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He hesitated.
That was a whole other thing than a mutual agreement to appease one another’s needs, so to speak. But…he’d agreed to be here for her, for whatever she required, for one night. That night wasn’t over yet. And even though holding her as he slept felt way too damn intimate for a one-night stand, she would be out of his life tomorrow, and this intimacy of the softer variety would be in the past. It had been a hell of a long time since he’d held a naked woman in his arms as she fell asleep. Clearing his throat, he dropped his boxers on the floor, and walked over to the king sized bed. “Of course.”
As he climbed in behind her, she snuggled back against him, and something weird happened in his chest. A warmth spread through him, something he wasn’t familiar with. It was like holding this woman in his arms made him…happy. What. The. Actual. Fuck?
“Thank you,” she whispered. “Chris.”
That warmth? Yeah. It spread at her soft words. He wiggled closer, spooning her, and kissed the back of her shoulder. She was still warm to the touch, and as naked as he was. “No. Thank you. I needed that as much as you, if not more.”
She glanced over her shoulder at him. He couldn’t make out many details in the dark, but her eyes were wide open, and she stared at him curiously. “Are you happy now?”
He thought about it. “Right now? Right here? Yeah. I’m pretty damn happy.” He hesitated, then kissed her shoulder again, just because he fucking felt like it. “Are you?”
She took a breath, then nodded, not speaking.
When she didn’t say anything, he kissed her shoulder again, using his teeth to bite gently, because her soft ass was pressed against his cock, and damn it all to hell, he wanted another taste. They’d promised each other a night…and the sun wasn’t up yet.
This time, a small moan escaped her. He started to shift closer, to roll her underneath him, but then she asked, “Does it make you feel bad that you’re happy right now?”
“I—” That was a tricky question. Tina was dead, and had been for a long time. She wasn’t coming back. But guilt…ah. That was an emotion he was all too familiar with. He drowned in it on a daily basis, every time his baby girl woke up without her mother at her side. But he didn’t feel bad for sleeping with another woman. For wanting another woman. Sex was sex. It was chemistry, and biology, and a release of tension. That’s it. “No.”
“Me, either,” she whispered, rolling to face him. They locked eyes in the darkness, and she reached out tentatively, brushing his hair off his forehead. “This feels too nice to be wrong.”
He didn’t say anything.
Couldn’t.
Something stuck in his throat, choking him.
So instead, he rolled on top of her, cradled her small, perfect face in his hands, and kissed her tenderly, trailing his thumb over her soft skin as his mouth ravished hers. Some things weren’t worth articulating. Some things were better shown than said. So he showed her just how much tonight meant to him. Each kiss, each caress, was a sentence he’d never say to her, because this would end between them before it even began.
And then, in the morning, when the sun started to rise…
He walked away.
Just like he promised.
Chapter Five
The man was a God.
Every inch of her body was aching in the most delicious way as she woke up. Stretching, she winced when she discovered parts of her body that hadn’t been sore in years. She froze, eyes flying open as she remembered exactly why she was sore there. She…oh God, she’d made love to a stranger last night. Not once. Not even just twice. Three times.
He’d made her come more times in one night than in the rest of her whole freaking life—which made her feel guilty, because she loved William, but he’d never made her feel like that—and then, to top it off, he’d held her all night long after. And she didn’t even know his name.
Not his real one, anyway.
Slowly, she rolled her head toward where he’d slept last night, directly behind her. The pillow was empty except for a note scribbled on the hotel’s notepad. Swallowing hard, she reached out and grabbed it, squinting as she read the messy handwriting.
Scarlett,
Last night was amazing. Thank you for giving that to me, and showing me that life can still be fun. I hope I did the same for you. Reminded you to live. You’re way too beautiful to spend the rest of your life missing a man who would have wanted you to be happy. Remember that.
Chris (Evans)
A smile lifted up the corners of her lips, and she hugged the note to her chest. Last night had been…well, perfect. She hadn’t gone to that bar looking for a man, or even a flirtation, but she’d found that and so much more. As silly as it might sound, he had absolutely reminded her that she shouldn’t want to spend the rest of her life alone. She wasn’t ready to jump in the ring yet, so to speak, but she would be ready when she found the right guy.
A guy like her “Chris.”
