CHAPTER ONE
Carina
Wow.
I was lying on my back staring at the ceiling, breathing heavy and covered in sweat. The bed shifted, and I bounced along with the movement of the mattress. My body tingled, and my legs felt like jelly as heavy footfalls disappeared into the other room. Then reality set in.
Stupid. Stupid girl.
I shut my eyes, wishing I could transport myself someplace else. There were a million other things I should have been doing, and yet there I was drifting through post-coital bliss. I knew exactly how I had ended up that way. Cosmos.
Oh, he's hot. The little red devil on my shoulder whispered as I gulped down the last of my drink, making a face as I swallowed. I didn't even like cosmos. I just thought I would look sexier drinking them. It fit the look. Tiny little skirt, a low-cut top to show off my best two assets, and heels so high I could barely straighten my legs as I walked. I wanted to know what it felt like to be normal...and free. To steal a little fun for me and think about tomorrow later. Well, tomorrow had come, and I was scrambling to find a new game plan.
The toilet flushed, reminding me that a man I barely knew was in my bathroom. I remember sipping my Cosmo and having what I thought was a smart conversation with him. I'd say something I thought was witty, and he would laugh, though it was more of a huff rather than a roar of laughter. He wasn't exactly rolling off his barstool, but I had his attention. I couldn't tell which he found more amusing, me or my corny banter. We sat close, but not touching, the way two people who were interested in each other would. I scrolled through the playlist on the jukebox as he stood behind me, his fingertips grazing the exposed skin just below the hem of my shirt. Though the song I'd chosen wasn't a sexy one, I swayed my hips anyway as he placed a kiss on the back of my neck. The next thing I knew I was leading him up the stairs to my apartment, he was lifting my skirt, and I was unzipping his jeans. He called me baby as he wrapped my legs around his waist and fucked me against the wall. He was a phenomenal lover and knew exactly what to do to drive me wild.
My body needed that.
I'd had an itch, and he'd scratched it...three times.
I just didn't know how things were done afterward. Was I supposed to thank the guy for rocking my world and walk him to the door?
What was his name again? Brady? Bronson?
The bathroom door opened, and he walked to the bed in all his naked splendor. A beautiful sight in the glow of my bedside lamp. An athletic build with broad shoulders, defined biceps, and muscular legs. That kind of perfection wasn't by accident. Sure, he might have been blessed with good genes, but a physique like his had been done on purpose. Tattoos covered every inch of his chest and both arms, all the way from collar to wrist.
I sat up and gathered the covers over my bare breasts, suddenly aware of my less than perfect body. My clothes had been discarded somewhere in the apartment, and I wondered how crazy I would look pulling the entire comforter off the bed and wrapping it around myself.
"Hey." He grinned, his unruly jet-black hair sticking up on one side. It was adorable and only added to his sexiness.
"Hi." I returned his smile, still clutching the blanket to my chest.
"Are you okay?" He ran a finger down my cheek, and my eyes briefly fluttered closed. How was it possible that a single touch of his finger could put me in a trance? When I opened my eyes again, he was reaching for his pants.
The moment couldn't have been more awkward. The movies had always made it look easy. The woman would lounge against the pillows like a sex kitten and purr something irresistible to her lover, maybe smoke a cigarette or something. In real life, I didn't smoke, and I felt about as sexy as a knitted doily. I'd been so trapped in my head that I didn't notice he'd gotten fully dressed and was handing me my silk bathrobe.