Page 64 of Delayed Penalty

“So you’re telling me he just woke up on the wrong side of the bed or something? Nothing else big is going on? Everything’s okay? Because you’re not wearing any ridiculous earrings today, and youalwaysdo.”

I know what she’s really asking:Is everything okay with you two?

My mother likes Hayes, but she loves me, and I love her for being so concerned for me right now.

I nod, swallowing down the heaviness that’s settled into my throat. “Yep. All good.”

“Hmm,” she says, her lips pulled into a flat line.

She doesn’t fully believe me, and honestly, Iwouldn’t believe me either. It’s clear something is wrong with Hayes, but I’m not about to tell my mother it’s because we couldn’t keep our hands to ourselves last night. She’ll kill me if she finds out I’ve likely already ruined this.

“Well, if you need to talk or anything, you know you can call me, right?”

I smile. “I know, Mom. I appreciate it. Now, can I get some breakfast? I’m starving.”

She rolls her eyes. “Oh, Quinn, never change, kid. Never change.”

She’s wrong though. I do need to change. I cannot keep repeating the same mistakes, which means no matter how badly I want it to happen, Hayes and I can’t be a thing. I have to start making good decisions, even if it means giving up something I really want.

And what I really want is Hayes, even if he is my boss.

“Are you finished?”

“Yes.” Flora pats her belly. “Thank you for dinner, Just Quinn.”

She says it like she’s just eaten the best meal of her life instead of a can of soup I cracked open and agrilled cheese sandwich…for the third night this week. Man, I really need to learn to make something else for her.

“You’re welcome, kid. Now, go take a shower. You have school in the morning, and we need to start getting you ready for bed.”

“Ugh. Again?”

“Yes,again. And you better get used to it because you’re going to have school for”—I quickly count the years in my head—“at least nine more years.”

“Ten,” Hayes corrects. “Ten more years. She’s in second grade, so it’s ten.”

It’s six o’clock in the evening, and it’s the first thing Hayes has said to me all day. He and Flora chatted about his game during dinner. She asked a bunch of questions about the rules, why he had to sit in timeout, and whether he had to go to the principal’s office after the game because he got in trouble. In all that, he didn’t say a single word directly to me.

Until now.

“Oh,” I say. “Sorry, Flora, looks like it’s ten.”

“That’s, like,a whole decade.”

“That is, in fact, a whole decade. Now, go. Shower, then you can get one hour of reading before bed.”

“I’m going, I’m going.” She rises from her chair with a grumble, then trudges slowly down the hall, her footfalls extra heavy with every step.

I smile, but it slips from my face when I realize it’s the first time Hayes and I have been alone since last night. Which means we need to talk about what happened, and Ireallydon’t want to talk about what happened.

I rinse our bowls and plates, then load them into the dishwasher before going for Hayes’s dirty dishes. I reach for his empty plate, and his hand circles my wrist, stopping me.

I’m transported right back to last night and the way his hands felt on me. How gentle he was, such a contrast to how he normally is. How featherlight his fingers were as he teased me, never once taking his eyes off me. How absolutely fucking magical it was to come with him holding the toy to my clit.

But his touch only lasts a moment, like he too is remembering everything that has transpired between us.

“I got it,” he says, releasing me and grabbing the plate instead.

I frown down at him. “It’s no big deal. I’m already up.”

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