I saw you, Hayden. For a moment I saw you.

Richard appears in my periphery as he walks to the minibar in the corner of the living room, while Aleck walks into the kitchen. The smile on his face drops when he takes in Hayden’s proximity to me, and the look on our faces, I’m sure.

“Where’s mom?” he asks, stepping beside me. His hand slides across my back and he pulls me close, then kisses my temple.

“She went to the restroom,” I respond, since Hayden is too busy grinding his teeth and glaring at me to answer. “Not sure after that.”

“Everything okay?” Aleck asks.

“Relax, Brother. I was just getting to know your girlfriend. Cute as a button as long as you don’t piss her off.” With that, Hayden winks at me, then walks away to join his father in the living room.

“What happened?” Aleck hisses, his brows pulling into a scowl.

“Nothing.” I shake my head and force a smile. “Hayden just being Hayden.” I roll my eyes to seem more like Winter and curl my arms around his neck.

“Easy to fuck, but not good enough to date…” My heart aches as I try to recover from Hayden’s words.

“I missed you…” Aleck nuzzles his nose against my ear. “Fifteen minutes and I missed you.” He laughs. “I’m going to need you to suck my dick later, so I’m reminded that I actually have one.”

“I was already planning on it, handsome,” I whisper, melting into a puddle of giggly girl. “Your balls too.”

“Jesus,” he hisses, sliding his hands down to my ass, pulling me in tighter. “Eat dessert quickly. I’m ready to be alone with you.”

TWENTY-SEVEN

WINTER

Music seeps its way into my dreamlike state, forcing my eyes to snap open. I sit up, feeling the weight of the rat’s nest my hair has knotted into tilting my head to one side. Rubbing my eyes, I try my hardest to focus through the sleepy haze I’m in.

“Morning…”

I turn to the en suite to see Aleck, wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist, his arms stretched above his head, hands gripping the top of the door frame.

My, my, my, what a beautiful man…

“Morning,” I whisper, observing the way his skin and small patch of chest hair glisten with dampness, steam billowing around the bathroom behind him, the knot of the towel sitting just under his V, and just above his—

“I almost made you go on a run with me, then I decided to work your body another way. You should know, you’ll be sore later.”

Fire sizzles through my veins and rushes to my cheeks. I’d be turned on if I wasn’t fighting to hear myself think through this ridiculously outdated music.

The chorus of “Motownphilly” by Boyz II Men starts, and I can’t possibly stop the laugh that erupts from my throat.

“You seriously need to refine your musical pallet.” I scoot to the edge of the bed, my feet lowering to the cold hardwood floors. “Turn it down, please.”