The Seduction of Hayden
Indulgence 2

Excerpt

Amalía growled with frustration. Serious annoyance rose at whomever it was pounding on her hotel door at this awful hour in the morning. Groaning in aggravation, she swung her legs over the edge of the bed and half walked, half stumbled to the door. She didn’t bother with the peephole because her eyes were so bleary she wouldn’t be able to see out of it anyway. Opening the door a crack she saw a cheerful Hayden standing on the other side.

“Buongiorno, Amalía.”

Her eyes widened at his first attempt at Italian. Profanity poured from her mouth, but Hayden only smiled.

“I assume that wasn’t hello or good morning in return was it?”

She scowled at his cheerful disposition.

“Do you have any idea what time it is?” she asked crossly.

 “It is a few minutes before seven.”

Hearing the time aloud made her feel even worse. She was up two hours before she had to be, two whole hours. Closing her eyes, she spoke to Hayden as calmly as she could. “Is the electricity out again?”

 “No.”

She paused. “Is the hotel on fire?”

He chuckled. “No.”

She sighed. “Flooded?”

 “No.”

Amalía felt her teeth clench as her eyes reopened. “Then why the hell are you standing here at my room so early?

Hayden smiled at her. “Because I want to have breakfast with you, and Leo told me you needed at least an hour to get ready.”

Her eyes closed again and counted to ten before she said something else inhospitable.

“Did my brother also happen to tell you I’m not a morning person?”

 “Yes, he did, but he didn’t say you were this bad.”

Her eyes flew open in outrage. “This bad!”

The only thing keeping her from saying more was the fact he stood there looking at her with open curiosity, making her wonder how bad she was. His expression also told her he wasn’t going anywhere. Sighing heavily, she opened the door to let him in.

 “Come on in.”

She turned and walked back into her room, not waiting to see if he followed her or not. A whimper fought its way up from her throat, but she held it back as she walked past the bed. It was calling her name. It took everything she had not to crawl back into it. Instead she went over to a chair and collapsed into it, closing her eyes. After a long moment of silence she reopened them to find Hayden nearing her. The expression on his face was indescribable. She could only imagine why he was staring at her the way he way.

“What is it?”

He remained silent for another moment before speaking. “Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?”

She rolled her eyes. “Trust me, I have seen what I look like in the morning when I first wake up. You don’t have to sweet talk me.”

He reached out and touched a loose tendril of her hair. “If it is one thing I don’t do it is lie. You are beautiful, whether you see it or not. You don’t need any make-up and fancy stuff to impress me.”

She gave him an exasperated look. “Who says I’m trying to impress you?”

His self-assured expression reminded her so much of Leonardo’s she shook her head.

“Your body does. Your eyes do.”

Denial lay upon her lips, but it would be a lie and both of them knew it. He reached out and pulled her upward until she was standing. She knew he had to be delusional. If he’d been Stefano, she wouldn’t have allowed him into the hotel room until she was presentable. That would include make-up and fancy stuff as Hayden put it. It was somewhat of an unspoken rule that she always looked her best around Stefano. If she didn’t, Stefano hadn’t hesitated to tell her so.

There had been so many times when she'd taken extra care with her appearance only for him to wrinkle up his nose in disapproval. Stefano was a self-centered bastard. How she'd managed to stay with him as long as she had was beyond her. Had she truly been so desperate? Evidently, she had or she wouldn’t have nursed a broken heart for two years. Hayden touched the sided of her face, bringing her out of her thoughts.

“Amalía?”

She shivered at the way he enunciated her name. He said it like no one else ever had, like no one else ever could.

“Yes?” she whispered.

“I want to know if you taste as sweet as you look,” he stated softly. “Can I kiss you, Amalía?” he asked as he drew her nearer.

She knew she should say no. Instead she found herself stretching up to meet him halfway. The first touch of their lips was feathery, but it was enough. In the next instant his mouth covered hers, hot and demanding. His kiss commanded everything of her, forcing aside the docile and compliant Amalía that Stefano would have expected. The thought spurred her on, and she pressed her body closer to his, wanting the contact, craving it. Hayden feasted on her lips as if he needed nourishment. She was more than happy to provide it. She needed to feel more of his touch. Feel her skin against his.

As if he heard her request, he slid his hand under her cotton pajama top, encountering smooth skin. She moaned, pushing her body closer to his, needing the contact. His hand slid higher until it found one of her breasts. She knew she wasn’t a large woman, but she fit into the cup of his palm perfectly.