I curl in closer, pressing my face into his shoulder. “I did too.”
There’s a beat of silence, then Holden asks in a lighter, almost teasing tone, “Is it too soon to ask for a third date then?”
I snort and smack his ribs lightly.
He laughs hard enough to shake the bed.
When I lift my head to look at him, he leans in and presses a gentle kiss to the tip of my nose.
“Night, Kor.”
My chest does that stupid, tight flippy thing again, and I grin wide.
“Night.”
I wake slowly, like I’m surfacing through warm water. Everything is soft and hazy. My chest feels strange—buoyant, almost. Like something inside of me is floating.
For a second, I just lie there, eyes still closed and clinging to the last threads of the dream I was having.
The Ferris wheel.
The warm summer air on my skin.
Holden standing in front of me, his voice quieter than usual, like he’s afraid of breaking something fragile between us.
Him kissing me, undressing me. Touching me. Our naked bodies sliding together…
My eyes snap open, and I hide a smile into the pillow. Damn, last night had been amazing. Holden had put so much thought into the date, and I’d loved every minute of it.
I touch my lips, remembering the way Holden’s mouth felt against mine. The look in his eyes just before we kissed. Everything about it had been perfect.
The apartment is quiet this morning, the air cool. Even Aris is silent, probably snoozing on one of her perches somewhere. The bed is still and cool—too cool.Wait.
Turning my head, I find Holden’s side of the bed empty, and my heart sinks. There’s a note on his pillow in his neat blocky handwriting.
Kor, I hate leaving you like this, I’m sorry. Hattie has a flat tire and needs my help. Thank you for everything, it truly was a dream. I look forward to next time. XO, H
I flop back onto the pillow with a groan. Dammit. Guess I won’t make us chocolate chip pancakes.
Pulling Holden’s pillow closer, I inhale his woodsy scent and smile to myself. He’s right, though. Last night was a dream, wasn’t it? Incredible.
When I finally shuffle into the bathroom, I gasp in horror at the streaks of makeup all over my face. I must’ve forgotten to wash it off, too caught up in the weirdness—goodness—of my night with Holden. Snatching a wet wipe from the canister, I clean my face and look around. My eyes widen when I see myneon green dildo on the bathroom counter.Ah, fuck.Did Holden see that?
I slam it in the drawer, choking back a laugh. Things could not be any weirder right now. Like I’m living in some sort of twilight zone.
Heat fills my cheeks as I think about how close we came to having sex. Holden was smart to slow us down. I need time to wrap my head around this. I hadn’t even known his feelings were real until he’d held me at the play.
After brushing my teeth, I take a shower, then pull on some underwear. I catch my reflection in the mirror again and pause, trying to see what Holden would see—my smooth hairless chest, partially toned stomach, narrow hips, soft bulge behind green lace.
Okay, maybe notsosoft.
I remember the way he’d held me, theway he’d looked at me like he wanted more. Then the deep ache when he slowed us down.
I imagine him stepping in behind me, touching my hips, kissing my shoulder. Running a hand over my ass and staring at me in the mirror with the same hunger he’d had last night. I imagine him pulling one side of the panties down, tracing my skin as he rocks his hips forward.
I suck in a breath.
My body reacts to the fantasy. My skin gets warm, my breaths turn shallow. I can almost feel his lips on my neck, and it makes heat simmer low in my stomach.
