I glance over at Hayden to find him watching me. I forget to breathe. There’s something in his eyes I don’t recognize. Something soft and tender that makes me want to go to him and wrap myself around him. What’s going on inside that beautiful head of his? What’s he so desperate to hide from everyone?
“Save it for the camera, guys.”
We break eye contact but I can still feel the weight of Hayden’s gaze, the heaviness of whatever secrets he’s got bottled up inside.
Sebastian shows me where he wants me to stand and I do my best to pretend I’m admiring the art when he calls out, “Roll cameras. Action.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Hayden moving toward me. I wait until he’s pretty close before glancing in his direction.
His head is bowed, staring into the viewscreen of the camera he’s holding. Sebastian circles around us.
“Hey,” I say, following the script.
Hayden lifts his head and meets my gaze. The portable light Sebastian’s holding hits his face at just the right angle, making his eyes sparkle. They’re so intensely green and I watch as the different shades dance and shift. He studies me like I’m one of the paintings on the wall. The smallest of smiles graces his lips, barely more than a tilt at the corners.
“Hey,” he says back. His low, rumbling voice hits me right in the gut.
Heat gathers low in my stomach as my groin tightens and my dick stirs. My mouth goes dry and my knees go a little weak.
“You wanna see some of the shots we got today?” he asks, holding up his camera.
“Yeah, sure.” The words come out breathy and I’m seriously a little lightheaded.
Hayden sidles up next to me, his body emitting so much heat, he feels like a furnace. I want to burrow into it, snuggle right upagainst him and rub myself on him like a fucking cat. I bet it’d feel amazing to fall asleep in his arms. Even better to wake up in them too.
When I manage to focus on the camera, he’s actually got footage of me cued up. He hits play. There’s no sound, but even then, I’m immediately drawn in. There’s me with Bellamy, looking dumbfounded as we take in the front hall. Me and Bellamy again, this time with Noel and Sebastian too, climbing the winding marble staircase. We look tiny in comparison to all the stone around us.
Then just a shot of me sitting on a couch, testing the bounciness of the cushions with my hands. Slapping a hand over my face, I laugh and groan at the overly serious expression I’m wearing, as if the firmness of the couch is going to make or break the wedding. Hayden is standing half beside me, half behind me and when he chuckles, the sound reverberates through my body. My skin tingles.
“I can’t believe you got that.” I’m not acting when I say that.
“It’s cute,” he responds and a part of me hopes he’s not acting either.
The next shot is me standing in front of the window. I remember this one. The window overlooks Central Park and I was looking out, amazed at how big the park is. The heavy, velvet curtains cast shadows all around me, but the sun is shining brightly on my face. I look… ethereal. I didn’t know I could look like that.
Then finally, a shot of me gazing directly into the camera. There’s a look on my face that surprises me. It’s way too revealing, too unguarded, all of my emotions on display: my crush on him, my worry for him, my confusion over what I should do. My heart skips a beat at the realization. He caught me staring at him when I thought he wasn’t paying attention.
Hayden takes a breath and as his chest expands, it touches the back of my arm, my shoulder. I lean into the contact. I don’t even do it consciously. My body is just drawn to him.
His hand settles on my hip, as if he’s steadying me. Or holding me. I can’t tell. But the touch is searing. It burns through my clothes until it singes my skin.
I don’t breathe. If I take a breath, I might break the spell of this moment and I want this to last forever. I want Hayden’s hands on me always.
“Cut.” Sebastian’s voice shatters the little bubble around us. “That’s great, guys.”
I blink as I look away from the camera Hayden’s holding. I feel like I’m coming out of a trance, with my senses finally picking up signals from outside the little space between me and Hayden. Sebastian’s actually standing really close, scrolling through the footage on his camera. I didn’t even notice him there. I was totally engrossed in Hayden.
Hayden’s hand drops from my hip and he takes a step back, but only by an inch or so. He’s still close enough for me to feel his body heat, to hear the heavy inhales and exhales of his breathing.
I turn my head to glance over my shoulder. He’s watching me. Bottom lip caught between his teeth. He’s always abusing the poor thing.
Without thinking, I reach up and use my thumb to tug his lip free. It’s red and bruised and all I want to do is kiss it better. Hayden lets out a breath and the warm air blows over my skin.
I really,reallywant to kiss him. My lips tingle with how much I want to press them against his. I want to thread my fingers into his always messy hair. I want to feel the hardness of his body flush against mine.
My dick is hard, straining against the zipper of my shorts. My nipples are sensitive, burning where they rub against the fabric of my t-shirt.
I could do it. I could kiss him. He’s so close. I’d just need to lean in, tilt my chin up, and we’d be kissing.
