Freed by Fate

7

    The smells of the town wafted into her nose as she approached it, heart thumping loudly in her chest. She could not help scanning the crowd, looking for a pair of hauntingly bright blue eyes. To her dismay, she was met with disappointment. Of course he isn't here, she thought bitterly, feeling irrational. She began completing her tasks with a heavy heart, hating her mind for thinking of him still. 

    As she completed her list, the sky began to grow a dark gray as clouds rolled in, and she knew her time for return was drawing near. Merchants were hurriedly packing up their trinkets, in an attempt to access shelter quickly if need be. It looked as if the sky would burst open at any second, and Poppy felt a twinge of worry as she wondered if she would make it home in time to beat the storm. 

    The first wave of light droplets hit her body as she finished up her last purchase, causing her to shudder in anxiety. She gripped her bag tightly to her chest and began to jog underneath balcony alcoves and awnings of shops, looking for some refuge from the cold rain. Head down, she hurried onto her way back through town, until she smelled the musky scent of pine trees. She stopped dead in her tracks, already knowing who it belonged to.

    He did not even need to announce his presence, for she could feel the heat emanating off his body behind her. She dared not turn around, fearful that her eyes would betray her desires. 

    "Poppy," He spoke her name, "Come home with me. You will not make it to the farm in time."

    She felt so tempted to take him up on his offer, but knew deep down in her heart that she could not. Her mother would bury her in their gardens, and the last thing she wanted was to fail her task. 

    She shook her head no, and replied, "I can't. I have to return home; I can make it."

    As if in an effort to prove her wrong, a large clap of thunder reverberated around the town square, followed by a quick flash of lightning. He grabbed her shoulder and turned her to face him, eyebrows raised as if to say, Told you so. Sensing she had no choice in this matter, she sighed and accepted the proposal, feeling defeated. I'm in deep s**t, she thought.

    The rain was coming down in a steady stream now, fat droplets hitting her head and making her shiver. By the time Hayden and Poppy returned to his mansion, they were both soaked to the core. His t-shirt clung to his body, outlining every one of his muscles. Poppy was finding it very hard not to stare at him. He smirked at her knowingly, and opened the front door for them to enter. 

    Thunder seemed to have shook the house as they stepped inside, finally sheltered from the rain. Poppy felt terrible when she looked down at her shoes, realizing she was a sopping wet mess. She turned to apologize, but stopped before she began. Hayden stood shirtless, his broad chest heaving with his breaths. Her eyes trailed downwards to his ab muscles, and grazed over his adonis belt, which met in a V at his pants. She could tell he was still soaking wet, and a few beads of water ran down his chest, falling from his hair. She noticed a tattoo on his left pec; it seemed to have been some sort of symbol with a cross meeting a semicircle, and in the middle of the semicircle was a black dot. 

    She opened her mouth but no words came out, and she stood staring at the glorious man in front of her, dumbfounded. She wanted so badly to touch his bare skin at that moment, to feel his muscles twitch beneath her fingertips. She blushed at her impure thoughts, and if he gave any notice to her embarrassment, he did not mention it. 

    He gestured to her shivering form, "I apologize for my lack of spare clothing for you. You will have to borrow some of mine." If anything, his apology made her feel relieved. Definitely no wife then, she thought. 

    He held up a finger, telling her to wait a moment, and disappeared up the stairs. He returned a couple minutes later with some spare clothes in his arms, wearing only pajama pants. While he seemed to have dried himself off, his dark hair was still wet, and droplets occasionally fell onto his skin, glistening. It's going to be really hard to behave myself, she mused, finding herself staring at his exposed torso again. 

    Hayden led her towards the right wing of the house, and into a modest bathroom. He flicked the light on and motioned towards a stack of towels resting atop the wooden shelves on the wall. "Please help yourself," he told her, "I will be waiting out here for you." He set the pile of clothes in his hands onto the counter before departing, shutting the door behind him.   

    Poppy grabbed a dark towel from the stack and peered into the ornate mirror hanging above the sink. Her face was flushed and her hair hung to her scalp, darkened from the rain. She stripped off her wet clothes and patted her skin dry with a towel. Picking up the solid black shirt in the pile, she threw it over her head. It seemed to swallow her tiny body and stopped mid-thigh. The smell of pine tree engulfed her nose, and she closed her eyes, savoring it. The sweatpants he gave her were a bit harder to make fit; she had to twist the waist band multiple times to get them to stay up. 

    She stared at her reflection in the mirror again, running her fingers through her hair in an attempt to comb it. She could not remember the last time she wore the color black, and she thought that it brought out a paleness to her normally sun-kissed bronze glow. 

    Feeling out of her usual element, she opened the door. Hayden made no effort to hide his pleasure as he looked her up and down with a satisfied smirk. She crossed her arms over her chest self consciously, trying to cover her hard n*****s that were poking out. 

    "The color black looks good on you," he finally breathed out, taking a step towards her. She peered up at him through thick lashes, a blush spreading onto her cheeks. He touched her chin with his thumb, pulling her face upwards to stare directly into his eyes. His normal bright blue eyes were darkened with longing as he held her face for a minute, his gaze flitting from her eyes to her nose to her lips. She parted her mouth slightly, trying to invite him without speaking, but he dropped his gaze and turned around. She deflated, feeling disappointment disperse throughout her body. 

    "Follow me," he called behind him gruffly, making his way down the darkened hallway. The storm outside raged on, the wind shrieking as it hit the outside structure of Hayden's house. 

    As Poppy passed each closed door, she wondered how many rooms this house had. And what is the purpose for all of it? she thought. They stopped at two wooden heavy doors, and Hayden opened them swiftly, exerting little to no effort. She gaped at his shoulder muscles, watching them ripple with his movements. The back looks as good as the front.

    "Welcome," he began, with a wave of his hands, "to my living area." 

    Poppy stepped inside the room slowly, starstruck. The spacious room was lit from the fire that crackled in the hearth, which emanated a soft, warm glow. Enormous paintings flanked both sides of the fireplace, each one depicting a dark scene of winged beings in battle. A dark plush couch sat opposite the fire, on top of what seemed to be a fur throw. The coffee table in front of that was made of black marble, and the piece screamed of elegance. But what really amazed Poppy was the wall sitting to their left. It was the largest library she had ever seen, reaching from floor to ceiling, each space occupied by its rightful purpose. The shifting ladder looked to have been etched entirely in gold, and she craned her neck to follow the steps towards the top. 

    The curtains were drawn closed over what must have been one single grand window across from them, allowing no sight of the storm roaring outside. She breathed heavily and allowed herself to step into the room towards the flames, relishing in the heat radiating from them. Her cold toes curled into the velvety smooth throw beneath her feet, and she reached out to run her hand along the couch, almost scared to touch it. 

    "Your room is magnificent," she turned to him, finding him standing close behind her. 

    His eyes twinkled from the flames, and he looked wickedly handsome. Poppy motioned to the shelves behind them, "Do you really read that much?"

    He smirked, the fire making contrastingly dark shadows cross his light features. "I've read every single one of those books," he answered.

    "But...that must have taken years. And you're so," she failed to find the right word, "...young."

    He laughed, deep and melodious, "Trust me love, I am a lot older than you might believe." 

    Not quite picking up on what he was trying to insinuate, she curled herself into the couch, knees hugging her chest. Wordlessly, he settled himself next to her and crossed his arms behind his head, his gaze dark and unreadable. The two sat together for a while, staring at the flames dancing before them and basking in the warmth.

    Poppy was the first to break the silence, her mind racing with a million questions. "Do you live in this huge house all by yourself?" She inquired.

    "Yes," Hayden answered, his deep voice tinged with sadness, "But it wasn't always that way. I used to live here with my brothers; Zane and Pierce. It's a bit of a long story, one that I'm sure would bore you."

    A loud burst of thunder shook the walls and Poppy gave him a sad smirk, "Well it would seem as if I have all the time in the world right now with the storm continuing outside."

    Hayden sat silent for a moment, as if contemplating where to begin. 

    "Pierce was the first to leave us. We had a bit of a...falling out with him. I love both my brothers dearly, but Pierce and I butt heads often. He is a bit of a hothead and stubborn as hell. Zane ended up leaving me shortly after; not because of any problems, but because his...assistance was needed elsewhere. Since then it's just been me, myself, and I in this house. Well, except for my staff of course. But I don't really know them on a personal level; our interactions are mainly work related and business." 

    He stared into the crackling fire, a look of loneliness shadowing his handsome features. Poppy felt pity for him; she could not imagine not having anyone to confide in or speak openly with. Even though she herself felt empty at times, she had her mother at least. 

    She leaned towards him and touched his bare arm, in an attempt to comfort him. "I can't imagine how lonely that must be for you, Hayden," she consoled him, "Do you at least speak to them on occasion?" 

    He turned to face her, looking haunted. "I can't remember the last time I spoke with either of them," he whispered, leaning towards her touch. His gaze flitted down to her lips, then back up to her eyes. He must be starving for any form of interaction, she thought. 

    "Why don't you try sending them each a letter?" She suggested, her voice soft as the tension between them sparked. 

    "It's more complicated than that." His face was inches from hers; she could feel his breath on her lips. 

    He reached out and touched her face, never breaking eye contact with her. His eyes were unlike any others, ice blue with flecks of dark gray throughout. They glowed in the light of the fire, and she felt paralyzed, as if she was under a spell. His desire for her was written all over his face, and up close she could see his breathing changed. 

    His thumb stroked her cheek and he leaned forward, breaking the space between them. He kissed her softly at first, as gently as if she were made of porcelain. His hand moved from her face to her semi-dry hair, grabbing it tightly and pulling. She felt his tongue glide along her bottom lip and slightly parted her mouth, allowing him access. 

    His tongue met hers as he deepened their kiss, and he moved her body under his with his left arm. She ran her hands over his chest and he moaned into her mouth, breathing heavily. His skin was hard and smooth under her touch, and he was surprisingly warm. She trailed her fingers along his waistband, and he bit her bottom lip aggressively.

    Hayden grabbed her hands and pinned them above her head, eliciting a gasp from Poppy. He broke their kiss, breathing hard, and trailed gentle kisses over her nose and cheeks. 

    "We need to stop now before I can't control myself," he said breathlessly, his voice raspy with desire. Poppy lay under him gasping, her arms still in his grasp. The storm raged on outside, the rain pelting the house and drowning out all other sounds in the room. 

    Poppy closed her eyes, trying to not think about her mother's disapproving face and the fury she would receive when she returned home. Everything about this was wrong to Poppy, but in the moment, it was feeling so right. She took a deep breath, trying to block out her future problem, and decided to focus her attention on Hayden, who was still above her. I want to live a little bit, she thought, inhaling his smell. She reopened her eyes to find Hayden intently looking down on her face.

    "What are you thinking about?" He inquired. 

    She gazed into his eyes for a moment, trying to gauge how to best respond to his question. Her wrists were still under his control, and this position was starting to make it difficult for her to think properly. 

    "It's...nothing," she finally decided to say, "Just stupid thoughts." She winced as she realized that she delivered it a bit harsher than intended to be.

    She watched his eyebrows narrow as he mulled over her response, and after a brief minute, he answered with a gruff, "Ok", and released his hold. He got up and motioned for her to do the same, the air between them thick with an unspoken tension. 

    "It's getting late; I am going to take you to your room now."

    Poppy followed him dejected, wondering what was wrong with her. She kept her head down this time, trying to hold back tears as she wallowed in self-loathing. Why is it so hard for me to properly speak with him?, She thought. 

    Hayden led her back to the foyer and up the grand staircase, then made a left. The dark walls were barren in this hallway, as if it were unused. The atmosphere was cold, which was a stark contrast to the comfortable living area they had just left. 

    They stopped at a dark door with a golden knob. He opened it and motioned towards the hallway. "Bathroom is down the hall, first door on the left," He said, "I'll let you get settled in...goodnight." 

    Poppy nodded and turned around to reply, but he was suddenly gone. She looked up and down the hallway, but Hayden was nowhere to be seen. He couldn't leave me fast enough, she despaired.

    Feeling exhaustion starting to cloud her senses, she shut the door behind her. The room was striking, with a king-size poster bed along the right wall, and a dimly-lit fireplace on the left. The windows opposite her were completely covered with dark curtains, blocking out the squall raging outside. 

    She felt numb as she settled into the bed, wrapping herself up in the satin sheets. When her head hit the pillow, Poppy's insecurities and loneliness rushed forward, and she let the tears flow freely in the darkness. He must think I'm a child, she thought bitterly, Just like Mother.  

    She was not sure when she fell asleep, but sometime during the night she awoke to a gentle touch on her face. The fire was dead; the room in complete darkness, and her head felt fuzzy with sleep. She could not make out anything in the room in the darkness, but she swore as turned over, two bright blue eyes watching her. She felt a caress on her hair as she drifted off into a deep slumber, dreaming only of those eyes and the body they belonged to.