Page 52 of Hello Trouble

Hayes looked sexy as hell drenched from the rain, illuminated by the dash lights as he drove me home. His shirt clung to his chest, showing every ridge of muscle underneath. The darkness outside cast shadows over his tattoos, and my eyes traced the design, fascinated by every inch. And his hair had that sexy, wet tousled look that made me want to drag my fingers through the strands.

That kiss under the awning had been the best of my life. My heart sped up at the memory just as much as the anticipation of what would come next. The thought made me shiver.

“Are you cold?” he asked. “I think I have a hoodie in the back.” He let go of my hand, keeping his eyes on the road while reaching behind the bench seat for his jacket.

My cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “I don’t think any of your jackets will fit me.”

He pulled up a thick, black hoodie, handing it to me. “Put it over your legs,” he replied simply, like it was no big deal. Maybe it wasn’t to him.

I did as he suggested, covering my lap with the thick material. It did feel a little better. Especially when he put his arm back around me again.

One downside of living in a small town was the short drive to my house. I was both disappointed to end our cuddle time and excited to take the next step. If he could kiss me like that, imagine what else he could do.

Sure, Hayes was hot when I thought he was a salacious bad boy skilled at pleasing women. He was even hotter now that I’d seen this side of him. The thoughtful, caring side he only showed to those closest to him.

And now, I was one of those people, getting his special brand of warmth. How had we gotten here? I wondered.

“Let me get your door,” he said, cutting through my thoughts and the steady rhythm of the rain on his windshield. Considering the deluge, I didn’t mind a few extra minutes in the shelter of his truck.

When he came to my side, he pulled the hoodie from my lap and held it up as a makeshift umbrella for me, letting the rain pour over him. The simple gesture had my heart melting. Wasn’t that another thing I looked for in a man? One who would put my comfort ahead of his own?

Another box checked without even expecting it.

We hurried over the sidewalk and up the steps to my porch. The awning covered us, and the light cast a warm glow to our little nest surrounded by the shimmering dark night. It was still cold though, especially without his arms around me.

I reached for the door handle to let us inside, but Hayes said, “Wait.”

I turned back to him, eyebrows drawn together. “Don’t you want to come inside? I can make us some mint hot cocoa,” I teased.

He smiled, but it quickly faded, and my heart constricted.

I knew that look. The sad one preparing to shelter me from disappointment. Years in the dating world had taught me it came just before heartbreak.

Surprised by the strength of disappointment rising in my chest, I took a deep breath to brace myself. I had thought our night was incredible, but maybe he didn’t feel the same. “You don’t want to come in?” I questioned, cursing the slight quiver in my tone.

Hayes bunched the dripping hoodie in his hands, looking supremely uncomfortable. “Can I be honest?”

Walls stacked into place around my heart. “Have you been dishonest until now?”

“No,” he replied. But he still stood a couple feet away from me. He couldn’t reach out and touch me even if he wanted to. “The thing is, I know how to do this.” He gestured toward my door. “I know how to take you inside and make you feel good. I know how to lie next to you until you fall asleep and then get up and leave without making a sound...”

My eyes stung. God, I felt like such an idiot. Hayes wasn’t the kind of guy to stay. But that was exactly what I wanted—the biggest checkbox of all. I wanted to pull open my door and run inside, but I forced myself to stay put on the wooden boards of my porch and hear him out.

“I don’t know how to date someone,” he continued. “I don’t know how to show a woman how special she is to me. How to show up for more than one night.” He closed the gap between us, tossing his hoodie onto my white rocking chair and holding both my hands in his. His eyes were earnest under the porch light, and I could tell how hard this was for him to say.

Suddenly, that hard wall forming around my heart crumbled, because I understood what Hayes was saying. All this time, I’d expected his rejection, but instead... I meant something to him. And he didn’t know how to handle his feelings for me.

My lips curled up into a slow smile, secretly thrilled at being his first. “What do you propose we do?” I asked coyly.

His smile lit by the soft porch light was shy, a side to Hayes I hadn’t seen before. “I’d like to kiss you goodnight. And then I’d like to go home and think about what a great day I had with you. And then I’ll stress about how long I should wait before calling to ask you out again.”

A happy laugh bubbled past my lips. “I’d like that very much.”

The look in his eyes was as gentle as his touch as he reached out and cupped my cheek in his hand. His palm warmed my face, holding me like something delicate and precious as his gaze flicked from my eyes to my lips.

And then Hayes pressed his mouth to mine. His tongue skated across my lips, and they parted to let him in.

But he didn’t push. He savored. And after a moment, he let go. There was a smile on his lips as he said, “Goodnight, Della Dwyer.”

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