Clayton steps through, a bag in one hand while the other pulls out his earphones. Sweat beads on his head and neck, soaking into his grey hoody.
He frowns when he looks up, seeing me on the bed. “Is everything okay?”
I nod, forcing a smile as I slide my phone under the bed. “Yeah. Did you enjoy your run?” I sniff, smelling the mouth-watering aroma of freshly cooked bacon. “My God, please tell me that whatever that is, it’s mine.”
He chuckles, sitting beside me on the bed as he kicks his trainers off. He pulls two foiled packets out and two plastic cups with lids, placing them on the bedside table.
“Sausage, bacon and egg sarnie,” he explains, before passing me the drink. “And this is your hot chocolate. I don’t want you snapping at me all day.”
“I really could get used to this,” I tell him, breathing in the aroma before placing it on the side. “What time is it?”
We hadn’t gone to sleep until the early hours of the morning, and as much as I’d like to blame it on the great sex, it was because we had to get some work done.
“Just before noon. I let you lie in while I went for a run. I found this place next door and decided to grab some food before coming up.”
“What are our plans for today?”
“It’s a surprise. But that isn’t until half one.”
I smirk, raising my eyebrows. “Oh, yeah?”
“Yes. So, we have time to eat this and shower,” he tells me, kissing the corner of my mouth.
My smile is wide as he kisses along my jaw. I love this side of him. “Is that all?”
He grabs my sandwich off my lap, chucking it onto the bedside table.
“I can think of one or two things we can do,” he rasps, his voice low.
Laughter spills out of me when he swings my body up and over him.
Yeah, I could definitely get used to this.
*** *** ***
He brought me to a pottery class. Pottery. Out of all the things I imagined, this was not on the list.
The class teacher had shown us how to use the equipment and gave us a quick run-down on what to do, yet I still have no clue. Movies make this look piss easy.
My clay spins out of control and splatters back into a clump for what feels like the tenth time.
I can’t help but laugh. My competitive side wants to nail it, but the other part just wants this to be over. I hate sucking at something.
The lady next to me, who’s disapproved of me from the second I walked in, glares at me.
“Shh, this is meant to be relaxing.”
Stumped, I can only ignore her. Not even the background music is relaxing. It’s actually annoying, especially the grating noise of what I assume is meant to be a bird tweeting. Instead, it sounds like a slaughterhouse.
It doesn’t help that it’s boring too. The only time I sit still is when I’m playing video games.
Although, I am getting plenty of entertainment out of the couple in front of us. They haven’t stopped bickering since we walked in.
I lean to the side, glad Clayton moved his station closer to mine, and whisper, “They’ll break up within a week.”
Distracted, his clay begins to spin out of control, and he groans as his vase is destroyed.
“Huh?”
“Them,” I tell him, jerking my head towards the couple.
He watches them for a moment before shaking his head. “I don’t know. He looks smitten.”
I draw back because it’s clear he hasn’t got a clue. “No. She’s the dominant one in their relationship. He’s only come along today to keep her happy, but by the looks of it, he’s two minutes away from walking out. He looks miserable.”
Clayton’s lips twitch. “She looks like she’s trying to keep them together.”
“Thank you,” the lady in question barks, turning around and sending me a glare.
“The girl had a point,” the guy adds, giving up on his vase. Or urn. It was hard to tell.
I puff out my chest. “It’s what I do. I’m good at reading people.”
“Shush,” the lady next to us hisses.
I narrow my eyes on her. “Can’t you see they’re having problems? Have a heart. It’s Valentine’s Day.” I leave her with her mouth hanging open and turn back to the guy. “You really shouldn’t let her tell you what to do.”
“Who do you think you are? You don’t know what you’re talking about,” she snaps.
“Hayden,” Clayton warns, amusement in his voice.
“Actually, I do. Although you’re a person who normally gets what she wants, you aren’t always this bossy and controlling. You can be reasonable. I reckon he’s done something you didn’t like, even after you told him not to. Now he’s trying to make it up to you, even though he doesn’t feel like he’s in the wrong. He loves you so much he’s willing to put up with the snarky remarks and abuse, just to make you happy.”
Her lips part, eyes widening. “How? Who are you?”
“Hayden,” I tell her. “So, what did he do?”
The guy snorts, rolling his eyes. “I went to my mother’s because she’s been ill.”
“James, your mother needs to let you go. She was unbearable before when it came to her precious boy. Now that we’re living together, it’s infuriating and just plain creepy. She acts like your girlfriend, not your mum.”
“Louise,” he breathes out sharply. “She was sick. She needed me.”
“I cannot believe you started this,” Clayton whispers.
I shrug, smirking. “Are you bored now, though?”
He loses his chuckle when our teacher, Claire, slowly steps over to us, frowning. “This programme will only work if you relax; feel the clay through your fingers, hear the music in your veins. Now, take a deep breath, let the music flow through you.”
What a load of bullshit.
“I’d rather hear what she has to say,” I tell her, arching my eyebrow.
Another couple in the room wince yet nod when Claire turns in their direction. “We kind of do too.”
“This isn’t that kind of class.”
I smile wide at her frustration. “Take a seat, Karen, it’s about to get interesting.”
“Oh God,” Clayton mumbles.
“It’s Claire,” she huffs.
“You know, she’s right. It is getting interesting. Tell them about your mum, how she calls every night, how she told us we couldn’t get married or have kids until she was ready and healthy. That woman has more wrong with her than a hypochondriac, and her main symptom is smothering,” Louise confesses.
I point at Louise. “Maybe I was wrong about you.” I cluck my tongue at James. “You really should cut the cord.”
Louise slams her hand down on the pile of clay. “Exactly. He missed our anniversary because she happened to be sick. She knew we had plans to go away. And when I told him she was fine, that she was manipulating him, he wouldn’t listen and went running to help her.”
“She’s my mum, Louise. I’m not going to stop seeing her because you think she’s lying. I’m all she has,” he crows. “And you aren’t perfect either. I read those messages from Dean, the guy you work with.”
I grin, bouncing in my seat as I turn to Clayton. “This is so good.”
Chuckling, he shakes his head. “You are terrible.”
Pride fills my chest. “Thanks.”
“If you saw them, then you’d know I told him no, that I wasn’t interested. But it’s not too late to reconsider. I want a man, not a boy who still needs his mummy to give him permission.”
“Guys, I really think we should relax now,” Claire soothes, holding her hands up.
“No,” Louise and James yell.
“Tell her how you feel, James,” I goad. “Get it out.”
He nods, his face flushed. “I’ve changed my entire life for you: swapped jobs, homes. How can you be this selfish?”
“You picked up rubbish because your mum told you to get a job close by, that if you got a job using you
r degree, it would take you away from her. You make more as a computer technician.”
“You moan about everything. There hasn’t been a time when we’ve gone out that you haven’t complained about something or another. Look at us now. It was your idea to come here today, and all you’ve done is complain about the smell, the music, and the fact we paid a fortune for it to be a load of crap.”
“I have had a lot of positive feedback. If you would just listen and take a breath…” Claire argues, rocking back on her feet.
“This isn’t a competition on who is the worst, James. This is about you and your mum.”
“Technically, it started with your attitude,” I remind her, being helpful.
“Not helping,” Clayton grumbles, pretending to actually work on his clay.
I snort. “I think I’ve helped a lot, thank you.”
“Yes. Yes, you have,” James confirms. “Now I know how she really feels.”
“Are you kidding me?” Louise yells in his face. “Don’t you dare make out that you’re innocent in all of this.”
Throwing his hands up, he then slaps them down on his thighs. “You’re making me choose between you and my mum.”
“No, I’m not. I’m asking you to leave the nest, James. I love you, I do, but I’m sick of her being a third person in our relationship. Visit her, take her soup when she’s actually sick, but my God, stop her from dictating every aspect of your life. She’s holding you back, and one day, when she’s dead and buried, you’ll take a look around and realise you have no one because she’s secluded you from living life.”
“She said you’d do this,” he blurts out, his hands clenching. “She even knew you’d cheat on me, said it the moment I told her about you.”
“I’ve never cheated on you,” she shouts, throwing a clump of clay at him, splattering it all over his T-shirt. “Are you even listening to yourself or hearing what I’m saying?”
“Please, take a deep—”
“Shut up!” James and Louise yell at Claire.
“You know what, I don’t have to listen to this,” Louise snaps, ripping her apron off. She grabs her bag, stopping in front of James. “We’re over.”
“Did not see that coming,” I mumble, watching her storm out.
James sits there for a second, dumbfounded. Once it all hits him, he’s up so fast he nearly trips over his own feet, catching himself on the station beside him.
“Apron,” Claire yells at him.
He pauses, ripping it over his head before continuing to chase after Louise. “Louise! Wait! I’m sorry. We can get through this. I’ll do anything. Please, Louise.”
I glance down at the mess in front of me, sighing. “I guess it’s safe to say I’m not an artist.”
“Really?” the lady next to me snaps.
“What is your problem, or are you always this friendly?” I snap back.
“You’ve just broken up a relationship and you didn’t even blink. Instead, you comment on your model,” she tells me sharply. “Which, by the way, is terrible.”
I can’t argue with her there. It’s just a heap of crap. However, who is she to comment?
“Puh-lease, they were bound to break up eventually. I just sped it along. And shouldn’t you be glad that you don’t have to listen to them argue anymore?”
Her scorching gaze has me chuckling, and when I turn to Clayton, his shoulders are shaking from silent laughter.
“What?”
“Your family were right about you. You cause chaos everywhere you go.”
“I really do, don’t I?”
A throat clears as Claire stands in front of our stations. She runs a hand over her apron, her neck flushed.
“I’m really sorry, but I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
“What, why?” I bellow. “I’ve done nothing wrong.”
“You’ve sucked the peace and serenity out of this room.”
“Come on, Hayden. Let’s go,” Clayton orders, struggling to keep his face straight.
“This is your fault. I was happy to stay in bed all day and have sex. But no, you had this big surprise,” I grumble.
“Please leave!” Claire squeaks, sweat beading on her forehead.
“We’re going,” Clayton assures her, picking up my belongings from under my station.
One of the other couples stands up, the guy turning to us. “Hey, sorry to be rude, but could you recommend another place for us to go next that isn’t so, um…”
“Dull? Boring?” I finish, smiling at the fear that flashes in his eyes when Claire turns to him.
“Yeah,” he replies, shoulders sagging.
“There’s a Bonza Bingo here. It’s basically a nightclub that you play bingo in to win prizes.”
“Ooh, I love bingo,” his girlfriend gushes.
“And I hear there’s a lot of great places to eat here,” Clayton adds.
“Thanks, mate,” he replies, reaching for his own stuff before following us out.
“Please tell me you have food on our plans today. I’m starving,” I admit, pushing through the exit.
Clayton chuckles, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. “Yes, our reservation is for five.”
“That’s hours away,” I whine. “It had better be good food.”
He presses a kiss to the side of my head. “I did some research before coming here. Comic Con isn’t the only reason I chose here. There’s a food place close by that offers different types of ethnic food that I knew you’d love.”
I lick my lips hungrily yet can’t help but feel butterflies in my stomach at how sweet his actions are. “That is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. Can’t we go now?”
He grins as he pulls me into his arms, pressing his warm lips against mine. “No, because right now, all I want to do is get you naked. You have no idea how hot it was to watch your hands try to smooth over that clay.”
I squeeze my thighs together as I wrap my arms around his neck. “So what are you waiting for?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CLAYTON
It’s hard to keep a straight face as I carry Hayden out of the restaurant. I thought I knew her brand of crazy, thought I had become adept to it more over the past week, but I was wrong.
“I’m telling you, I will do it,” Hayden yells, making me chuckle as I let her down, pulling her away from the entrance.
“Hayden,” I murmur, failing to keep the amusement out of my voice.
“Can you believe her? Who does she think she is calling me fat? That was my cake. Mine!”
“She was six,” I remind her before finally letting it all out, bending at my knees, laughing uproariously. “You just threatened to make a meme out of a six-year-old because she took the last velvet cake.”
I laugh harder, my sides hurting. She keeps on surprising me at every turn, and I love it. Love that she can do that. I never know what is going to spill out of those beautiful lips when she speaks.
“I’m not liking your tone.” She sniffs, resting against a wall that runs along the small stony shore.
“You, you—I cannot believe you did that.”
“Aren’t you supposed to stand up for me? She kicked me fucking hard, Clayton,” she snaps.
I fall to the bench beside me, my face aching while my sides hurt as laughter spills out of me.
How does she keep doing this to me?
“You told her it had vegetables in it.”
Growling, she stomps her foot, sitting on the bench next to me, crossing her arms. “I can’t believe you’re laughing about this. I really wanted that damn cake. And who the hell were they to throw me out. She should have been the one to leave.”
“Again, she was six,” I remind her, chuckling when she pouts.
She watches me for a moment, biting her bottom lip. “Did I embarrass you? Not that I care. She had it coming. I mean, who does that? Who steals food?”
“Why would you think I’d be embarrassed?”
She shrugs, looking a
way. “Others are usually put off by my behaviour. Personally, I don’t get it. I am who I am.”
With a serious expression, I turn to her, taking her hand. “I don’t get it either. There’s nothing wrong with who you are. It’s kind of refreshing.”
“Good. Because the sex is pretty good.”
“Pretty good, huh,” I murmur, arching my eyebrow.
She sniffs, crossing her arms over her chest. “You have room for improvement.”
She’s such a liar, and she knows it.
“There’s an ice cream store next to where we are staying. They don’t shut until eight. We could go.”
“That won’t make up for the velvet cake but it’s a start,” she sighs, leaning into me. “I’ve had such a good day. Comic Con was the shit.”
“I still can’t believe you got them to let you try that super hero suit on.”
She looks away, biting her bottom lip. “Yeah, it was cool.”
I groan. “Hayden, what did you do?”
“I don’t like the way you assume I’ve done something.”
“I know you did,” I state matter of fact.
Lifting her chin, she lets out a puff of air. “The guy didn’t exactly let me. I may or may not have spilt something on that game he was playing on. He was distracted.”
Getting up, I then pull her up from the bench, bending down to kiss her. “You really are a wild child.”
“Born and raised,” she proudly states, wrapping her arms around my neck.
Bending down, I kiss her again, pulling her body flush against mine. I will never get enough of her taste. She tastes sweet with a hint of chocolate.
“Let’s go get your ice cream,” I tell her when I pull away.
She blinks up at me. “With a brownie?”
Chuckling, I nod. “Always.”
We begin our short walk back to the Travelodge. I made sure when I booked a room that everything was within walking distance, knowing Hayden would hate the exercise.
“I forgot to ask earlier because, stealing the suit and all, but what did the home want?”
Nightingales had called earlier about Dad’s treatment plan, saying he needed antibiotics for his fever. I was worried, but my sister assured me she would keep me updated. Even so, I still felt guilty for not being there but when I called Dad, he chewed my ear off and told me under no circumstances was I to go back until I had showed Hayden I wasn’t some pompous asshole.
Hayden (A Next Generation Carter Brother Novel Book 4) Page 24
