Kenzie was completely taken aback at first. Hadn’t Hayden just told her less than a month ago in Moonlight Falls that he wasn’t interested in her romantically? What was the deal? Why was he kissing her?
Still, she didn’t fight him off. She didn’t have the strength or the desire to. She’d been craving this for quite some time but never once thought it would become a reality. So she savored this moment, holding onto Hayden, never wanting to let go, thinking there was no way this would ever happen again.
It was a breath-taking, unimaginable, indescribable bliss. It was everything that Kenzie had imagined it would be, everything she’d hoped it would be. When she and Hayden pulled apart at last to take a breath, she looked at him and gasped, “What was that?”
“Your last graduation present,” Hayden replied, equally out of breath but still with an irresistible grin.
“But…why? In Moonlight Falls, you said you weren’t interested in me. You made it abundantly clear that you didn’t think of me like that.”
“And I’ve been kicking myself in the ass ever since.”
Kenzie wasn’t sure how to process this. Hayden had made it blatantly obvious less than a month ago that he wasn’t interested in her romantically. Yet here he was, kissing her of his own volition, showing remorse for having denied her advances before.
“I’m so sorry about before, Kenzie,” Hayden cut into her thoughts. “I told myself I was doing the right thing by just letting you go as a friend. I kept trying to convince myself that it was the best choice. But I was wrong. I’ve been filled with nothing but regret, so I decided that the next time I saw you, I’d be honest with you.”
“But you told me you only saw me as a friend.”
“That wasn’t entirely true. I mean, yeah, I did at first, but I just kept realizing how different you are from anyone else. You don’t care that I’m a monster – and don’t say I’m not – and you really do accept everything I am. You don’t try to push me away or change me…you’re, well, perfect. The fact that you love wolves is even more enticing.”
Kenzie looked down, almost coyly, as Hayden ineptly ran his fingers through his hair. She could tell this was quite the confession for him. It was impacting him as much as it was her.
Before she could say anything, however, Hayden continued. “I don’t expect you to accept my apology. I know how bad I hurt you in Moonlight Falls. And if you’ve moved on, well, I understand and I don’t blame you. I just thought you should know the truth. And I wanted to tell you alone because, honestly, I had no idea how you’d react.”
“Hayden,” Kenzie finally managed to say, “What makes you think I haven’t changed my mind? Are you taking for granted that I might still have a crush on you?”
“Of course not. That’s why I just said…”
“I know. And thanks for considering that. I was just getting used to having you as just a friend, even though I still had a crush on you, and now you confess to me that you’ve been attracted to me all along. It’s quite a bit to process, especially on a day like this.”
“I know. I guess I could have told you on your birthday, but I figured that would have been too soon.”
Kenzie looked away. She knew she should just tell Hayden to get lost; he did have a lot of nerve pulling this on her. He could have saved them both a lot of trouble had he just been honest in Moonlight Falls. But like Isaiah, he was too frightened of who he was and what he was capable of. He didn’t want to hurt anyone he cared about. And that included her.
Still, one other thing stymied her. “Hayden,” she inquired dubiously, “yes, I accept and understand you, but how do you know I’m the only one that ever will? You never told anyone what you really are because you hate that part of yourself. You haven’t given anyone else a chance to discover it.”
“I don’t want anyone else’s opinion, Kenzie. I want yours. There really is something about you that…for lack of a better word, enchants me. I know you told Paige and me that you aren’t a witch, but something about you sure seems magical.”
Hayden stepped closer and placed his hand under Kenzie’s chin, tilting her head up to look into those striking green eyes. She took a risk herself and placed her hand on his cheek as their arms encircled one another.
Kenzie’s own eyes began to swell as she felt the familiar flood of tears threaten to spill. But this time, they weren’t tears of pain. They were tears of joy. She managed a smile as she gaped at the beautiful creature before her, smiling broadly back down at her. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been so happy.
“Thank you, Hayden,” she finally managed to croak. “I accept your apology. And thank you so much for coming today and telling me the truth. Does this mean you trust yourself with me? And that you really do deserve to be in my life despite what you said before?”
“I trust myself more with you, but I can’t honestly go as far as saying I trust myself completely. You’ll be taking a risk if this is what you want. But I won’t leave; I won’t go anywhere unless you turn me away. Just know that there are risks involved with being with me.”
“I don’t care. You have no idea of the dangerous things I’ve had to deal with before. Hayden, I’ve been held captive by vampires, kidnapped by a gang, threatened by a psycho native in Hidden Springs with some sort of black magic, and of course the whole fairy thing in Moonlight Falls. Nothing you do to me could be worse than that. And unlike those things, this is a risk I’m willing to take. I want this to work. More than I’ve ever wanted anything to work.”
Hayden’s own eyes seemed to glaze over with relief and wonder. “I’m glad to hear that,” he said. “And I’m glad you like your graduation presents.”
“Oh, I love my presents. The best things I’ve ever gotten for anything.”
“Well, there’s more where that came from.”
With that, Hayden grasped Kenzie and kissed her once more.
The kiss was soft, sweet, and tender, filling Kenzie with a wave of sensual bliss. But then the kisses became more urgent as his fingers tangled in her hair, prompting her to almost pull away.
But she realized that she didn’t want to. So she’d been lulled into bed by Logan Hawkins and again by Austin (though that was slightly more mutual)…what did she have to lose? Hayden was different. She could feel it. She didn’t have to be a witch to know that his feelings were genuine; Austin’s had been as well, but his heart was always destined for another. Logan had used her from the beginning. He’d taken advantage of her distrust of men. Hayden was different. He was sincere and would never do such a thing.
Hayden may not like half of himself, but Kenzie could literally say that he was a sexy beast. In fact, she couldn’t help muttering it hyperbolically.
“Really? I’m a sexy beast?” Hayden smirked.
“I couldn’t resist saying it. But come on, it’s true, isn’t it?”
“If you insist. Kind of like I called you a beauty and me the beast in Moonlight Falls.”
“See, one can argue both of those points.”
“No way.”
“I don’t find wolves to be beasts. I find them to be beautiful creatures. And that includes you.”
“Yeah? Well, I find you to be a beauty, even though you yourself disagree. But if we’re going with a wolf speech here, shall I mark my territory?”
“Gross!”
“No, not like that! It was a joke! I meant, considering your reaction to my confession, is it safe to assume that you’re now my girlfriend? Or that you still feel the same as you did in Moonlight Falls?”
“That depends. Do you think you own me with that whole ‘marking the territory’ speech?”
“No way.”
Kenzie leaned in for another kiss, but Hayden surprised her by clasping her hand and recoiling his head.
“Kenzie,” he said tentatively, “I’m a male and I’m part animal. I’m sure you know what that entails considering this, uh, make-out session. I don’t want to go too fast. I don’t want to do anything to screw this up. I want it to be your call.”
“Well, you’re a true gentleman. But I know what I want, Hayden. I’ve imagined this moment for a while, even though we haven’t known each other that long. But I trust you, and I want to be with you. I want this.”
“Are you sure? I mean, I don’t want you to think all I want from you is one thing.”
“I know you better than that, Hayden. You’re not that kind of person. And believe me, that isn’t all I want, either. But right now, it is what I want. You have no idea how much.”
“Been a while?”
“HAYDEN!”
Hayden threw back his head in a loud guffaw. Kenzie playfully smacked his hard chest. When he looked down at her again in all seriousness, his voice was slightly more gruff as he said, “If that’s what you want, okay. I want it too, but like I said, I don’t want to go too fast.”
“You’re not. Now stop talking. I’m not afraid of the big bad wolf.”
“No? Well that’s good, because I won’t make you cry wolf, baby. I’ll make you scream it.”
A rush of adrenaline filled Kenzie’s stomach at the sound of that. Yes, Hayden truly was different, in many ways, all of which were new and exciting to her. This was the kind of relationship she’d always wanted. A guy who could be a true gentleman and a bad boy, who could seduce her body as well as her soul. Someone who understood her and accepted her for who and what she was. Funny she should think that considering she was the human here.
Kenzie let herself go. Hayden wrapped his arms around her and gave her yet another tantalizing kiss. It made her weak in the knees.
Kenzie felt her knees weaken even more as Hayden’s kisses became more intense and urgent. It didn’t help when their clothes began to fade away and that she was backing up against the counter with Hayden following her. Kenzie had gotten dressed up for this special occasion and now she was stepping right out of her dress. But she didn’t care. And when she felt herself losing her balance, she felt Hayden kneeling down to pick her up, not breaking contact with her lips. It just made the scenario even more breath-taking.
Kenzie held onto Hayden tightly, relieved that he was strong enough to carry her. He seemed to sense what she was thinking, because he broke the kiss long enough to say, “I know what you’re thinking, and you’re not fat. For one thing, I’m a lot stronger than any normal guy. And another, remember, I told you I like a girl with meat on her bones. I don’t give a shit if some other asshole fed you that line. I really mean it, and considering what I am, that shouldn’t come as a surprise.”
“It’s just nice to feel wanted for once. Like, really wanted, not taken advantage of.”
“Baby, if anyone took advantage of you, they’d have to deal with me.”
“You’re like my knight in shining armor.”
“I prefer bodyguard. Every PI needs one of those, right?”
Kenzie giggled before bringing her mouth back down to Hayden’s. She was vaguely aware of the sensation of moving as Hayden tightened his grip on her behind.
When she briefly opened her eyes, she saw that she was being carried to her bedroom. Her stomach churned in anticipation. Jillian had been crass about it, but she’d been right about one thing – it had been a while. It wasn’t like she was diving into bed with some random guy, either. This was Hayden Howland, the werewolf she’d developed a crush on who finally admitted that he liked her as well. Some would say she was moving too fast. But who cares? Certainly not her.
Hayden lowered Kenzie onto the bed, once again without breaking their lip-locking contact.
He did, however, lean up long enough to tell Sage to leave, considering she’d followed them in there with a perplexed look on her furry face. This wasn’t something she’d seen her master do before. But she obeyed Kenzie when she also asked Sage to wait outside. Hayden closed the door after Sage left before rekindling the fire.
“Dog pile!” Hayden joked with a mischievous grin as he climbed on top of Kenzie. She couldn’t restrain a laugh. This guy was also funny, another redeeming quality. Not to mention he was very talented in his career. Really, she could spend an entire day just naming his good traits.
But where was the fun in that? It wasn’t as much fun as having this handsome man worship her by kissing her neck and chest while her eyes fluttered closed in ecstasy.
So many sensations consumed her mind. It was hard to keep up. Hayden was making her feel things she didn’t think were possible to feel. He made her feel wanted, beautiful, desirable, irresistible…everything she felt about him, like it was being reflected back to her in a mirror of affection.
All the uncertainties in her life seemed to fade away at Hayden Howland’s touch. His kisses were like soft rose petals caressing her skin, yet in an instant they could feel hot as fire. Fire and ice, a lethal combination to her senses...the senses of a human, not the more powerful ones of a supernatural creature.
Sighs and moans of pleasure emanated from the back of Kenzie’s throat. Hayden took his time in pleasing her, putting her needs before his own, proving that he was accurate in his true intentions where their relationship was concerned. She even heard some sighs of contentment from Hayden’s throat as he continued to venerate her.
Finally, the two parted mouths, gazed at each other fervently. Hayden surprised Kenzie even more when he gently rolled her over onto her stomach and then stood up at the foot of the bed. Puzzled, she looked behind her.
“What are you doing?” she asked breathlessly, hoping her protruding butt didn’t kill the mood.
“You’ll see. But Kenzie, are you sure? I want to know that you’re completely positive that this is what you want.”
“Yes, it is. Please, Hayden, please.”
Hayden climbed back onto the bed, and in an instant, Kenzie realized his intention. Hayden gave into his canine instincts with a sensation the likes of which she had never felt before. She never thought she’d experience something like this, but she found herself thoroughly enjoying it.
The bed jostled against the wall, threatening to knock off Kenzie’s prized sword and fans from Shang Simla. Hayden shifted positions and rolled Kenzie onto her back, never breaking their connection. Sensations shot through her body like electricity. She’d never felt closer to anyone in her whole life, and it was obvious to her that this wasn’t just about woo to Hayden – he truly wanted her to enjoy herself, to experience the same pleasures he was. She never wanted this moment to end.
Still, like all good things, this moment did eventually have to come to an end. When it did, they both scrambled back into their under garments. Kenzie looked up at Hayden as he lay down next to her, wrapped an arm around her lovingly and entwined his fingers with hers.
“How was that for a graduation present?” he asked her. Kenzie playfully rolled her eyes. “It was great, of course. One of the best presents I’ve ever gotten, that’s for sure.”
“Glad to hear it.”
“I’m glad to hear that you actually feel the same way about me as I do about you.”
Hayden propped himself up then, gathered Kenzie in his arms and stared deep into her eyes.
“Kenzie,” he said earnestly, “I don’t know what happened in your past in the relationship department, but I will never, ever hurt you. I give you my word. You know, in the wild, wolves are monogamous; they’re considered mates for life. They’re faithful, loyal, and protect each other with their lives.”
“What are you saying? That I’m your mate?”
“I think you just might be. And I hereby promise to protect you with my life.”
Kenzie smiled and snuggled down into Hayden’s arms. Then she asked, “What about the story you were writing about me?”
“Screw the story. Well, I guess I technically did.”
“HAYDEN! That was terrible!”
“It was a joke. But yeah, it was terrible. Sorry. I need to stop being such a smart ass. But I still have every intention of writing the story.”
Kenzie stuck her tongue out playfully. She was about to go in for another kiss when she remembered…
“Oh shit!” she yelped as she scrambled up. “The party!”
“Damn it!” Hayden exclaimed as he also got up to finish getting dressed. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have kept you…”
“No, I’m sure we’re fine. And I don’t regret it. I can’t believe it’s been two hours already.”
“Should we introduce ourselves as a couple?”
“Why not? It wouldn’t do any harm.”
Hayden grinned again before giving Kenzie one more peck on the lips before they both began to shuffle out the door.
As they walked, Kenzie remembered what the fortune teller had told her in Moonlight Falls. She’d said that Kenzie would have hardships in her future but that she’d overcome them; they’d take time but would pay off in the end. Kenzie had thought the old woman was crazy, but in actuality, her prediction had turned out to be true.
Unfortunately, another good thing was about to come to an end. Kenzie had just enough time to finish her hair and touch up her makeup when she heard the doorbell. She knew either her parents or even Jillian would come to see what was keeping her, since she was supposed to help set up for the party. When Kenzie opened the door, she saw that Jillian and Isaiah were both there. But only one of them looked enthused if not a little concerned.
The vampire seeing the werewolf with his hand in Kenzie’s, not to mention out of breath and inside her house, was a pretty good indication that what was about to transpire wasn’t going to be good.
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