“It’s just the jetlag, don’t worry.” I want to believe her, though I’m not entirely convinced. I hold her close to me.
“Let’s go get coffee. Do you want one? It’s not a date. Not yet. There’s an excellent coffee shop nearby. Or we can go to my place. I have some new Italian coffee that I haven’t tried yet.”
“Sounds great.” She gets up, holding out her hand to help me up, too.
I wrap my arm around her shoulders and draw her to me. “Where do you want to go?”
“Do I have to tell you?” she answers, smiling, God, how beautiful she is when she laughs.
“Let’s go then.”
We walk on the beach. Hailey’s’ scent drives me crazy.
“How was your trip?” I ask as I kiss her hair. I feel her stiffen.
“Well, I kept myself busy with the project and my blog.”
“Yes, I saw that.” We’ve arrived, and I point to the house. Zoë jumps the gate and waits for us at the door.
“You have a fantastic house. I think I saw it during our search, but Jeremy wanted something bigger and…”
“And isolated,” I conclude as I open the door.
We head to the kitchen. As I begin to prepare the coffee, I observe her.
She sits on the marble kitchen counter and rocks her long legs with gold-colored sandals.
My eyes follow their hypnotic movement from the ankles to the military green shorts and the white blouse. The neck scarf is hypnotic—a mix of military green and gold.
While I prepare the coffee, we chat a bit about everything.
I walk up to her, and our eyes lock.
I seem to have known her for a lifetime. My entire existence is starting to make sense now—why my relationships ended because they bored me.
It was all written. I was waiting for Hailey.
We put down the coffee cups, and I stand in front of her. I love looking at her, seeing her, hearing her.
Her legs are crossed, and my hands land on them. I open them for her a little, just to get closer to her. Our eyes are locked on each other. I caress her face, and she lets go, closing her eyes. I dip my fingers into her hair and kiss her. I taste her lips gently, enjoying their sweetness and softness.
I run my tongue over her lips, and she parts them—a delightful invitation. I wasn’t expecting anything else. I deepen the kiss, and as our tongues duel, her hands rest on my chest. A powerful heat almost hurts, and she moans. We’re both short of breath.
I detach myself from her lips, reluctantly.
I put my forehead on hers, and we look at each other. I try to remind myself how to breathe.
My brain tries to make me think, but I can’t.Fuck, Danny, you look like a teenager with your first crush. Recover yourself.
I’m bewitched. In short, I’m screwed. Hailey has stolen my heart, soul, and brain.
“Hailey, I...” She kisses me, but just to shut me up. I know she feels it too.
“No, don’t say it. Please. I know.” She kisses me again, and I hug her, kissing her even more.
I want her. I have an immense desire to sink into her, to claim her, to make her mine. But I can’t.
Danny, she’s married. She doesn’t belong to you...not yet.
