Damage Control

chapter 4

3:57am. Or, 7:53am. Or maybe it was 5:73am? No. Wait...

I laid on my floor, watching my ceiling swirl patterns as if Van Gogh's ghost was painting it. The entire room was spinning.

Hadyn was currently running his fingers over the brick portion of my wall.

I had always been a lightweight, despite my many years of underaged experience. Back home, I could handle a lot more, since the town was so small and there was always something every weekend. Plus, everyone had always pressed a drink in my hand or forced me to do "just one more" shot.

But after I had moved to New York, my social circle was smaller (nonexistent). I had a glass of wine once or twice a week after work, so my tolerance went down. That night with Hadyn, I drank half a bottle. He drank the rest of that one plus my other bottle. I was too drunk at that point to protest or care, really.

"It's been so long," I groaned.

Somehow, Hadyn was suddenly kneeling over me. "Since what?" he asked.

His brown hair was falling into his eyes, so I reached out and brushed it out of his face.

"Holy s**t!" I exclaimed sitting up. I stuck my other hand in his tousle of hair. "Your hair!"

Hadyn grinned and nodded. "I know. It's soft, isn't it? Clarisse is a goddess."

"Please tell Clarisse to send me whatever crack she's putting into your hair," I begged.

"Deal," he said.

He stuck out his hand for me to shake and I grudgingly took one hand out of his hair and placed it in his.

We shook for what seemed like forever. Then he stopped and we stayed like that for a minute; both staring at each other and my hands interlaced in his perfect locks of chocolate hair.

I examined his face. He had skin clearer than the Sahara desert and his eyes were the most beautiful shade of hazel I had ever seen. It was like looking at the sunlight through the trees. Like gold dripping off a magnolia tree. And his lips. Oh, god, his lips.

Before I knew what was happening they were suddenly on mine. And my eyes were fluttering shut but my heart was on fire.

His lips were the softest things I had ever felt on mine. And he tasted like rosé and mint and something else entirely that I had never tasted before.

Kissing Hadyn Michaels was exactly like what I imagined kissing any teenage heartthrob. Actually, it was absolutely better than any expectations I had, which were already pretty damn high.

His hands cupped my face and I leaned backwards. I interlaced my arms around his neck and we stayed like that for a moment before breaking away.

My chest rose and fell rapidly and I found myself lost in his eyes.

"Are you okay?" he asked, slightly out of breath.

I nodded. "You?"

He nodded. Standing up, he offered a hand and pulled me off the ground with the greatest of ease. I was chest-to-chest with him. Er, the top of my head reached his chin, but we were close. Ducking down, his lips met mine once more and we were at it again. I lowered myself onto the bed and scooted back so that he had room and I was all over him.

Hadyn had abs that put any other guy I was with to shame. And the way he kissed? It was the best feeling I had experienced.

"Lex," he mumbled into my mouth. Hearing my name in his mouth made my toes curl. He shifted so that he was on top of me, pinning me between him and my comforter.

I paused and looked at him, how majestic and otherworldly he looked in comparison to my ratty moss green cotton comforter from TJ Maxx.

"Good?" he asked, his voice light.

"Really good," I responded.

He gave me a wicked grin that made my heart pause and tugged his shirt off. I copied him and saw the vein in his neck tighten. His eyes seemed to darken a shade and his lips were on my neck. I closed my eyes and allowed the tidal wave that was Hadyn Michaels overtake me.