Page 135 of The Wingman

A low, pleased noise rumbles against my cheek. “Good.”

We lie there for a long moment, looking out the window in comfortable silence.

“We’re going for dinner tonight,” Hayden says, “but how do you want to spend the rest of the day?”

“With you.”

He makes a low noise of appreciation and presses a kiss to my forehead. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

“And Daniel, of course.”

“Sure, I’ll find a bag of rocks and we can take him for a swim in the ocean.”

We laugh, and I can feel his grin against my hairline. My lips linger on his warm stubble before I press a trail of kisses along his jaw and down his neck to his collarbones. His breathing turns ragged, and a moment later, his hand twines in my hair.

“What are you up to, Andersen?” he asks in a low, teasing voice.

I smile at him, climbing on top of him so I’m straddling his hips. His erection presses between my legs and his eyes darken. I begin my own trail of kisses down his chest and stomach, and his breathing turns ragged.

“I want to thank you properly.”

CHAPTER 63

DARCY

“This iswhere I wanted to take you back in university,” Hayden admits that evening from across the tiny table at the cozy family-run Italian restaurant. A candle sits between us, flicking warm light all over the handsome lines of his face, and his gaze on me is steady and kind. I’m wearing a light pink dress that reminds me of the cherry blossoms we saw today.

“What do you mean?”

He smiles, but it’s tight and nervous, and I tilt my head, intrigued.

“The first week of school, I wanted to ask you out. I planned to ask you out at the party that first weekend,” he amends, rubbing the back of his neck.

My lips part in surprise. That first week of school, I looked forward to class and seeing Hayden, my new friend who lovedThe Northern Sword, had muscles carved from stone, and had an open, affectionate smile. Despite how handsome and popular he was—everyone already seemed to know him, probably from hockey—and knowing he was hilariously out of my league, I felt so at ease and comfortable with him from the start.

“The hockey party.”

He nods.

I had hoped he would ask me out that week. I thought Kit was inviting me to the party as friends, but when I got there, he made it seem like we were more, and I went along with it. Hayden didn’t seem to care; he was chatting with other girls all night, and although I was disappointed, I didn’t give it too much attention.

I’ve thought back to that week so many times over the years, but I’ve always told myself I wasn’t Hayden’s type.

“I thought you were going to ask me out, too.” I look down at the white tablecloth, remembering. “I hoped you would. I guess I could have asked you out, but you were so out of my league that it seemed like a great opportunity for rejection.” My mouth twists. “And it would have made things awkward, with us being in the same class all semester.”

He leans forward and takes my hand. “I was never out of your league. Just the opposite.”

“I was the dorky math girl and you were the hot hockey player who could have anyone.”

“That’s not how I see it.”

My heart lodges in my throat, and I’m swept away in the happy, floaty feelings. I love the way he looks at me, like I’m everything to him.

I want to say something likeit all worked out in the end, but I don’t know if it will. He’s trying his hand at this relationship thing.

What if I’m the girl who always got away, but once he has me, he realizes the idea of me was better than the reality?

He smiles, holding my eyes, and the server swings by with my dessert. A single candle sits in the middle of the chocolate torte, dancing and flickering.

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