Chapter 5: No Strings Attached

HAILEY

Jayden didn’t need to change, he just needed someone who truly understood him. Hailey winced at the way he described her, but he wasn’t exactly wrong. She had always had a soft spot for anything or anyone in need.

That part of her, though, often made her ache inside, especially when she thought about the choices she’d made in her own life.

“I still have Daisy,” she admitted quietly.

Jayden had given her the mostly white kitten with a few tan spots on the day of her high school graduation. The poor thing had been starving and abandoned on the side of the road. Jayden had picked her up and brought her to Hailey. From the moment she saw the kitten, she hadn’t been able to let her go. It was love at first sight.

“I thought you were going to fatten her up and find her a new home,” Jayden said with a knowing smile.

“I couldn’t.”

Not that she’d tried very hard if at all. She’d fallen for Daisy within five minutes.

“She’s deaf. Nobody wanted her,” she added quickly, trying to defend herself when Jayden gave her a look that said he wasn’t buying it.

Daisy had likely been born without hearing, but it didn’t seem to slow her down. The blue eyed cat didn’t miss what she’d never had. Still, Hailey could never let her outside. A deaf cat wouldn’t hear cars, predators, or any other threats, and that meant constant danger. Daisy didn’t seem to mind, though.

“I’m sorry,” Jayden said, his voice filled with guilt. “I never meant to burden you with a deaf cat.”

“Don’t be,” Hailey said quickly. “I love her. She’s great company.”

It wasn’t always easy to have a pet with her constant travel, but she made it work. Her neighbor helped when she couldn’t take Daisy along.

“Better company than your ex?” Jayden asked, his tone clearly annoyed.

“Definitely,” Hailey said firmly.

Jayden ran a finger gently along her cheek, and she shivered.

“You’re cold,” he said, then took her freezing hand and led her toward the doors back to the party.

“Let’s get out of here,” he said as they reached the door. “Come away with me.”

Hailey looked up at him, searching his face, trying to understand what was behind the urgency in his eyes. His usual confidence was there, his strong jaw tight but something in his expression begged her not to turn him down.

*I can’t. Not with Jayden. Don’t let that look in his eyes get to you.*

But in the end, it was her heart that made the decision.

“Ok,” she murmured. “I’ll meet you out front. But I’m not sleeping with you, so if that’s all you’re after, don’t show up.”

Something was clearly weighing on Jayden’s mind, and she wanted to know what it was. And if she was being honest, she just wanted to be with him. They were both leaving tomorrow, and it could be a long time before she saw him again.

Being alone with him was dangerous but it was also impossible to resist because beyond the physical attraction, she’d missed him.

I only have tonight. Hailey thought.

“That’s not all I want,” Jayden said quietly as he opened the door for her.

A chill crept down her spine, not from the cold this time, but from the low, intense sound of his voice. He hadn’t denied that he wanted to sleep with her.

She handed him back his jacket. “So you won’t try to seduce me?”

“I probably will,” he said honestly. “I don’t think I’ll be able to help myself. But you can always say no.”

That was the truth. The problem is, saying no to you won’t be easy. Hailey thought but didn't dare say the words outloud.

She straightened up, giving him a look that was meant to be firm. “I have no problem saying no,” she lied, then slipped around the room, keeping close to the wall to avoid the crowd.

“Hailey?”

She paused, feeling his hand gently wrap around her arm.

“Yes?”

"I just have one question before you walk away Hailey. How loud do you think you'll scream when I fuck you?"

Hailey gasped and my panties got soaked so bad that I could feel my arousal slowly dripping down my legs.

She was so shocked that she could barely speak and just stared at Jayden with a shocked expression.

“It’ll still be a good night, even if you say no. I just want to be with you for a while,” he said, his voice deep and dripping with sex.

Fuck me, Hailey whispered to herself.