I didn’t ask for his number, he didn’t offer. All I left behind was the lingering scent of my favorite perfume, a sticky mess in my lace panties, and the kind of regret that felt more intoxicating than most people’s best decisions.
A loud, heart-wrenching cry shattered the stillness of my morning.
My eyes flew open, adrenaline coursing through my veins.
“Shit.”
I dragged a hand through my tousled hair, trying to shake off the remnants of a dream that felt too vivid and consuming.
My one-night stand with Merge still haunted me… in a good way.
Like clockwork, my body remembered the way he felt each time I let my defenses down in my sleep.
God, I can still feel him… the way he filled me up… and made me feel like I was his… if only for one night.
Mysun cried out again, more demanding that time.
“I’m coming, baby,” I murmured, scrambling out of bed and shuffling toward the bassinet tucked away in the corner of my cramped bedroom.
Mysun was kicking and wailing, his tiny fists flailing.
I scooped him into my arms, my heart swelling despite the chaos.
“Okay, okay. Here.”
I popped the pacifier into his mouth, and to my relief, he immediately calmed, sniffling like he’d just emerged from a battle.
I playfully wrinkled my nose. “Eww… you’re stinky. You knew that dream was getting too good, huh?”
I laid him on the changing table and moved quickly, my hands working on autopilot as I reached for the wipes, powder, and a fresh diaper before securing the final tab with practiced ease.
“I know you’re hungry,” I cooed, trying to soothe both him and me. “Let’s get your bottle before you turn into something out ofThe Exorcist.”
I lifted him into my arms and headed toward the kitchen, my mind still swirling with remnants of lingering desire.
Then I heard it.
Thump-thump-thump.
It was the unmistakable rhythm of a bed frame losing its religion, knocking against the wall like it was begging somebody to call maintenance.
“Yeah... arch that back just like that,” a man groaned from Von’s bedroom.
“You trying to kill me or make me marry you?” Von cried out.
I froze mid-step; my mouth dropping open in astonishment. “Oh my God.”
Mysun’s pacifier slipped halfway out of his mouth. His little eyebrows lifted as he stared up at me like he wanted an explanation.
“Don’t look at me,” I whispered. “I don’t know what’s going on either.”
The bedframe rattled harder.
Von’s voice drifted out again. “Ouuuu, you nasty… and I love it. Do that thing again with ya’ tongue.”
I gasped, instinctively covering my baby’s ears with my palms.
“Lord, I rebuke every flexible demon operating in that bedroom. Not my baby hearing unholy extracurriculars before eight in the morning.”
