None of it mattered though. Thinking of what could have been if things had started off differently was no use to me now. I needed to focus on the task at hand. Deciding to enjoy the first helicopter ride of my life since I was already on it, I turned my head and looked at the city’s skyline against the backdrop of a gorgeous, orange sky.
Just as we were zooming over the Golden Gate Bridge I turned to see Hayden staring at me. It wasn’t creepy or intrusive. His look was almost affectionate and I realized my excitement must have been written all over my face. I grinned as he smiled back at me. For a brief second we shared moment where I had forgotten all about why I was there in the first place—the stress, the video game, him forcing my life in to shambles.
Just when I was reflecting on all those thoughts the helicopter suddenly dropped a few feet. Instantly I felt the weightless feeling inside my chest. I instinctively shot my hand down to my side to grab on to something. Luckily, the turbulence was gone as quickly as it came.
“That happens sometimes, nothing to worry about.” Hayden said as he gave my hand a reassuring squeeze. My heart dropped worse than it had just a moment ago. I had accidentally grabbed his hand! I looked over and gave him half smile as I pulled my hand back. I tried to play it cool and nonchalantly pushed a strand of hair behind my ear.
It wasn’t long after the helicopter swooped over the Golden Gate Bridge that it eventually lowered down to a helipad in a large green area.
As the pilot helped me down, I was still unsure where we had landed. All I knew was that from my view in the sky, it was a beautiful place with a lot of greenery surrounded by the bays and the Pacific Ocean.
“Welcome to Marin,” the pilot said with a friendly smile before letting go of my hand and walking away.
Hayden stepped in front of me in the pilot’s place, a welcoming and beaming smile lighting up his handsome face. He held out his arm and I reluctantly took it, if only because I still hadn’t gained my balance after the helicopter ride. As much as he made my heart skip, I didn’t want to give him the wrong idea. I wasn’t about to fall for him and forget everything that had happened.
The two of us walked in silence down a lighted path toward a building that fit in with the surroundings. For a brief moment I found myself holding on to his arm longer than I needed to. As soon as I realize I was still touching him I let go. He looked over at me and I gave him a half smile. I wasn’t there to develop any kind of feelings for the man, I was there for business.
Hayden opened the door for me and I walked in. The simple elegance of the place wasn’t lost on me. A fancy sign hung atop a large fireplace. The words MARIN COUNTRY CLUB caught my eye. I gulped. It was no secret Hayden Dunn was wealthy, but chartering a private helicopter ride to land at an exclusive country club in an affluent area was beyond what I had envisioned. Suddenly feeling nervous, I flattened my hair against my temples and shifted my weight from one foot to the other.
“We have just one stop to make before the main event,” Hayden announced as he led me to the exit, where a luxury sedan was parked out front waiting for us. The driver popped out from the driver’s side and greeted us cheerfully.
Once we were settled inside, the car ride was silent and a bit awkward. I had absolutely no clue where we were going. I had even less of an idea what the so-called main event was. Now, I was more acutely aware of Hayden’s level of wealth. Not only that, I was finally starting to admit to myself that I found him attractive. On top of all that, I had barely bothered with my appearance. The night was just beginning and I was already fraught with confusion.
It was only a bit over ten minutes later when the car turned into a residential area. The neighborhood looked like the type of place where the residents kept to themselves. It was quiet and the houses looked big and nice, but unassuming at first glance. Then it hit me.
“Are you taking me to your house?” My voice came out a bit shrill and the alarm was nowhere near hidden, but I didn’t care. I figured if he had the nerve to drive me to his house without a warning or question then I shouldn’t have to worry about how I came off.
“Don’t worry,” he said with an unaffected smile. “We won’t be there alone.” Right then, the car pulled up in front of a house with three cars parked in the driveway in front of the garage. The lights inside were on and I saw a shadow move across one of the panels of the frosted window next to the front door.
“Give me a shot, won’t you?” Hayden said. I thought I heard the faintest bit of pleading in his voice. I couldn’t be sure, but if I had heard it then it was the first time he had shown any sort of vulnerability.
I turned to look at Hayden’s hopeful eyes. A small flutter rose in my chest, which I attempted to shut down by placing my hand flat against it. I nodded slowly. He gave me a quick smile before getting out of the car and walking over to open the door for me.
“We shouldn’t be here long,” he muttered, motioning for me to head up the walkway. I walked up slowly, taking in the appearance of the house. Like the others in the area, it had an unassuming exterior although there was something about it that gave it character. The area in front of the front door was large and square, covered with a vaulted ceiling of wood. It was all an appealing beige color, not drab at all, the wooden door had a nice pop of orange against it. I was particularly fond of the frosted windows and I made a mental note to check if the person inside had an unobstructed view to the outside world.
I stopped in front of the door and held my breath when Hayden’s arm crossed over me to knock on the door. It pressed gently against my shoulder and I felt the slight flutter in my chest again, making me let go of the breath I had been holding. A beautiful young woman sporting a short, blonde bob and a simple but cute royal blue cocktail dress opened the door.
“You’ve arrived!” she exclaimed, taking a step back to carefully observe me. It was awkward. “My, you truly are Via Mace in the flesh. Stunning.”
Every ounce of awkwardness and strange, unwanted fluttering in my chest disappeared in a second to be replaced with white-hot anger. Just as I opened my mouth I heard Hayden say, “She’s not Via come to life, I’ve learned.” He said it in a light-hearted way, but it only served to anger me more.
I turned to face him. “I am not,” I repeated in a menacing whisper. I didn’t want to be rude to the clueless woman who had just opened the door, but I didn’t want Hayden to think he could make fun of the entire situation. It also irked me that he had spoken first, taken the words right out of my mouth. He wasn’t my spokesperson. From my perspective, he was treating me as his creation and I wasn’t going to stand for it. “I think I gave you enough of a chance and you just–”
Hayden arched his eyebrow. I stopped speaking.
“Have you?” he finally asked.
I remained silent. The truth was I hadn’t given him a real chance. I didn’t think he deserved one. He must have noticed I was thinking because he offered for us to go speak somewhere out of sight from everyone. He was being considerate, wanting to grant me privacy to voice my thoughts. For that reason, I nodded and he led me across what I now realized was a courtyard.
Just as he was about to cross the threshold to enter the main living area, the blonde woman zipped past him and suggested we speak alone in the courtyard before sliding the glass door shut. The other people inside looked at us, but quickly went on about their conversations. I watched the blonde woman close the drapes to give us total privacy. I had never seen a house with this type of floor plan. Had I not been so upset, I would have realized how impressive it was.
“Look,” I started before dropping down onto one of the cushioned wicker chairs set out on the patio, one leg draped over the other. “I haven’t given you a chance. You’re absolutely right on that. To be quite frank, I haven’t given you any sort of real chance because I don’t think you deserve one.”
“Woo,” Hayden said as he let out a long breath, lips puckered out as he sighed heavily. He sat on the chair next to mine and looked up at t
he night sky. “So you’re really blaming me for whatever has happened to you.”
It wasn’t a question, but I felt the need to answer it like one anyway. “Who else would I blame? You made her, didn’t you? I’m sure you were involved with the marketing. You weren’t exactly the best listener when we first met.”
“All things which are true,” Hayden admitted. He sounded genuine. “Another thing that is true is we don’t know each other. I didn’t steal your identity. I didn’t make Via Mace with the intention of brining hell down upon you.”
I turned to look at Hayden and before I knew it I was lost in his light blue eyes. There was so much honesty behind them and I couldn’t ignore that. I had been so obsessed with fixing everything while placing the blame on him that I had absolutely no idea where to go from there. I wasn’t entirely convinced that he could rid himself of the blame, but I knew if I wanted to get anything done I couldn’t let the situation become more tense.
As we continued to talk and I couldn’t help but feel those strong feelings for him creeping up inside of me again. There was something about his smooth voice and the way he looked at me with such care and concern that made my body tremble. He looked at me, talked to me, and touched me like no other man had. To be fair, I suppose I was like no other woman to him—I was his creation come to life. If this was all an act to win me over, he was damn good at it. But I didn’t feel like it was. He truly felt genuine.
After we talked for a little while longer he took me inside to introduce me to Mila and two other people. Mila happened to be some sort of stylist. They were there to dress and get me ready for an exclusive yacht party that was set to start in less than a couple hours. Not knowing how to deal with it, given it was the first experience of its kind for me, I was dragged to the guest bedroom by Mila.
As the fabric of the emerald green dress rubbed against my soft skin, I knew it was a dress far more expensive than one I would ever purchase for myself. I wasn’t poor, but I didn’t have the kind of money Hayden Dunn had. It made me feel out of my element to say the least. After Mila was done with me, Shiloh the hairstylist entered to do a quick, but elegant up-do. Then I was handed off to Samira, the makeup artist, who gave me a full-face of makeup. By the time I was done even I was impressed with my appearance.
“You look gorgeous,” Mila commented, taking in every inch. “Come, come. Hayden is waiting for you out back with a delicious glass of wine before you head off.”
I stepped out to the back, the first thing catching my eye being the pool water glimmering under the moonlight. Then I looked straight ahead to see Hayden lounging on a couch tucked between well-kept shrubs elevated off the ground where the pool was. As soon as he saw me walk outside he stood up with a warm smile. I walked up the steps carved into the side, paneled with aged wood, and stopped in front of the couch. The steps continued upward, but I didn’t look to see where they led.
“Wow,” Hayden whispered as he adjusted the wine glass in his hand. “You look stunning.” I was glad the backyard wasn’t brightly lit because I was sure my face was bright red from blushing. I was pretty sure that was the first time he had openly complimented me. It didn’t make me feel awkward. It made my breath catch inside my throat.
It felt natural for him to say it, but there was something inside of me that felt annoyed that it didn’t bother me. I was supposed to be angry with this man. I was supposed to hate him and demand him to fix my life. I was supposed to be mad at him, not mad for him. I sank my teeth into my lip until it hurt as I tried to shake away all the thoughts and emotions racing inside my head.
Hayden handed me the glass of wine and I thanked him before taking a small sip.
“Have a seat,” he suggested, moving in so I could sit at the edge by the steps. He sat down beside me, closer than he would have earlier, before leaning forward to grab his own glass of wine off the small, square table in front of us. “I hope you can relax a bit this evening and actually enjoy it,” he told me.
I looked into his eyes and my chest fluttered. This time the feeling wasn’t as subtle or fleeting as before, nor was it followed up with dread. I was giving into my feelings for the evening. This man had managed to give me a million different emotions in the course of a few hours. From the moment I saw him on my computer I had a searing hatred for him, but somehow he managed to turn that hatred around in a matter of hours.
Now we were staring into each other’s eyes and, for a brief moment, I felt an undeniable connection forming between us. My gaze fell to his lips. I wondered what they would feel like on me. His touch was so gentle and caring. What would his kiss feel like? I wasn’t sure which one of us leaned in a little closer, but the distance between us grew smaller for the briefest of moments. My heart lurched inside my chest and my stomach turned over. My eyes closed and my tongue ran across my lips as I drew in a quivered breath.
“The driver has arrived!”
I instantly threw myself back and awkwardly adjusted my hair, trying my best to ignore what had just happened. Hayden’s eyes lingered on me for just a second longer before we both turned to see who had called out.
It was Shiloh, poking his head out from inside, to make the announcement. Samira popped up behind him and waved us over enthusiastically. I cleared my throat and took one last sip of the wine before setting it down on the coffee table, looking at Hayden apologetically for not being able to finish it.
“Don’t worry about it,” he assured me, voice low. I could tell we were both desperately trying to find something to take our minds off what had just happened. We smiled at each other for a moment before I turned to walk down the stairs and head out to the front door, past the courtyard.
“I didn’t say it earlier,” I said, “But this is really nice.”
“Honestly? It’s what pushed me to buy this house.” He smiled at me and offered his arm again once we crossed the threshold of the front door. I took it a bit less reluctantly this time around as we walked to the limousine waiting for us. The other three were already sitting inside sipping on champagne. The drive to the harbor was a short one, only about fifteen minutes. We chatted pleasantly with the three others. I was relieved when none of the topics of conversation touched on Mind Lash or anything related to it.
We stepped out of the limousine and walked down the dock where the yacht stood. A lot of passengers were already aboard and the sound of lively jazz music filled the air around it. The guard at the door didn’t even ask who Hayden was. He simply checked off his name and greeted him, before closing the door behind us.
“Looks like they were just waiting for us!” Shiloh exclaimed, grabbing hold of both Samira and Mila as they trotted off to greet people on the first level. Soon after the yacht started to move slowly and smoothly away from the dock. By then, both Hayden and I were at the top deck in a private area looking out over the water of the bay gleaming under the moonlight.
“Would you like a drink?” Hayden finally asked, getting my attention.
“I could use a glass of wine.”
Hayden nodded and headed off in the direction of the deck bar to fetch it for me, leaving me alone with my thoughts. There was only one word I could use to describe the evening that had unfolded thus far: magical. I felt as if I were a character in a movie and, like everything else that had happened to me as of late, I wasn’t sure what to make of it. A gentle tap on my shoulder sent a cascade of chills over my skin.
I turned to see Hayden holding out a glass of wine for me, smile fixed in place. It was real and charming. I took the glass, my fingertips grazing his fingers, and another waterfall of chills ran over my skin. The two of us paused and looked at each other meaningfully before taking a long sip of wine. Whatever I had just felt, he had too. And that made it all the more frightening to me.
“Do you still think of me as your creation come to life?”
“No,” he responded quickly.
Had it been earlier, I would have been suspicious about how quickly he answered my question. Bu
t now, under the glow of the moonlight, my view of him had softened. Now I was maybe giving him the shot he had asked for earlier. He took a sip of wine and looked out onto the water, the chatter of the crowd was distant from where we stood in our cozy corner of the deck.
“I only thought back when I said it and I’m sorry I did. I’m sorry for making you feel that way but please try to understand what it was like for me to see you for the first time.” He paused and turned to me, resting his arm on the rail, wineglass held in his hand draping off the side.
“Oh,” I whispered when I saw how close to me he actually was. Despite that, I didn’t take a step back. Instead, I placed my arm on the rail and turned my body toward him. We looked into each other’s eyes illuminated by the yachts strung up twinkling lights. The connection I felt earlier was growing stronger inside me. If I was being honest, a part of me hated it. But another part of me wanted to completely give into my feelings.
Fourth Down and Dirty: A Bad Boy Sports Romance Page 18
