'Hayden Hart?! Isn't he just a taxi driver? How did he end up being the lighting engineer I've been waiting for?!'For a second, I felt like I was hallucinating."Hayden, this is Keira Kay!" Eugene introduced us. "Ms. Kay, this is Hayden Hart!"Hayden extended his hand toward me. "Hello, Ms. Kay."His tone and expression were like he didn't know me at all.I was still seated, and from my angle, I could see his perfect jawline and that... sexy Adam's apple that I'd thought about more than once.Demi nudged me with her elbow, snapping me back to reality. I stood up and shook his hand.Our fingers barely brushed before he spoke again. "Ms. Kay, go ahead and eat. I'll go check the site.""No need, I'll come with you," I said, ready to follow, but Hayden didn't move.He turned to Eugene. "Have you eaten? I haven't had anything yet. Is there something to eat here?"Eugene smiled and said, "I've already eaten," then glanced at me. "We can order takeout."Catching his drift, I turne
I worried that Demi would totally stir things up between Hayden and me later, making it super awkward.Besides, Hayden's attitude earlier made it clear he wanted to act like he didn't know me, so no one would find out we had any connection."I don't know him," I lied."Then how do you—" Demi started, but I cut her off."I'm just guessing."Demi barely touched her food, her mind totally fixated on Hayden. Normally, she could eat a ton, and today she had ordered her favorite chicken chop.But with a hot guy around, even her favorite food lost its charm."Guess?" Demi was the type to dig until she got to the bottom of things. "How did you guess? Did Mr. Hart have it written on his face?"That was a tough one to answer, but if I didn't say something, Demi would keep prying.As I was pondering what excuse to give, I noticed a small charm on Hayden's bag. It was a cute little white bunny, absolutely adorable."That," I pointed my lips toward the charm, "that's proof enough.""That
I thought, 'Girlfriend? A few days ago, he was on a blind date with me and talking about marriage. And now he already has a girlfriend?'Thinking about how he wanted to marry me right away, it seemed he was desperate for a woman. Since I rejected him, he immediately found someone else.Maybe it was for the best. Now I could face him without any worries.I tossed the takeaway box into the trash and waited off to the side.Demi showed up in under two minutes, still holding her half-eaten chicken chop. She'd lost her appetite because the guy she liked was already taken.Demi sighed as she walked over. "All the good guys are always taken. No chance to even have a little fun."I laughed at her. "Demi, good thing your mom had you as a girl. If you were a guy, you'd be such a playboy."Just as I said that, Hayden walked over. He was rocking a black T-shirt, cargo pants, and ankle boots, standing tall and radiating serious hotness."He's so hot!" Demi sighed. "Keira, look at those musc
I turned my head and met his eyes, feeling unexpectedly guilty for a moment.I looked away and took a step forward. "It's not that. I just don't want others to overthink it.""Oh." His response left me unsure of his feelings.I didn't push it. We were adults, after all. We should understand boundaries and propriety. Plus, he didn't seem like the type to gossip.The silence between Hayden and me grew awkward. Finally, I broke the ice again. "How long will it take to finish adjusting these lights?""Hard to say," Hayden replied.I felt exasperated. "We have twenty days," I reminded him, thinking about the promise I made to Jace.Hayden glanced at me, and I half-expected him to say something, but all I got was a low "Mm."'Does that mean he agrees?' I wondered.With that topic wrapped up, there wasn't much left to say. I could've brought up Macy, but that'd only make things more awkward.The rest of the walk was painfully silent. Each minute dragged, and I even started sweating
Demi asked, "Keira, did you fall on purpose just now?"I couldn't believe she'd even ask that. My waist was still throbbing, and it was definitely gonna bruise. I felt like lifting my shirt to show her. Sure, I might be into Hayden, but I wasn't that desperate.I shot her a glare, but she just kept going. "What did it feel like when he held you? Is his arm really strong? Did his embrace feel—""Demi Young!" I cut her off. "Do you ever think about anything serious, like, ever?"Seeing I was genuinely upset, Demi stuck out her tongue and muttered something under her breath I couldn't catch.I held my sore side and left the power distribution room. It hit me that Hayden had called me over but hadn't asked me anything, making me embarrass myself and get hurt in the process.I decided I needed to keep my distance and stay clear-headed, treating him just like any other client. After all, what we had before was just a blind date, nothing more.Demi handed the documents to Hayden and qu
"Ms. Kay," Hayden's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.I turned around quickly, realizing he was standing there with Demi and the electrician.'Is it just me, or does Hayden look kinda cold?' I couldn't help but wonder if something had gone wrong. "Did you find any problems?" I asked."The electrician is already fixing them," he replied, his tone icy."Oh," I said, feeling a bit lost.Before I could ask what was next, he added, "We're not adjusting the lights today.""Huh?" I was caught off guard.The electrician chimed in, "There's a voltage issue in the wiring that needs to be fixed."I frowned. "How long will that take?""We should be done today."I sighed in relief, worried it might drag on for days."Do you need anything else from me?" I asked Hayden."No."I frowned slightly, but Demi spoke up before I could. "So, we don't need to stick around? We can finish early?""Yeah, you guys can go take care of other stuff. If anything comes up, we'll let you know," Hayden
Hayden walked up, looking cool and collected. "Let's go."'Huh? Is he not going to explain why he wanted to stay so close to us?' I wondered but felt too awkward to ask."Mr. Hart, why do you want to stay so close to us?" Demi, always quick to speak, asked for me.Hayden pressed the elevator button. I caught a glimpse of his room key card: 308, right next to mine."For convenience," he said, just two words.'Convenience for what?' I thought, my mind racing with possibilities.Demi looked just as confused. She turned to Hayden. "What do you mean by convenience?"I wanted to shake some sense into her. 'Is she really that curious? Does she have to dig into everything?'The elevator walls were polished, reflecting our images. I watched Hayden in the mirror, and he looked up, meeting my gaze.Our eyes locked for a moment before he quickly looked away and answered Demi, "Convenience for everything."Both Demi and I were at a loss for words.Finally, Demi stopped talking and just t
"Mmm."With that, he hung up the phone.Since he was the expert in lighting adjustments, someone who could affect the amusement park project, I couldn't afford to offend him.I quickly wrapped a jacket over my pajamas and went to knock on his door. Hayden opened it, his gaze falling on my still-wet hair, and his Adam's apple bobbed slightly."Does it still hurt?" he asked.I was momentarily confused. "Huh?"His eyes shifted down to my waist, and I understood.For some reason, my heart skipped a beat. "Oh, it's fine.""Wait a sec," he said before turning away, leaving me standing at the door.Looking into his room, I noticed his laptop on the table. It seemed he'd jumped straight into work after getting back while I was in the shower.'Not bad. His dedication is impressive.'Hayden came back, his tall frame filling the doorway. I glanced at him. He was still in the same clothes, but now his T-shirt was tucked into his pants, making his legs look even longer.He looked like h