Page 37 of The Lost and the Found

Logan

I watchedher from the corner my eye as I drove her home in the cold, and mostly empty, streets of Chicago. It was late, and I knew she must be tired from having just gotten off an eight-hour shift, standing on her feet all night, serving rude, drunken customers.

My fist clenched around the steering wheel from just the thought.

What I would give for her to allow me to take over and take care of her the way she deserved.

But from what I knew about Hayden, I knew she had an independent streak, probably from years of being on her own, and I knew she wouldn’t just give in.

She was already having enough of a hard time wrapping her head around the fact that I wanted to play chauffeur to her, no doubt she would think I had a more sinister motive for wanting to take care of her.

I should be glad that she didn’t trust easy, because the world wasn’t a very nice place, but it didn’t mean I liked the fact that she didn’t trust me completely, either. Because I knew she didn’t.

I wasn’t under the illusion that she did just because she let me drive her home.

I slowed the car down and parked in the empty spot in front of her building. My grasp tightened around the steering wheel to keep from reaching out for her.

I had thought of little else but our kiss in the car a few days ago.

The way she went soft and pliant in my arms, the way she responded to me, as if she couldn’t get enough, and even the sweet taste of her. A heady, addictive sweetness that I wanted to take possession of.

And make no mistake, I will take possession of her. She was going to be mine as much as I would be hers.

“Thanks for the ride,” she said softly. I turned to her, but her gaze wasn’t focused on me. It was focused intently outside, as she watched the swirl of the light snowfall. But I knew she was aware of my eyes on her.

“You’re welcome,” I answered gruffly.

She smiled a little at my response, and I wasn’t sure what it was that she found so amusing, only that I was absolutely captivated by that small curve of her lips. I wondered if she had ever smiled fully, if she could find anything in her life worth smiling over.

Could I ever be the reason to put that on her face?

My thoughts turned dark when I imagined how she might react when she discovered all the secrets I was keeping from her. That I had been watching for a month now, and that I knew more about her sordid family history than she did.

There was a reason Michelle took her away and cut off all contact with Mathew…

It was my fault.

Had I just kept my mouth shut and minded my own business, like Mathew had asked me to, perhaps Michelle wouldn’t have left, and perhaps she would still be alive. Hayden would have never known what it was like to be a homeless, lost and alone. She would have been able to bask in the love of her father and know that she was his greatest treasure.

Was I selfish for keeping them away from each other for this long? Despite that, I didn’t want to be the one to uproot her entire life, at least not yet.

“I’ll see you tomorrow?” she asked, as if she wasn’t sure I would be there.

“You will,” I confirmed. At this point, only death would keep me away from her.

She smiled a little more, though it didn’t reach her eyes, as she opened the door. One foot out, yet she hesitated.

I met her eyes, and I didn’t think I breathed until she moved back into the car, back to me, and kissed my cheek.

My skin tingled where her soft lips had touched, but before I could say anything, she was already out of the car and well on her way inside the building.

I looked up at her window and waited, and it wasn’t long before the lights turned on and I caught movement from the window as her slim figure appeared. She usually watched me from the window as I drove off, but for some inane reason, I didn’t want to drive off.

I wanted to go to her, but would she welcome me?

And more importantly, should I?

I shook my head and shifted into gear before I drove away, back to an empty apartment that had never felt so vacant until this very moment.

---