Page 50 of Going Home

"You're a difficult woman to find alone."

Turning, Lex's blue eyes crinkle at the edges as she stares at Hailey so intently, she swears the blonde can see into her soul. "You know you can always call or text me. I'll make time for you, Hailey."

As much as Hailey thinks Lex believes that, she knows better. No one in Hailey's life has ever given her the time of day since her mom died. Not without it being forced, which usually comes in the form of getting herself into some type of trouble.

"I know you have a lot going on," she decides to say instead.

"This is about Gavin, isn't it?"

She can't meet Lex's eyes. Her mom died before she was old enough to really start dating. And her stepmom was too self-absorbed to care. The first time Hailey had sex, she desperately wanted someone to talk to, but there was no one. There's no one in the world who seems to really care. Besides Lucas, but she can't talk to him about things like that.

"I just want to be transparent and avoid any issues or whatever."

Lex stops swinging and turns her entire body to face Hailey, the chains twisting as she does so. "Why would there be any issue or whatever?"

"Well, I know Gavin's, like, family or whatever," she says.Stop saying whatever!"And he's normally not even my type, but I like talking to him. Doesn't hurt he's a good kisser."

Laughing, she looks towards the house. "Drifter men usually are. Even if they're not patched in yet. But don't let Colt hear you talking about that."

"Is he going to have an issue if I date Gavin?"

"I think he's going to be fine as long as he doesn't hear any details. He sees you like a daughter, and no father wants to know about their daughter's sex life. My father hears more than enough about mine, but I'm pretty sure Colt does that on purpose."

Eyes wide, her jaw drops. "Colt tells VP about your sex life?"

It's taken a few trivia games with Gavin to learn who the major players in the club are, which turned into a fun time that involved clothing being removed and things being done to please the other. She also knows the main issues Lex has when it comes to her relationship with her father.

"He makes comments. Specifically, about my oral skills."

"That good, huh?"

"If I ever wanted to make a lot of money fast, I could turn to the adult entertainment business," she says and chuckles. "Have you already slept with Gavin?"

Shaking her head, Hailey stares hard at the ground. "We've messed around but not gone all the way."

"But you want to?"

"Well, I mean, yeah."

"It's been a week since I saw him feeling you up on the front porch."

She tilts her head and stares at the blonde. Her eyes are a vibrant blue, but she has large bags beneath her eyes that dull the sparkle. Her skin is pale, and she looks thinner than when they first met. "You didn't seem to have a problem with it."

"I don't, but I know how easy it is to use sex like others use drugs or alcohol. You may escape your problems, but the problems still stick around. They don't just go away."

The nerve of this bitch! Thinking I'm trying to escape my problems. She doesn't know me.

"You think I shouldn't date Gavin, then?"

"I think you should make sure you want to have sex with him for the right reasons. That you care about him and he cares about you. I don't want you to do something because it seems like it'll be good in the moment, but then you regret it later because it didn't have the lasting effect you hoped for."

Balling her hands into fists, Hailey kicks off the ground and swings. "You mean like how you seem to fuck Colt as a coping mechanism to whatever problems you have that keep you from sleeping?"

She braces herself. For a slap. A backhand. A screaming lecture. Instead, Lex just says, "First of all, I'm married. Second, I'm an adult. Colt and I love each other, and it's not something I do to escape my problems. It's a fun, pleasurable interruption to the otherwise constant noise in my head, and it sometimes knocks me out for a couple of hours."

"So you think that if I sleep with Gavin, I'll regret it?"

"I don't know what the two of you have, but I know you haven't had an easy life the past few years, at least. I just want you to be careful, Hailey. The last thing I want is to see you get hurt. I love Gavin, but he's a guy. Guys sometimes struggle to think with more than their dicks."

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