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The War (In The Beginning)	By : pensfan100 Category: Casts RPF > Star Wars (all) > Star Wars (all) Views: 16007 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. I do not know the people I am writing about in this fanfiction. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 11
- 12
- 13
Author's Note: Thank you all for being so patient. We have a new computer and I was able to sit down a few days ago and get to work again! However, after not flexing my writing muscles for so long I feel a little rusty. pensfan100

Chapter Twelve

“Will you stop it already?”

Angie, Natalie’s manager, swatted her client’s fingers away from her mouth…again. Grimacing, Natalie looked down at the now mangled nails she had been chewing on as the limousine slowed to a crawl, joining the train of limos approaching the drop off point for the Golden Globe awards show. Hayden’s manager, Sally, raised an eyebrow, exchanging a wry glace with Angie as the fingers lifted towards Natalie’s lips again.

“Nat,” the husky timbre of the lone male voice warned.

Startled, guilty eyes met amused blue and she dropped her hands hastily into her lap.

“It’s too late,” Hayden drawled, his smile tilting, “we all saw it.”

“I can’t help it,” Natalie scowled at him, the dark look emphasizing her stormy brown eyes. Her cheeks flushed as they all chuckled. “Sure. Laugh if you want, but this was not a good idea.”

“Natalie, no one cares that you and I are going to this together,” Hayden assured, a little exasperated. “We’re working together, so we may as well ride together.”

“And we’re with you, so it’s not like you two have run off for a tryst or anything!” Sally declared, laughing at the thought. “While neither of you are up for any Golden Globes, you still need to be seen among your peers.”

The flush in Natalie’s cheeks deepened and she turned guilty eyes towards the window, pretending to look out at the crowds gathered to see their favorite stars. Angie’s eyes narrowed at the uncomfortable shift in Natalie’s eyes, then turned to examine Hayden’s features. On cue, he turned his head and looked at something of suddenly great interest out the other window. Angie frowned in thought as she worked to put two and two together. The swiftness with which both turned away could be construed as damning. Could it be?

“Natalie, you usually could care less what the rags say about you,” Hayden pointed out, adjusting his collar by loosening a button in spite of his manager’s disapproval. “It’s no big deal. The big deal will be if Desiree is here, which she probably will be, so she can get her face seen, and start climbing all over me. You promised to keep her off me!”

Ah! So that’s it! Angie thought to herself. She’s his watchdog. They have something cooked up to protect him from the sultry up and coming starlet.

Natalie turned her head and fixed him with a glare, desperately keeping her eyes peeled to his and not to the tempting triangle of skin now showing where he’d unbuttoned his shirt. That spot was very sensitive to her lips. Whenever she kissed it a growl would vibrate in his throat. Desiree would never know that. Jealousy burned bright at the picture it put into her mind. The LAST person to be crawling onto Hayden would be that tramp! No way! It was a great cover, but couldn’t he have thought of something else? Hayden shrugged an apology.

“Oh my, she’s still after you?” Sally interrupted the unspoken communication between the two.

“Yeah, he took her out on a double date with me and Michael,” Natalie interjected, curving a syrupy smile at Hayden. “She warned me off him in the bathroom and I had a date of my own. I just gawked at her! Really, Hayden, you need to be more selective in the future.”

“I’ll remember that,” he slotted through gritted teeth, his eyes sparking all kinds of threats at her.

Sally’s head fell back as she allowed herself a hearty laugh.

“I can’t wait to tell my husband,” she chuckled.

“Must you?” Hayden breathed as the limo pulled to a stop in front of the red carpet.

“Oh, you can count on it,” Sally promised, throwing him a teasing smile. “It’s a shame Jerry couldn’t come on this outing, but this story will make up for it. After that one heavy incident with her at the casting call…”

“What ‘heavy incident’?” Natalie tilted her head in great interest.

“Nothing,” he growled at her. “Just drop it. Suffice it to say that I was overjoyed I got paired with you and not her. But you already knew that. You are much easier to put up with even when you’re being a pain in the butt.”

Natalie batted her eyelashes at him even as a layer of warmth spread over her, blanketing her with his hidden compliment. She knew what he meant and the jealousy she had been feeling slithered away. If she had to brave the paparazzi, at least the trade off would be keeping Desiree off of Hayden.

The door of the limo opened and Hayden sighed.

“Showtime,” he announced as he ducked his head to exit the car.

WHACK!

The resounding sound of Hayden’s head hitting the top of the car door echoed through the interior. Immediately, he grabbed the top of his head, climbing out of the car, a few swear words slipping out under his breath. For a moment everything around him spun and stars appeared but he leaned back into the car to extricate the two managers. Both asked after him in concern but he assured them he was fine, even while a bump began to balloon barely disguised by his hair. Drawing a deep breath against the pounding pain he leaned back in as Natalie edged to the door.

An exchange of looks as she put her hand in his and let him draw her out of the car was all it took. The expression on his face tipped her over the edge and she burst into fits of laughter. A hand shot up to her mouth to try and muffle her unkind sounds of mirth, but the tears pricking her eyes couldn’t hide the mischievous humor leaking out of her.

“Are you all right?” She managed to choke as she exited the car, one hand reaching for his head.

Hayden’s head ducked away from her probing fingers.

“Ouch! Don’t do that!” He groused at her, quickly straightening to his full height so she couldn’t reach the bump, even in her heels.

“I’m sorry…Hayden,” she gasped in between giggles, “but the look on…your face…and…and the sound….” She panted for air before finishing. “Whack! That’s what it sounded like. Whack!”

The pain receded to a dull throb and Hayden looked at her twinkling eyes and began to laugh with her. Together they made their way down the carpet, not even aware of the people around them, too caught up in the hilarious moment to notice anyone else. The more she giggled, the more he chuckled. Finally, Natalie stopped and did what she needed to do. She flung her head back and laughed and laughed, tears streaming down her cheeks as the scene replayed over and over in her head. It expelled the nerves that had plagued her the whole way in, restoring her good humor. Leave it to Hayden to guide her feelings, even without meaning to.

“Are you through laughing at my expense?” He scowled teasingly, his hand gingerly brushing over his head to find the bump. “Ow!”

Natalie wiped the tears from her cheeks as she glanced at his pained expression.

“Is there a bump?” She questioned, tugging on his sleeve until he bent over.

“Yes, there’s a bump!” Hayden exclaimed.

“Let me see!”

“No!

“Yes!”

“No!”

“Oh, quit being a big baby and let me see.” Natalie yanked harder pulling him lower and gently traced her fingers up his scalp. Finding the bump coincided with his yelp. “Wow, there IS a bump! You really did whack it. Whack!”

That set her off again, in spite of sputtering to tell him she was sorry. Hayden raised his eyebrows at her as he stood up, his hand cupping her elbow to lead her down the carpet towards the waiting microphone.

“I probably look like Elmer Fudd after Bugs Bunny whapped him with something,” he muttered. “You know what I mean? He gets hit with something and the bump goes whoop!” Demonstrating, he lifted his hand. “Just like that.”

“Stop it!” Natalie crowed, one hand clutching her stomach. “I can’t stand it!”

By the time they reached Joan and Melissa Rivers they were both cracking up. Hayden managed to settle down as they stepped up to be interviewed. Natalie just struggled to bring herself to a giggle.

“Are you all right, Hayden?” Melissa asked. “We heard you hit your head.”

“Whack!” Natalie fell apart as Hayden grimaced and touched the bump again.

“Does the bump show?” He asked, his face screwing up as Joan insisted on pulling him down to check his head. “Ow!”

“Sorry,” Joan allowed him to straighten after touching the bump. “That’s some knot you got there! Any bigger and it would be visible above your hair!”

“Thanks,” he groaned as Natalie swiped at the tears on her cheeks again.

“I’m sorry,” she gasped for air, completing forgetting they were on television. “I don’t mean…I’m not laughing AT you…it’s just…it went WHACK and…”

When she fell apart again, he shrugged at the mother and daughter team and grinned. “I think I caused her to lose it this time.”

Her laughter became contagious and the other two women started laughing, too, as Hayden nudged Natalie.

“I’m sorry,” she cried again. “We’ll get you some ice inside before the show starts.”

“Oh, I’ll look real good, sitting there holding an ice bag to my head,” Hayden rolled his eyes at her.

Natalie loudly sighed, expelling the rest of her laughter and brought herself under control.

“I’m sorry,” she apologized to the women, the smile lighting her face emphasizing her sparkling eyes. “He just cracks me up sometimes.”

“Obviously,” Joan drawled, slanting Hayden a teasing glance. “But, either way, you look absolutely gorgeous! You make a very stunning couple.”

“Who designed your dress?” Melissa jumped in, eyeing the soft, flowing textures in cherry red.

Hayden allowed himself a tiny glance to appreciate Natalie in the red, clinging dress. Instead of a gown, she had draped herself in a shorter dress with tight sleeves pushed up onto her forearms and a V- neck in the front that highlighted the gold necklace of a dove nestled near her cleavage. From the front she looked fresh and inviting. Melissa turned her a bit.

“Wow,” she breathed as she took in the rest of the dress. From the shoulders, the dress hugged her sides, but left the skin exposed before reappearing at the small of her back. “That’s very sexy. Don’t you think so, Hayden?”

“I don’t know,” he shrugged. “I never really saw it from the back. She and her manager were already in the limo when they picked up my manager and me. Plus, she was laughing so hard when we got out of the car I was just trying to get her this far without her passing out!”

Hayden’s words provided just the right tone to turn any speculation away from them as a couple. Natalie giggled again brushing her hair from her forehead.

Holy Moses! Hayden whistled to himself, forcing his eyes away from her back before his eyes popped out of his head.

“When we did Star Wars he was ALWAYS falling down, so I expect to laugh when we’re in the same place,” she grinned.

“But he’s sooo handsome!” Joan Rivers shook her head at Natalie. “How can you laugh at that sexy face?”

“Easily,” Hayden deadpanned.

“He’s a klutz of the first order,” Natalie smiled.

“It’s true,” he agreed.

“And you two are filming a movie together again,” Joan opened the door for the movie discussion.

It wasn’t long before they were on their way, another star slotted into the limelight. Hayden sighed and shook his head at Natalie.

“You know, you have always taken joy from my pain,” he accused as they moved to the doors.

“Not really,” Natalie assured, her face creasing with a relaxed smile. “It’s just that it went whack when your head hit the car. I couldn’t help it. It sounded funny. I really wasn’t laughing at you.”

“I know,” his hand connected with the soft skin of her back as he guided her into the auditorium. For a moment he reveled in the chance to touch her even as her spine stiffened slightly at the electric charge surging through her. “I would love to hate you, but that’s just not possible.”

“Thank you,” she grinned up at him.

“Especially in that sexy dress,” he complimented raising his eyebrows at her as they took their seats.

“Thank you, again.” Her face flushed while her stomach somersaulted.

“And because you’ve been laughing at my head, I’m not giving you another compliment the rest of the night.”

“Spoilsport,” she pouted teasingly before breaking into giggles again.

“Nope. I’m not going to do it. Not going to do it.”

“Natalie seems to be enjoying herself,” Michael’s friend, Frank, commented as he plopped down on the couch and motioned to the television.

“Yes, she does, doesn’t she,” Michael murmured, watching Natalie and Hayden talking with Joan and Melissa Rivers.

“What?” Frank turned his head and eyed his friend. “Jealous?”

“No.”

“Yes, you are!” Frank stared at his friend wide-eyed. “You’re jealous of that pretty boy! Come on, you can’t be serious! Him? And her? She’d never give him the time of day.”

“I’m not jealous of him,” Michael denied, grabbing a slice of pizza as he eyed them. “Hayden’s a nice guy and not one to poach on another man’s property.”

“Oh yeah, right,” Frank drawled. “If Natalie heard you refer to her as property she’d drop you like a hot potato. But she is one hot, stunning piece of property. You can’t blame any guy for trying, even him.”

Michael shrugged. “Still, they get along so well together. There’s never any uncomfortable silences and sometimes it seems they almost know what the other is going to say.”

Frank frowned, swigging a mouthful of beer. “If you ask me, that sounds suspicious.”

“She’s known him a long time.”

“I don’t know, pal,” Frank cautioned. “If you ask me, that’s too close for comfort.”

Michael did not like where the conversation was heading as he stared narrow-eyed at the screen. Natalie grinned up at Hayden right before his hand settled on her back to guide her away. His brows knit together at the sight of Hayden touching her. He did it so easily, as if he had done it many times before. Could there really be something there? Maybe he should call Natalie later and check on her. She would be home in a couple weeks and Hayden would be who knows where.

“She’s almost done filming and then she’ll be home,” Michael pushed the thoughts aside as they disappeared from view. “Enough already. Let’s play some NFL football on the Playstation so I can wipe your sorry ass again.”

“Ha!” Frank jeered, the subject of the conversation successfully diverted from his mind. “Yeah, we’ll just see about that!”

At the after party, Natalie and Hayden split up and circled the room with their agents in tow to talk to friends and coworkers from past films. In spite of appearing to ignore each other, they tracked one another silently. As if each had a homing device, their eyes diverted now and then onto each other, tracking their progress around the room, measuring the length between them as it shortened with each step. When they met back where they had started they instinctively sought out George Lucas and spent some time reminiscing with him and others about their Star Wars days. Before too long, Jimmy Smits and Ewan MacGregor joined them and later Carrie Fisher. There were laughs and jokes all around and Natalie found herself enjoying the camaraderie that made up the Star Wars family.

Desiree inevitably appeared while they were ensconced with the others and circled the perimeter of the party like a hungry shark waiting for its chance to strike, but she couldn’t get close enough. Hayden kept his eyes off her. She had served her purpose and that was that. He knew it was deeply cold blooded and he felt a snippet of guilt that he had been so willing to use another person, but he had been desperate. One look at Natalie laughing and smiling beside him, her eyes glowing when they met his assuaged that guilt. After all, all was fair…

Natalie sensed Desiree from the start, the hairs on the back of her neck rising in protective awareness. She watched from the corner of her eye as the starlet tried to get Hayden’s attention. By increments, Desiree’s voice rose, her laughter shrill as she flirted with any male within close range. She finally decided to drop all pretenses and venture over to the table. Natalie turned her head and met the other girl’s eyes head on. Bewildered, Desiree halted her steps, floundering at the openly hostile glare in Natalie’s eyes.

Amused, George watched the small interaction. A moment later, the starlet backed off and Natalie joined in the conversation as if nothing had happened. Unable to help himself, George raised his eyebrows.

Well, now that’s interesting, he thought to himself. Very interesting, indeed. His eyes wandered over Natalie’s face then Hayden’s and back again. Biting back a smile when Natalie turned to say something to him, he decided to file it away for future reference.

All too soon it was time to go. Hayden had developed a slight headache and Natalie found herself growing sleepy. Bundled back into the limo by their managers they spent their time exchanging perceptions about the people they had seen. First Angie, then Sally arrived at their destinations and then the limo sped towards Natalie’s hotel. Hayden scrunched down into his seat to rest his head more comfortably against the cushy back.

“Does it still hurt?” Natalie’s voice whispered.

“Mmm,” Hayden answered, his eyes remaining shut. “Not too bad. Just a dull ache. I’ll take something before I go to bed.”

How about me? Natalie thought instinctively.

Something fluttered in the pit of her stomach. Bed. A wave of longing broke over her as she pictured his long limbs sprawled over her bed. How nice it would be to just sleep beside him and not worry about anyone or anything else. The sex between them was phenomenal, but she wished she could have the tenderness he’d shown her early on when he’d so gallantly washed her sweaty body and tucked her beside him into bed. That night still surfaced at times in the back of her mind. There was no doubt he’d surprised her with how outright sexy he could be, but right now she needed the tenderness that she knew lived in him. She gave a hearty sigh.

“What?” Hayden opened his eyes and looked straight at her.

“Nothing.”

“That sigh sounded like something,” he pointed out, shifting in the seat to take in all of her.

“I’m just tired.”

“Laughing will do that to you,” Hayden closed his eyes again, leaving her ample time to look at him. Her eyes traveled over his face memorizing his features down to the scar on his cheek. Lips parted, eyes closed, he looked so peaceful and heartbreakingly sexy.

The limo pulled up to the hotel and Hayden stirred from his dozing.

“No, don’t get up, you’re tired,” Natalie fussed at him.

“I will walk you up to your room whether you like it or not,” Hayden brooked no argument.

He climbed from the limo and helped Natalie out. Bidding the driver to pull over to the side and wait he nudged Natalie to precede him and followed her to the bank of elevators. Silently they waited for one of them to open. The ride up to her suite remained quiet as if each knew speaking would only disrupt the calm.

Hayden followed her to her door and waited patiently while she fished for her keycard. When she finally opened the door, he stepped around her, walking through the rooms to make sure everything was secure.

“I don’t know why you have to be here alone,” he complained after his search of the rooms.

“Don’t you?” She questioned.

Hayden moved closer, his arms sliding around her waist.

“Ok, maybe I do,” he agreed, staring down into the golden brown of her eyes. “You need to be alone.”

“Yes. I need my space without people falling all over me.”

“And not seeing where you go or what you do.”

Natalie bit her lip. “Hayden, I…”

“It’s all right, Nat. I understand. I do,” his smile tilted in that endearing way that made her heart flip.

“You are by far the most beautiful woman I have ever known,” the words slipped softly from his lips, surprising her with their unexpectedness.

“Thank you,” she whispered, her heart plummeting to her toes. Men had been saying things to flatter her ever since she starred in The Professional and she knew that they were a result of her life as an actress, but when Hayden said them they made her dizzy with their sincerity. If he said it, he meant it.

The brush of his lips against hers set her heart pounding to a ragged, insistent beat. Gently, they slid along the soft contours while his arms gathered her closer. In the back of her throat she murmured her assent and linked her arms around his neck as his lips toyed with hers. The relaxed suppleness of his lips encouraged her to open to him and she readily allowed him to deepen the kiss, welcoming the slide of his tongue into the moist cavern of her mouth. Needing to release the tension, she moaned in appreciation of his skillful kiss and tunneled her fingers through his hair, careful to stay away from the knot still visible on his scalp.

“Stay with me,” she suddenly breathed into his mouth.

He shivered in stunned response to her plea but drew slightly away to look into her eyes.

“I can’t. Not tonight,” he whispered dipping his head to skim his lips along hers.

“Please?” She begged softly.

“People will know, Natalie,” he reminded her, the words blurred against her lips. He tried to draw away again to speak more clearly but he couldn’t find the strength to deny himself the thrill of being so close to her that he could feel her heart beating against his.

“I don’t care,” Natalie asserted stubbornly, her arms twining around his neck as his mouth began to explore the softness of her throat.

“You would in the morning,” he murmured knowingly against her skin.

Natalie knew he was right, knew he couldn’t stay. But the myriad of sensations assailing her as his mouth returned to coax hers open said differently. Her body wanted to drown itself in his, be gathered so close that she wouldn’t know where he began and she ended. The fingers trailing over the skin on her exposed back stroked her mind senseless. They dipped along the line where her dress curved low, her body instinctively arching into his. All her body needed was his taking her away from the rest of the world to a place where only they existed. Her heart melted a little bit more as he tilted his head, angling to grasp her lips at a different angle. At a snail’s pace, his lips almost reverent over hers, he drank in the taste of her.

For a brief moment, Hayden wondered at her easy compliance. But then he felt her actually tremble against him. He knew she feared what they had no control over, but he also knew she longed for him. And her unexpected plea touched him deeply. She only had to say that she didn’t care what anyone thought about them and he would send the driver away and spend the rest of the night in her arms and to hell with the rest of the world. His heart rammed against his suddenly too small ribcage when she whimpered into his mouth and dug her fingers into his hair to hold him to her. The skin on her back so silky, his fingers couldn’t stop stroking her, the lips opening under his too tempting to leave. In response, his lower body stirred when hers rubbed against him.

If only, if only, if only…The words careened inside his head, the sudden thought of Michael reminding him she was not truly his…not yet. Not officially.

“I have to go,” Hayden murmured, his voice tinged with regret.

“I know,” Natalie answered, sliding her tongue along his bottom lip and into his waiting mouth.

Minutes passed as they remained just inside the closed door, neither willing to move. It had been days since they had been together and the fire, though banked, still smoldered, the effects of their attentions fanning the flames. A frustrated growl burst up his throat and Hayden grabbed her head with both hands to keep himself from lifting her and pinning her to the wall. Only their mouths touched.

“You have to go,” Natalie whispered the reminder, biting his lip teasingly.

“Yes, I do,” he agreed, his lips finding hers again, silencing her. After long moments he lifted his head, the end of the kiss echoing around them. “Good night, Natalie.”

“Good night,” she echoed, lifting on tiptoe to seal her mouth to his once more.

“Stop it,” he admonished softly then dipped his head again to kiss her.

“You stop it,” she smiled against his mouth.

He chuckled, the low, throaty sound sending the butterflies in her stomach into a plunge. A hand snaked around her waist, the other cupping her cheek.

“Be a good girl and let me go,” he begged, running his long fingers down the satiny flesh of her neck.

“I’m not stopping you.”

“Yes, you are,” he accused, tipping her chin. “You’re looking at me.”

“And that’s enough to hold you?”

Hayden caught himself just in time. Almost, he had let slip that she had held him prisoner for a ages, but wisely decided to keep that to himself.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” He smiled cryptically down at her and grasped her lips again to sting kisses to them until her knees threatened to buckle under her.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Hayden whispered, this time drawing away and reaching for the door. “Sweet dreams.” And he was gone.

Natalie stood staring at the door for a long time her knees shaking so badly she couldn’t move. Her heart lodged in her throat and she wondered how she was able to breathe and how them doing nothing beyond kissing could set her body into overload. Trembling fingers touched her bottom lip, pressing on its now plump contours, his kisses still imprinted there. Wide-eyed she continued to stare where he had just been as if he would reappear at any moment. Finally getting her wits she pivoted and moved through the suite like a sleepwalker. One hand clutched her heart as she mulled over the night’s events. How could he make her laugh so hard one moment and reduce her to putty the next? How could he go and leave a room feeling like a black hole?

Her eyes widened, her mouth gasping.

“No,” she said aloud to the room. “I can’t be in l…” She couldn’t bring herself to give the word life. “It can’t be…”

The sound of the phone ringing caused her to jump. Who would be calling at this hour?

“Hello?” Natalie breathed into the phone expecting Hayden to answer in that low, dark tone of his.

“Hello, Natalie,” Michael’s voice, tight with tension, bristled down the wire.

“Michael!” Natalie exclaimed, her hand clutching her chest. “What are you doing?”

“I tried to ring you on your cell but you must have it turned off.”

“Oh!” She grabbed her purse and pulled the phone out. “I did. I must have forgotten to turn it off. What’s up?”

What’s up? Michael thought to himself. What’s up? What kind of greeting is that for a boyfriend to get?

“How was your evening?”

“Great! I went to the Golden Globes,” she answered, smiling as she remembered Hayden hitting his head on the car. “I decided to attend at the last minute.”

“Yes, I saw you on TV,” Michael announced through stiff lips. “I thought you weren’t going to go.”

“I wasn’t, but my manager talked me into it.”

“Not Hayden?”

“Uh, Hayden?” Natalie swallowed, shifting on her feet. “No. My manager insisted I should go, so Hayden and I went with our managers to the show.”

“Oh!” Michael let out a breath of relief. “So, you weren’t with just Hayden? That’s good!”

“Why is that good?” Natalie asked, grimacing at the sound of relief in his voice.

“Well, we wouldn’t want anyone getting the wrong idea now, would we?”

“Do you mean you getting the wrong idea?”

“Well, I don’t get to see you that much,” Michael explained, frowning at the flat tone of her voice.

“I’ll be home soon. Look, Michael, it’s late and I’m really tired. Can we talk about this tomorrow?” Natalie squeezed her eyes shut rubbing a weary hand over her forehead.

A taut silence screamed between them, Michael’s suspicions growing by leaps and bounds. Lately she seemed to constantly cut conversations shorter and shorter. The sooner she left California…and possibly Hayden…the better. “Sure, sure. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Sleep well.”

“You, too.” Natalie hung up the phone and backed away from it as if it was a viper. She had to break it off the moment she got back to New York. Guilt stabbed through her, reminding her of whose arms she had willingly been in not minutes before the phone call. “Just what kind of person am I?” She wondered aloud, wearily trailing into the bedroom

*************************************************

Hayden sprawled in the back of the limousine, his thoughts on Natalie. His lips still tingled from their shared kisses, his body tightening in chastisement for not taking things further. She had been too vulnerable. He couldn’t have done it and hurt her by his presence still being there in the morning announcing to all and sundry what had been going on between them. The fact that he would’ve left in the same clothes would have been too damning. He would not hurt her like that. That was never part of the battle plan and never would be.

Eyes searching the interior but not looking at anything, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone.

“Hayden?” Her voice, restrained and timid, answered.

“What’s wrong?” Hayden sat up, his brows lowering.

“Nothing…I…Michael just called.” She sighed heavily and jumped up, pacing the length of the bedroom and back. “I just feel so bad! I have to tell him.”

“So? Tell him and be done with it,” Hayden advised, running a hand through his hair. “You should have told him when he called. We’ve been through this over and over again.”

“I have to do it in person,” she reiterated for the hundredth time. “It wouldn’t be fair. Please don’t argue with me about this.”

Hayden blew a breath passed his lips. “All right, I won’t. It’s been too nice of a night to spoil it by arguing with you. I was just calling to say goodnight.”

“You already said goodnight.” He heard the smile in her voice.

“Well, I’m saying it again,” he grinned, hunkering down into the corner of the limo. “Will I see you tomorrow?”

“I don’t think you have a choice,” her voice turned husky with promise.

His heart tripped over itself and landed facedown at the bottom of his ribcage. “Goodnight.”

“Night, Hayden. Sweet dreams.”

She ended the call and Hayden sat through the rest of the drive with a smile ghosting his lips. Not much longer now.

Natalie climbed into bed and huddled amongst the blankets, staring at the wall. He had threatened to get her when she least expected it. He had crept right under the iron bars of her will, grabbed her heart, and now held it hostage. Tonight she had been close to begging him to stay and not caring of the consequences. What was happening to her?

“I must not love you, Hayden,” she whispered fiercely under cover of darkness. “I must not love you…oh, God, don’t let me love him!”
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The War (In The Beginning)