Chapter 451

“What are you doing here?” Hayden set down the papers he’d been holding.

I walked up behind him, letting my fingers brush along his chin. “I missed you.”

Instead of smiling at my confession, he immediately sensed something was off. His hand slipped around my waist, and in one smooth motion, he pulled me onto his lap. “What’s going on?”

Seeing the concern in his eyes, I playfully tapped his nose. “You always know when something’s up, don’t you?”

“Then don’t keep things from me.”

“Lena’s left the country,” I started, deliberately leaving out the part about Steve—for now.

He didn’t look surprised, just gave a soft, “Oh.”

Hayden had this perfectly defined nose, and I traced it with my finger. “You’re a guy, so you get how men think. Do men like it when women cling to them?”

“Is this a question for Lena?” He raised a brow, letting me mess with his face.

“Not just her. It’s for me too…and for, like, all women everywhere.”

“It depends on the guy,” he said, dodging a real answer.

I moved my finger to his brow. “What about Nate? You think he finds it annoying when Lena clings to him?”

“I don’t know.”

Classic Hayden—straightforward and blunt. I was used to it.

I tapped his brow a few times. “What about you?”

He looked thoughtful for a second. “Depends on how clingy you are.”

“Hmm?”

He nudged his head against my hand. “I wouldn’t mind. No matter how clingy you are, I’d never get tired of it.”

He was quick to catch on, but I could still tell he meant something else earlier. I tapped his nose again. “So if I was super clingy, you would get annoyed, huh?”

“I—” Hayden started, but I pressed my finger against his lips.

“No excuses.”

He smiled, a little helpless. “Bossy girlfriend.”

“Well, we’ve been working together during the day, sleeping together at night—basically, we’re together 24/7. You’ve gotta be sick of me by now, right?”

With my finger still holding his mouth shut, all Hayden could do was shake his head.

“Even if you’re not tired of me yet, you probably will be soon. So, I think it’s time we spend a little time apart.” I gently steered the conversation to what I really needed to say.

Hayden stayed quiet, just watching me.

Feeling a bit guilty, I tapped his nose again. “Why aren’t you saying anything?”

“Just spit it out. Stop beating around the bush,” he said, reading me perfectly.

I sighed, caught in the act. “You’re no fun.”

“You want to take a trip, don’t you? You’re worried about Lena and want to go with her?”

His guess made me laugh. “Why would I do that? To third-wheel her and Nate?”

He frowned slightly. “Then where are you planning to go?”

I pulled out my passport and held it in front of him. “I want to go to Houston. Something’s happened to Steve.”

“Injured?” Hayden asked, already knowing Steve was in Houston for training and competition.

“No,” I said, resting my chin on his shoulder. “He got into a fight and was detained. Jace told me.”

Hayden didn’t respond right away, so I gave him a playful nip. “Don’t overthink it. I just ran into Jace when I was dropping Lena off at the airport. He’s already on his way.”

“Did Jace give you any details?” Hayden asked.

“Not much. He just said Steve’s not doing well emotionally…” I trailed off, not wanting to dump too much at once.

Hayden stayed silent. I snuggled deeper into his neck. “I want to go check on him. Will you be okay with that?”

Chapter 452