Page 58 of The Lost and the Found

I watched as her eyes moved to take in the modern electric fireplace in the living room, which was surrounded by gray bricks, to the almost blank walls, save for a few paintings of forests and lakes that felt impersonal now under her gaze, and finally, to the dark cherry wooden floors beneath us.

“I want you to be comfortable here,” I told her. I wanted her here with me, 24/7. I didn’t want to bring her back to her run-down apartment and it about killed me every time I dropped her off there.

She let out a choked laughed that told me she probably wasn’t comfortable here yet, and that it would take time, but that was okay.

I could be a patient man.

“Come on, it’s time for bed. You must be exhausted.”

She turned to me and smiled. “Yeah, that sounds nice.”

I grabbed her hand and led her further into the room, her heels clanking against the wooden floor. She pulled on my arm to stop me and held onto me as she took them off.

“Just leave them there,” I said, pointing to a random empty space on the floor, and she scowled.

“Don’t you have a place for your shoes?” she asked.

I rolled my eyes, grabbed her heels and threw them against the wall. She gave me another scowl. I smiled. “Relax, baby. Just treat this place like your own.”

“Hmm,” was the only response I got from her.

I led us through the darkened hallway, passing a couple of doors leading to the guest bedrooms and bathroom, and finally stopping when we got to the door furthest away. I opened it and let her walk in first.

The big bed in the middle of the room stole my attention then, and I clenched my fists to resist giving in to the urge of grabbing her and throwing her onto the bed.

I wrapped my arms around her from behind instead, kissing her neck, and savoring in the sweet taste of her. She let out a sigh and relaxed against me. My baby really liked it when I held her.

“I promise we won’t do anything you’re not ready for,” I said, because it needed to be said. I didn’t want her to think I brought her here with the intention of sleeping with her, even if I wouldn’t be opposed to doing just that. I didn’t know the extent of her experience, but I knew from the month of watching her that she wasn’t the kind of girl to sleep around.

“Okay,” she said with a soft sigh.

“I have an extra toothbrush you can use.” I turned her around to another door inside the bedroom. “Bathroom.”

She walked slowly over, taking in the rest of the room on her way. I wondered if it was exactly how she thought it would be. I didn’t put in much effort into the bedroom—I just had the basics, with a walk-in closet filled with my suits, a huge dresser in the far corner, a small bookcase, and not much else.

I was a simple man. And I didn’t need much.

She shot me an amused smile when she found the unopened toothbrush package I left on the counter by the sink. I had hoped she would agree to come home with me tonight and had set it out before I left.

I left her alone to get ready and walked out to the guest bathroom to get ready for bed myself. I finished before her and stripped down to my boxer briefs when I got into the room. I was done before I even heard the faucet in the bathroom turn off.

She froze at the threshold of the bathroom when she saw me.

I loved seeing the heat in her eyes.

“Hayden?” I asked, my voice tinged in amusement.

“Yeah?”

“Are you just going to stand there and stare at me?” I smiled then, a full smile, with teeth and everything. “Not that I’m complaining or anything.”

“Huh? Oh, right. Sorry.” She walked out of there quickly, and I couldn’t help the small chuckle that escaped my lips.

I quite enjoyed her flushed cheeks and watched with some amusement as she daintily wiped the water from her face with a small hand towel she grabbed from the bathroom. She laid down on the bed, her feet hanging off the edge, and the towel still covering her face. She let out a small groan. It was the most exquisite kind of torture.

Hayden wasn’t shy, but she was reserved, which made the fact that I was able to make her blush all the more satisfying.

I walked over to her and removed the towel. She peeked one big blue eye at me.

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