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With a frown, he muttered, “Well, when you put it that way—”
“Oh my God,” I burst out. “Why? Why do you care what he charges me for rent or—”
He winced. “Actually, it wasn’t about you at all. I started my association with him before I even knew you existed.”
“Right.” I blew out a breath and nodded. I should’ve known that. Of course, this wasn’t about me. We’d only met—wait a second. Realizing what this was really about—or rather, who it was about, I shot my gaze to him.
“Kaitlynn,” I murmured.
He sighed regretfully and ran a hand through his hair, clearly uneasy about discussing the entire subject. “I received more inheritance from her father than she did.”
“Okay,” I said slowly, beginning to understand.
“It wasn’t right,” he growled, growing agitated. “I made off like a fucking bandit, living comfortably, driving a decent car, working in my head-of-department office in the company her father started from the ground, and living in a high-rise apartment on the cleaner side of the city. And she’s here…”
He jabbed his hand down the street in the direction of my building. “In that shithole.” Pausing, he winced at me and added, “Sorry. No offense to your home.”
“No.” I waved a hand. “It is a shithole.”
“It’s just not right,” he ranted. “And you know Kaitlynn. No way in hell would she take a fucking handout from me if I actually offered to help her, even though the money is more rightfully hers than mine. So, I don’t know—I just—” Shaking his head, he looked at me as if he felt defeated. “I’m doing what I can to make the place she chose to live in at least decent enough to suit her.”
For the longest moment, I could only gaze at him in awe. He went to extreme lengths for the people important to him. Sure, he got his hands a little dirty, resorting to things like blackmail and breaking into his own mother’s home. But his heart was in the right place. He did it all for such noble, amazing reasons that I found myself cupping his face in my hands and drawing his mouth down to mine.
He breathed me in gratefully, drinking from my lips and stepping in close to cup my hips in his hands.
Murmuring my name as I slowly broke from the kiss, he turned his face to my hair and rested his cheek against me. “What was that for?”
I smiled. “Maybe I’ll tell you someday.” Then I linked my fingers with his and said, “But for now, come on. It’s scone time.”
Chapter 22
Gabby
After dropping Miguel off at school the next morning, Hayden grew pensive and quiet in his driver’s seat. I couldn’t tell you what was going on in his mind, but my own was swirling. I couldn’t seem to stop thinking about him and everything that was blooming between us.
It was totally the wrong time to start any kind of relationship with him; he was in the middle of trying to save his family’s company, play secret fairy godmother to his stepsister, prove his mother was involved in illegal activities, and set up a shoe line at a prestigious fashion company. There wasn’t time for me in his life. I was just a means to an end, there to help him seek justice.
Except he’d flat-out told me he was going to seduce me. Someday. And last night, after we’d picked up our scones and fetched Miguel from Mabel’s apartment, he’d stuck around, eating supper with us, helping my brother with his homework, and listening to Papá talk about the board operator position he’d applied for at the power plant on the edge of town when he’d returned home from his interview. That wasn’t what a man who just wanted to have sex and only sex with you usually did. It was what a guy who wanted more did.
Bringing my nails up to my mouth to chew on them, I glanced across the interior of the car toward Hayden. Did he want more from me? Because if he did, then I—I mean, I think I was okay with that.
Fine. I was definitely okay with it.
My stomach fluttered with eager anticipation. I liked Hayden. I liked him a lot. It’d been a long time since I’d liked someone enough to want to start anything with them.
I opened my mouth to tell him—hell, I’m not even sure what I would’ve said, but he cut in first, not realizing I was going to speak.
“I won’t be able to pick you up after work today.” He glanced my way. “I have that meeting about Finley with the detective at the police department, remember? So I’ll have to call you an Uber or—”
“Don’t worry about it.” I waved a hand and shook my head, a little relieved he’d taken away my opportunity to tell him what I was feeling. The chicken in me was grateful to put it off. I mean, what if he didn’t feel the same? I wasn’t ready to hear that right now, right before I needed all my faculties about me in order to face his mother again.
“I’ll be fine,” I assured him with a smile. “But you’re going to meet with the police anyway? Even though we didn’t find any proof against Lana yet?”
He sighed wearily and nodded. “I have to. Time isn’t exactly on our side. If she still tries to sell those original designs to our competitors, it’ll be too late. We’ll just have to hope Finley rolls over on her and can take her down with him with his word alone.”
I winced. “And if he doesn’t?”
He looked vaguely ill as he answered, “Then we’re all screwed. You, me, Brick, Kaitlynn, your family, and everyone at JFI.”
