Page 25 of Reckless Storm (San Francisco End Game #3)

Reed

H ayley’s waiting in the lobby when I arrive at her apartment building on Tuesday, pulling me into a hug. “I was down here checking the mail,” she says a little distractedly. “Are you ready for this?”

“To talk?” I blow out a raspberry, waving off the concern in her tone. “I was born to talk. How hard can it be?” I’m well equipped for deep and meaningful conversations; this isn’t my first rodeo.

Staring at me deadpan, Hayley shakes her head, brushing away the hair that falls across her face. “You have no idea.”

“Try me.”

She rolls her eyes and grabs my hand, intertwining our fingers as she pulls me toward the elevator. “I’m going to need a big, greasy meal after this, so you’re taking me out for lunch. I’m craving burgers, but first…let’s get this talk over and done with.”

“God, woman. This was your idea and you’re making it sound like a prison sentence. We need to make this fun or we’ll never survive it.”

“I’m always fun and you know it.” She bumps her shoulder to mine and presses the button for her floor, her eyes flashing to the front glass doors before she releases my hand. “So…what should we discuss first?” She turns my way.

“We’re diving straight in then? No foreplay. Noted.” I bite back a smirk, waiting for her reaction, and right on cue she punches me.

“Foreplay is always needed, Reed. Always . Don’t ever forget that.”

“I could never. But first, is everything okay?”

“Of course.” Hayley’s nose scrunches as she scoffs. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

“You seem uneasy.”

“Nope. I’m good. Promise.”

“Okay.” I allow her off the hook, but I don’t feel good about it. “So…what’s our foreplay then?” I smirk, bringing back her smile.

The elevator stops at Hayley’s level and I hold the doors open as she steps out. “Would you like a drink, Reed?”

“That would be lovely.”

“A comfortable chair?”

“Please.”

“What about some snacks?”

“Only if they’re healthy.”

Unlocking her front door, she rolls her eyes again while her expression remains amused. “You are fresh out of luck there.”

“Damn. You need to work on your foreplay game.”

I hover in her doorway and she shoves me inside. “Shut up and sit on the couch. I’ll bring you a carrot stick.” She hits me with a tight-lipped smirk before turning away, and I can’t restrain the chuckle that bubbles out of me. Maybe this is going to be easy and fun. Why was I doubting it?

Flicking through one of her glossy magazines while I wait, I spend way too long catching up on the latest breakups and pregnancies in Hollywood, so when Hayley returns, my mind is spinning.

“Did you know Rhys Mason and Chelsey Harvey broke up? I’m devastated.”

“Who?” Hayley’s brows crease in puzzlement.

“ Exactly . Why do you read these?” I toss the magazine on the couch beside me and release a soft grunt. “It can’t be good for your mental health. What if you’re featured?”

“Then I’ll know I’ve made it.”

“Bullshit. You’ve made it, Hayls. And when Jaded Beginnings comes out next month, you’re going to be a star.”

“What about—”

“Nope. You are going to be a star,” I repeat, my eyes boring into hers, making sure she believes me.

“Thanks, Reed.” She smiles and there’s a shyness to it that I haven’t seen before, saddening me a little.

She has every right to be the cockiest B out there, but she’s not.

And that would be fine if she was still the same Hayley she’s always been.

But something has changed since her audition last week, and I’m going to get to the bottom of it.

“Now for my promised snacks.” She hands me a platter of fruit and veggies, with avocado and small slices of smoked salmon, and I burst out laughing.

“These carrot sticks look amazing.”

“I thought you’d be impressed.”

“Did you do all of this for me?”

“Hell, no. I eat healthy.”

“Aren’t I taking you out for greasy burgers?”

“It’s all about balance. I worked out for an hour this morning and I’m planning on going for a run later today. I work hard for this hot body, and it deserves treats.”

I ogle said hot body, ignoring my cock when it twitches. “You won’t hear me arguing.”

“About deserving treats?”

“No, about your body,” I admit, waggling my eyebrows.

“Does Bria know you have this playful side of you?”

“Of course she does. She knows everything .”

“Except the way you feel.”

“Apparently.” I shrug, releasing a mix between a huff and a laugh. Although…she might know that too. It’s the million-dollar question.

“It’s time we found out,” Hayley confirms. “Let’s get down to business.” Grabbing a carrot stick, she drags it through the smashed avocado before raising it to her lips and pausing. My gaze follows the journey of the carrot until her mouth lifts into a smirk.

“Did you want this?” she sasses, faking a grimace.

“Well, I mean, you did say the carrots were mine.”

“Reed Coombs. This is going to be a blast.”

“Couldn’t agree more, Jackman. Let’s do it.”

Hayley makes herself comfortable while I relax back into the cushions, resting my ankle over my knee. “Where should we start?”

“First…” She trails off, glancing away, deep in thought until she smiles. “I think you should decide what we talk about.”

“Okay. I’ll take the reins. First, we need to be completely transparent about what we hope to achieve out of this.”

“Wow.” Hayley’s eyes widen and she straightens up. “That was fast. You’ve thought this through.”

“Of course I have, Hayls. It’s kind of a big deal.”

“You’re right. It is. I’m sorry.” She bites back a cheesy grin.

“Maybe you’re right?” I say jokingly. “Maybe I’m not ready for this. For you .”

“I promise, I’ll behave.” She moves her hands to her heart and smiles with a wistful sigh, but before I can respond, she’s raising a finger between us, hushing me as she smirks.

“I promise,” she repeats. “And if you want to know the whys, that brings me to my first reason. Remember when I told you I’m on some bigwigs’ radar for a life changing role? Well, it’s the part of Cynthia in Reckless Desire , the movie I told you about when it was announced last month.”

My chest swells with excitement until I remember what she said about said bigwigs. “So they’re the ones that want a relationship girl?”

“Sort of.”

“Sort of?” My brows furrow and she grimaces.

“I lied a little bit.” She lifts her hand and holds her thumb and finger an inch apart, clenching her teeth.

“How little are we talking?” My words are slow and full of questions, not just the one I’m asking.

Hayley laughs through another confusing grimace. “They didn’t specifically say they needed a relationship type.”

“Oh-kay. What did they say?”

“They said they needed me to fix my image. To become a little less me . To—”

“What the fuck, Hayley?” I stiffen as alarm bells sound inside my head. They can’t be serious. Why would anyone want to extinguish Hayley’s light? It all makes sense now.

“This right here”—she waves her hand in front of my face—“is the reason I didn’t tell you the other day.”

“What reason?”

“I had a feeling you’d get all protective of me, and I didn’t need that while I was still processing everything that happened.”

Fuck . I get that, to a degree, but I’m still not happy. “Would you prefer I thought that request was perfectly fine?”

“No.” Hayley sighs. “I just wanted you to know why I previously kept it from you.”

“Gotcha. Okay. I’m guessing there’s more.”

“Yep.” Her nose scrunches as her eyes flicker closed for a beat. “I was specifically told…fewer nights out, less drinking, and no bad boys.”

“ Ouch .” I wince. “Are you suggesting I’m not a bad boy?

Look at these tats.” I roll up my sleeve and tense my bicep, bouncing my eyebrows.

Not that she notices. No, Hayley has her eyes locked on my muscles as though they’re a beacon she’s drawn too.

I test the theory, lifting my shirt to reveal my tattooed chest, and her gaze shifts, despite the fact that she’s seen it all before.

I drag my finger from the rose tattoo positioned near my heart, down to the eagle that spans my waist, disappearing under the waistband of my jeans, chuckling when her eyes follow.

But when she licks her lips, I groan. “Christ, Hayley. Snap out of it.”

“I can’t help it.” She waves her hands around and unabashedly continues her perving. “It’s a work of art, Reed. It’s no different to me than staring at a painting in the Louvre.”

I scoff at her comparison and let go of my shirt, making her pout as it covers my chest. “I appreciate the compliment. I’ll pass on your admiration to the artist.”

“Oh, Reed, this is way bigger than admiration. I’m obsessed. While we’re dating, I’m making it my mission to find out the meaning of every single tattoo. Be prepared. Have your stories ready, ’cause I’m coming for you.”

Yeah, that’s not happening. “What if they’re personal?” Keeping a straight face, I wait for her to panic before I laugh.

“Shit, I’m— Reed .” She playfully huffs at my laughter. “I guess the first thing you need to know is that I’m always open with the people I trust, and I sometimes forget others aren’t.”

“I’m kidding, and I know that about you. I don’t mind sharing my stories.” Most of them, anyway. “We’ve got to trust each other completely for this to work.”

“Agreed. So where were we?”

“You were in denial about me being a bad boy.” I wink.

“You are so far in the opposite direction, you’re practically an angel.”

“An angel? I’ve seen the trailer for your film; not all angels are good.”

“In your case, it’s true.”

“Yeah, yeah. So what you’re saying is that if you date a good boy… me.” I wave my hands in front of myself and Hayley laughs. “You think they’re going to see you in a better light, and cast you for the role?”

“That’s the plan.”

“So…” I nod while I process. “That’s what you were worried about? You’re doing this so that you look good, but what if I suddenly become a bad boy because of your bad girl influence?”

Hayley cringes and I regret hitting a nerve. “Kind of. I was considering what this might do to your reputation, since mine’s not great and—”

“Whoa. Hold up. The thing you’ll learn about me is that I don’t care about my reputation.

I’m not this guy, the golden boy as they call me, because I’m striving for it.

It’s who I am. You need to push that shit from your mind, because, for one, it’s not on my radar as being an issue, and two, you are not who they say you are.

And that last one’s extremely important. ”

Hayley’s lips pull into a soft, thankful smile and it breaks my heart. Does she believe what they’re saying?

“Hayley—”

“No, I’m good.”

“Are you sure?”

“One hundred percent. But thank you.”

“Anytime.”

“You say that a lot,” she muses, grabbing another carrot stick with one hand before reaching for salmon with the other.

“Say what?”

“Anytime.”

“Because it’s true. Maybe it should be my catchphrase.”

“Stop.” Hayley shakes her head, but this time when she smiles, it’s back to the full force I love to see, the Hayley I know well, putting my mind at ease.

“So what’s next? Anything else I should know?”

She taps her chin as she thinks, her brows furrowed in question. “Yes. My exes suck, so I’m comparing you to a low base.”

“That’s always good, but we both know I don’t need the help.” I wink and she bursts out laughing. “Anything else?”

“Um…” She taps her nails on the arm of the couch this time. “I don’t think so.”

“Okay, good.”

“I guess that means it’s your turn.” She points my way and I nod.

“It sure is, and I’ve been thinking about this. A lot.”

“Always the sensible one. Hit me with it.”