Forwarding some songs he pauses on U2, singing “All I want Is You.” He reaches over to me and takes my hand, laces our fingers together and squeezes softly. I look at him, mouthing the words, eyes focused on the road ahead, and my heart tightens.

As the car accelerates, he shifts to sixth gear with his left hand, letting go of the wheel for a split second, but not letting go of my hand. I look at him and think about how drastically he makes my feelings change from complete rage to complete fondness and then again to uncontrollable lust, and all in a few short hours. Like a collision between a hurricane and a volcano with my emotions in between.

~~~

“There is a call I have to make, shouldn’t take long.” Daniel excuses himself as we step in, resting my overnight bag on the sofa.

“Go ahead,” I say with an encouraging smile.

“You can have a bath if you’d like.”

“Guess I’ll go with a shower.”

“So I’ll be in my office, use the shower in the master bedroom,” he says, and steps over to kiss me. He next wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me closer to him.

His soft kiss makes my inner butterflies revive. I kiss him back, with resolve, deeper. He counters, framing my face with his hands. Gradually, we are both drawn to the connection with greater impulse, pushing and tasting, seeking more. I move my hand to his firm back and pull him closer, feeling him hard against me. My other hand finds its way to the gap between his jeans and his back; his firm muscles counter my grip. His hand reaches under my shirt, fondling my breasts, tugging down the cups of my bra. His direct touch makes me gasp. I help him get his shirt off, pulling it from its hem up over his head. Our mouths detach for that instant, after which our charged stares lock. He’s flushed; the side of his forehead twinkles with a thin layer of sweat. He looks so wild, making my lower body tighten in the sweetest possible way.