Hayden’s lips pressed against mine firmly and I surrendered to himpletely. Finally, I could see a glimpse of his feelings. His lips on mine were warm but it wasn’t gentle. His kiss deepened suddenly, his tongue parted my lips and plunged deep into my mouth. I let him taste me and punish me with his kiss.


    The warmth of his lips on mine, his tongue inside my mouth and his body so close to me, reminded me that he was here with me and that the was still alive. I was scared of him, but I couldn’t deny the sense of relief that flooded my heart and warmed my body.


    Hayden’s kiss became more demanding as his tongue grinded against mine, making me moan and whimper into his mouth. His hands caressed my waist before pulling me closer to him until our bodies were pressed up tightly against each other. He’s so warm.


    I didn’t know what I was thinking or what made me do it but before I knew what was happening to me, I began kissing him back. Lifting my arms up, I wound my arms around his neck and pulled him down closer to me so that I could kiss him back. I felt Hayden stiffening a little in surprise at my initiating action.


    Hayden stared deep into my eyes when our kiss ended, and I didn’t look away. Before I lost my courage or the craziness inside of me, I had to do it now. I ced a hand on his cheek as I looked back into his captivating blue eyes. These are the eyes of a monster…


    "Thank you…for saving me, Hayden," I said, meaning every word.


    I never knew that thanking someone could be this hard or this touching before. For a moment, I believed that time coulde to a pause and that if it could, it would feel just like this. After those honest words left my lips, I felt exposed and vulnerable. No matter how I tried, I couldn’t read the few flickers of emotions that registered in Hayden’s clear blue eyes.


    It was veryte at night and not a soul or a car passed by as we stood there kissing each other in front of the building. The wind blew by, fluttering my long hair all around me. It really felt like there was just the two of us alone in the world.


    I watched Hayden closely as he watched me. It seemed as if he was about to say something but decided against it. Instead, his hands slowly approached my face. I felt his hand cupping the side of my face before the pad of his thumb gently stroked my cheek as if wiping something away. That was the first time that I realized the wetness of my own tears on my cheeks. Since when had I started crying?


    The tears that streamed down my cheeks as he kissed me ardently was enough proof for me that I could never escape Hayden. It was simple now that I thought about it. Today, Hayden got hurt, but the one that was crying and feeling so much more pain…was me.


    I couldn’t tear my eyes away from him no matter how hard I tried. My eyes were glued to his every movement as I watched Hayden bring his wet thumb up to his lips. Then his pink tongue slipped out from between his beautiful lips and began licking my tears from the pad of his thumb. All the while, his blue eyes stared at me intently.


    "Hayden…" I called his name in a hushed whisper.


    Hayden had bent down and scooped me up effortlessly into his arms. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he carried me princess-style into the building and into the elevator. I nced at his face as I worried if he should be carrying me like this when he’s hurt. However, his face was as emotionless as always.


    I wondered if it hurts and then I guessed that it probably did, so I didn’t dare to ask…


    …


    Hayden opened the door to the penthouse with a loud m that would have woken up anyone who happened to be on the same floor as us. Thankfully, we were the only ones on the top floor of this building. With long strides, Hayden headed straight for the bedroom. My body stiffened when he past the door to my bedroom and headed to his room instead.


    "Umm…my…room…" I whispered as he walked past my room without as much as ncing at the door.


    I sighed to myself as I realized that Hayden had decided to take me to his room and that no matter what I said, he probably wouldn’t change his mind. Hayden closed the door to his bedroom behind him and locked it firmly before carrying me to his bed. I wanted to scream but realized that it would probably not get me anywhere…


    I bet if I nced up on the ceiling of his bedroom right now, I would see a bright red sign in shing lights saying: ’Punishment Time’.


    I let out a cry when Hayden dumped me onto this bed. The softness of the mattress pressed against my back, and I tried to sit up a little. My body felt sore and tired from all that had happened. This night was proving to be a very long one.


    Surprisingly, Hayden did not follow me onto the bed. Instead, he grabbed a chair and brought it next to the bed and sat down on it. All the while, his blue eyes continued to watch me intently. I wondered what he was thinking and what he was feeling…if anything.


    The silence was suffocating as I watched him sit there with his hands hanging loosely in between his knees as he watched me. If he wanted to say something to me, I wished that he would just say it.


    "Hayden?" I called out his name questioningly. My voice shaking a lot more than I had thought that it would.


    --To be continued…