Page 32 of No Darker Temptation

I drank way too much the night before and didn’t have enough water or carbs to make up for it. On top of that, I got bent every which way until dawn and have probably gotten less than three hours of sleep. My phone confirms as much when I realize it was my alarm going off. I’m lucky my phone didn’t die overnight and plug it in before crawling out of bed.

My ass is on fire.

In fact, every inch of me is aching. My breasts are sore and heavy, my muscles hurt, and the throbbing between my legs is indicative of the fact I went a little too far last night. I can’t even be mad at Alejandro for behaving like a brute when I was the instigator.

Well, if it isn’t the consequences of my actions!

I rummage around the drawers for a nightgown and pull it over my head. Later today I’ll have to come back and pack but the wedding party has a late checkout, courtesy of Brent’s rich parents who covered the extra fee.

Getting to the bathroom is difficult. I used to think not being able to walk after sex was an exaggeration, something made up for TV and books to make sex sexier and more dramatic. Through experience, I learned how untrue that is. I really can’t walk and I have a half hour to make myself look presentable for breakfast downstairs.

One of the disposable toothbrushes has been opened and used and now resides on the counter next to mine. I know it was Alejandro if only for how neatly he aligned them. I wash my face and brush my teeth before walking over to the shower. It’s a split bathroom design which means the sink and toilet are separated from the shower and tub by a wall of frosted glass and sliding door. When I enter the other half of the room it’s filled with steam and the scent of my soap fills the air: black tulips and dahlias.

I open the glass door of the shower and lean against the frame. “You’re using my soap?”

“I always wondered what this scent was,” Alejandro tells me in earnest, expression full of awe. “It lingered in the villa for weeks after you were gone.”

“Lettie picked it out for me, actually. She said I needed a secondary signature scent, whatever that is. One to complement my everyday perfume but not overwhelm it. Something about my palettes not aligning really ticked her off.”

He chuckles a bit. “She’s a little asshole sometimes, isn’t she.”

“Yeah…But I like her just the way she is.”

“Me too.” He reaches out to touch my cheek and I cover his hand with mine. “Last night feels like a dream.”

“For you, maybe,” I quip. “I won’t be able to sit properly for the next week.”

His voice drops to a whisper barely discerned over the rush of running water. “Are you really coming back with me?”

A smile dances across my lips. I nod.

“You know, if you ever change your mind, I’ll let you go. I need you to know that.”

“I do.”

“I want things to be different between us. A fresh start.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t be discussing this while the water is running,” I kiss the inside of his palm. “I have to be downstairs in a half-hour.”

He nods. “I’ll be out in a minute.”

“Will you wait for me? You can stay up here if you’d like.”

“I have to take care of something first but call me when you’re done and I’ll come get you.”

I give a tightlipped smile and press a quick kiss against his lips. It lingers longer than it should and by the time I pull away we’re both looking at each other, breaths coming in short pants.

Alejandro pulls me in by the front of my nightgown and I close the shower door behind me. “I’ll be quick,” he says.

“And gentle,” I tell him.

We are neither.

US AGAINST THE WORLD

Dahlia

Karina and I bump into each other in the lobby. She throws her arms around me and squeezes as a bout of infectious giggles leaves her lips.