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“I don’t get it either,” I say, and my heart breaks at how sad he looks. It’s as if he lost his mother all over again tonight. “Is this what your dad was trying to accuse us of? A boss sleeping with their assistant?”

“Yes.” His eyes flash with anger. “As if our situation would be comparable …”

After a prolonged silence, I remove my hand from his and clean up the leftovers with his help and toss them back in the bag.

Hayden still looks defeated, but with nothing separating us anymore, I slide across the bench and grab his shoulders to kiss him.

It’s different than before. Our earlier kiss was frenzied and full of urgency; this one is gentle and sweet.

Hayden pulls me closer by the waist, his touch tender as if he’s handling something precious. His warm lips move from my mouth to my cheek and down my jaw until he starts kissing my neck, and goose bumps rise on my skin. When he lightly sucks the skin on my neck, I have to bite back a moan.

“I’ve wanted this for so long,” he admits.

“We’ve known each other for like a month,” I say, a laugh escaping my lips.

“Fine, I’ve wanted this since I saw you stealing that orange.”

“Theft really does it for you, huh?” I trace his jaw with my thumb.

“You have no idea.” He kisses me again, his hands squeezing my waist. “You make me feel at peace.”

I give him a lopsided smile, hoping he can see in my eyes that I feel the same way, even though I’m at a loss for words.

His hands move up my body to cup my face, angling it slightly to the side to gain better access. He kisses me with a hunger now, a desperation that practically vibrates through his bones.

When I moan into his mouth, he lets out a deep growl, grabs me around the waist, and pulls me into his lap until I’m straddling him.

I run my fingers through his hair and chuckle. “Someone is greedy.”

“You can’t make noises like that and expect me not to lose it.”

Before I can retort, his lips are back on mine, and all I can focus on is Hayden underneath me as I lose myself in him.

When he moves his hands from my waist down to my ass and pulls me closer, a whimper escapes my mouth. He squeezes tightly, and I can’t ignore the throbbing between my legs any longer.

I start to grind my hips, needing more friction and craving him.

It’s Hayden’s turn to moan, and he pulls back slightly from me. Before I can protest the lack of his lips on mine, he grabs the hem of his T-shirt that I’m still wearing and yanks it up impatiently. “As much as I love seeing you wear my clothes, this needs to come off.”

I lift my arms to help him, and as soon as the shirt is off, his mouth is back on mine.

His hands move all over my body, up and down my back, my arms, my face. It’s as if he’s trying to touch all of me at once. When his hands linger on the straps of my dress, he stops and looks up at me. “Can I?” he asks breathlessly, and I nod.

He slowly pulls the straps down, his movements unbearably slow, and just stares at my exposed chest for a moment.

“Fuck. How are you so perfect? It’s insane.”

My cheeks warm at the compliment, and I shiver at his touch. His mouth moves to my neck, trailing lingering kisses down my collarbone until he reaches my breasts. I exhale sharply as he gently sucks my nipple into his mouth, my fingers digging into his shoulders.

I feel him straining against his pants, and I circle my hips teasingly over his erection.

“Robin,” he mutters, his mouth moving from my nipple as he stares down at me grinding on his lap. My dress has ridden up my thighs all the way past my hips.

He hoists me up slightly, just enough to move his hand slowly between my legs. My breathing turns erratic when he strokes me over my underwear. He hisses when he notices how wet I am, his gaze landing on mine, watching my reaction.

Suddenly, he pulls his hand away and closes his eyes. “Baby, we have to stop.”

“What? Why?” I say, confused about his sudden change of mind.