Highest rank on the hot list over the last two weeks - #378 in Chick Lit

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© 2017 Shay Spencer. All rights reserved.

Something Real

[ Chapter 16 ] In The Heat Of The Moment

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My mother, being as overly prepared as she was, had forced me to pack an overnight bag.

Now, arriving in the Hampton's well after eight at night, I was happy I had listened to her.

"You can go home any time you want," Hayden reminded me. The man continued to swing his bag back and forth as we walked up to the front door of the lavish house. "I'll even go back with you."

Turns out, the restaurant that Mary-Anne had picked out for our dinner, was in the Hampton's. Though a two hour plane ride seemed like nothing to her, I thought it a bit far to go for a meal.

She didn't seem to think so. But thankfully, she was ordering in.

"It's no big deal, Hayden." I said, laughing at how uneasy he was.

In all the different situations that I'd seen Hayden in, he had only exuded confidence. He walked around as if he owned the earth itself. This was yet another new side to the supposed bad-boy that I was now getting to see.

"I wanted to get out of the city, anyways," I sighed. "Wren's acting like a real bit-"

"Bitch? I think you mentioned that on the plane," he finished for me. "How about we nix the gossip sessions for this vacation, and get down to the real business at hand."

"And just what would that be?"

Hayden gave me a suggestive smirk as he stopped in front of me, standing just below the steps that would take us up into the house. "Are we sharing a room, or what?"

I rolled my eyes and launched my bag in his direction, making sure to hit him in the stomach as hard as I could.

He gasped playfully, sending me yet another smirk before he strode up the steps ahead of me. "No harm in trying."

This house was unlike anything I'd ever seen before, and though this was my first trip to the Hampton's, I already knew this was a highly esteemed property.

I could tell by the nearly three stories and the beach that followed just below the back of the house that this place was unique. The driveway was nearly as long as the Pennington's Mansion in Beverly Hills, and the stairs seemed to match that of the Pennington Mansion, as well.

Assuming that Hayden and Jay's parents had purchased this before their divorce, Elias had a very expensive taste.

"My mom got this in the divorce," Hayden said, reading my mind. "She loves the beach more than anything."

"Is this where you took that picture of her?" I asked, glancing around the side of the house and towards the beach. From what I could remember of that picture hanging in Hayden's room back home, it seemed to match that of the beach here in New York.

The sand stretched out from the back of the house to the blue ocean. Even in the dark of the night, I knew this beach was far more beautiful than any in California.

"Yeah," Hayden nodded. "Just behind the house, actually."

With that, Hayden pulled his bag back over his shoulder and popped open the door. Luckily enough for us, Hayden's mother had left the door open.

Before even entering the house, I had gotten some idea as to what would be inside. I had been sadly mistaken in the lengths that some people go to in making a house as immaculate as this one.

The stairs, though pressed against the wall to our right, were a stand out on their own. Each step had a unique pattern painted in a barely noticeable silver, and the railing was crafted in some wood that I knew had to have costed a fortune. The large table was set directly in the center of the room just below the amazing glass chandelier; and all of this was just the main room.

"You know I hate that!" A familiar voice shrieked before she bounded out from one of the rooms upstairs. She slid down the steps, and finally caught herself on the railing.

There, shock ridden across her face and whip cream matting down her hair, stood Wren Manny in all her glory. She was only wearing a dress shirt, and what I was hoping was a bikini underneath.

"Scar," Wren shuffled into a better position on the stairs. "I didn't know you were getting in tonight.

Jay bounded down the steps behind her, catching her around her waist and hugging her from behind.

"Hey man," Jay called down to his brother. "Guess who made the team!"

Hayden chuckled at the sight, running a hand through his hair when he did. "Congrats, Jay."

"Thanks," he chirped.

The four of us stood awkwardly in the entry way, not knowing exactly what to say. Jay and Hayden had always seemed to be supportive of one another, and yet, the two barely ever interacted. All this combined with the fact that Wren was reluctant to even speak with me, made for one hell of a fun weekend up here.

"I'll give you a tour, Blaine," Hayden finally spoke, slicing right through the silence. "We can head up the service stairs."

"Actually," Jay called after Hayden. "We're heading to the pool. We'll get out of you way."

Hayden held back a laugh as we watched the two stumble down each step, this including Jay trying to shove more whip cream into Wren's mouth.

"Don't drown each other," Hayden mocked. He rolled his eyes, waving me up the stairs as Wren and Jay turned the corner.

I quietly trailed after him, making sure to take mental notes as to where everything was. If I thought I had gotten lost in the Beverly Hills mansion, I knew I would cease to find my way around here.

"You can room across from me," Hayden sighed as he nudged open one of the doors with his foot. "This is my room."

Hayden tossed his bag onto the stark white couch at the end of his bed, turning his attention then to the double doors leading out to the balcony.

At least he wasn't as protective about this room.

Glancing around, I knew then just how bare Hayden liked things. Though I'm sure he enjoyed the money his family had from earned, both his room back home and his room here, were very simplistic in comparison to the rest the house. It half looked like something the realtor had staged when selling them the house years ago.

I pursed my lips together, dropping my bag next to Hayden's. Without thinking too much about it, I followed Hayden out onto the balcony.

"Someone set up a bonfire," Hayden commented as I stepped out. "It might be nice to check out the beach." I nodded, deciding to rest my elbows on the railing next to his.

There was a nice, warm breeze blowing across the beach. The warm air was just what I needed, and the sight of the white sand and roaring bonfire down below soothed me even further. In this moment, I couldn't have cared less if Wren was downstairs. I was just happy to be here in a place like this.

"Come with me," Hayden whispered. He reached out, taking my hand gently. He slowly made his way across the right side of balcony that stretched along the entire backside of the house. On the far side, there was a small, spiral set of stairs coming down from the third level that Hayden had to drop my hand to jump onto.

With one movement, he was over both the balcony railing, and the railing on the spiral staircase.

I laughed at the sight before Hayden held out his hand to me. "Come on," he urged. I shook my head and slapped his hand away.

"I can do it," I mumbled. I clasped my hand onto the white wood before hopping up onto the edge and swinging my legs over the side. Hayden reached out, pulling my dangling legs over the railing of the spiral staircase before he placed a hand on either side of my waist.

He held me tightly as he pulled me over, managing to set me down on the step below him.

"You do that for all the girls you bring back here?" I teased.

Hayden nodded obnoxiously, "oh yeah. It's a classic move."

I shook my head, walking down the few steps that stood between us and the beach. I quickly slipped off my sandals and stepped out onto the white sand. I loved the feeling of the sand between my toes.

Hayden waved me froward and led me over to the bonfire his mother had set up just behind the house. The lights from inside had dimmed just a bit, and the fire left behind a nice lighting for us.

Just where the concrete of the back porch cut off and the sand started, Hayden sat down, tucking his feet beneath the sand. He patted the spot next to him as he looked out onto the water.

I could really get used to nights like this.

"It kind of feels like we should be roasting marshmallows, or something." Hayden mentioned as I sat down, pushing my feet into the sand next to his.

"It does," I laughed quietly. "Like we're camping out here."

"That just means we should be having hot dogs for dinner instead of caviar and overpriced crackers," he teased.

The fire crackled just a bit as I let my fingers trace patterns in the sand to my side. Even though I had focused settled in on the sand, I could feel Hayden looking down at me.

"You act like you've never been to the beach before," he said. "They have beaches in California, don't they?"

"Yeah, sucky ones near LA," I countered. "They're all brown and covered in trash. I've never been to an entirely white sanded, private beach before."

"You've got some high standards, Blaine," he smirked back at me. "A beach is a beach."

"This is different, Hayden," I rolled my eyes. "You've lived this way your whole life. My mom and I could barely afford to live in Beverly Hills after my dad left."

"And then she found my dad," he reminded me. "This isn't just mine anymore, Scarlett. It's yours, too." Hayden whispered against my ear. The mere sound of his voice sent shivers down my spine.

I took in a deep breath, practically basking in the beach air. Hayden let his right arm hang loosely around my shoulders. The action was small, but it left me feeling even more relaxed than I already felt. I leaned my head back against his chest, taking notice of the different summer-scented cologne he was wearing.

At least, it was different than the one he had worn to the club a few weeks back.

"This place always feels like a hotel," Hayden whispered once more. "I know it sounds cheesy, but, it feels more like home with you here."

"It doesn't," I shook my head. "It strangely feels like home to me, too."

I pulled back from Hayden, managing to get a good look at him as he kept his eyes on the fire.

He looked exhausted to say the least, what with our long plane ride here and the football game earlier today. Then there was his few days with his mother in San Francisco. I could tell he wanted to fall back onto the sand and go to sleep right this second.

Yet, when he finally looked up into my eyes, he looked as though he came alive again.

His brown eyes bored into my own, and his hand that had once been resting just over my shoulder slid down onto my waist. My hand somehow found it's way into his right knee, grasping the fabric of his jeans as his hand gently bunched up the material of my loose sweater.

"Scarlett..." Hayden trailed off, not knowing what to say as he leaned in a bit further.

I nodded, reaching out and running my fingers over the stubble along his jawline. I could feel my heart beat quickening as I let my fingers find their way to his hair, my sight falling to his lips as he continued to close the distance between us.

I bit into my lip for only a second before Hayden pulled my body into his. I was practically in his lap as his lips ghosted against my own. My eyes fluttered shut and his hands gripped even tighter around my waist as we both braced ourselves for the feeling that would never come over us.

"Hey-" Wren cut herself short.

I pulled myself from Hayden, trying to fight past the foggy feeling that had settled over my mind.

"Yeah," I huffed.

She looked awkward, standing there in the doorway. Her hair was dripping wet, and the bright orange towel she hand hanging over her shoulders almost looked to be a blanket.

"Dinner's here, whenever you're ready."

I turned away from her, looking instead at the fire that was still burning just a few feet from us. My heart refused to slow itself down, and there was now an empty feeling pooling in my chest.

It had felt romantic out here for a short amount of time; that's all this was.

But despite my rationalization, as I stood up and quickly walked inside, I wasn't sure how Hayden I would make it through the rest of this trip.

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Looks like this trip is off to a great start! Who thinks Scarlett and Hayden should have kissed? And what if Wren tells someone what she saw...

So sorry for the long wait! My sister was in the hospital towards the end of last week, and there's honestly been way too much family drama going since Friday.

The next update will be on May 8th!

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Also! Check out The Buddies Rule - Chapter 29 is up now!

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Ps: Check out the most recent post on my blog! My first blog contributor is our very own Featured Author for April, Jess NJ Tottenham!