Page 75 of Last First Date

I had to agree with her sentiment. That was incredible, surpassing even my wildest fantasies. We lay there in comfortable silence as our breathing slowly returned to normal. The room was filled with the sounds of our shallow breathing.

“Should I go?” she whispered.

“Fuck no.”

She laughed softly. “You know this is a complication.”

“I don’t care. I want you right here with me tonight. I like feeling your body against mine.”

“You’re very demanding.”

“I know.” I didn’t make any excuses. I knew I could be demanding, and it was probably obnoxious, but it was what it was.

“I’m going to lie here because I’m tired. Exhausted.”

I chuckled. “Whatever makes you feel better.”

“I’m too tired to spar with you,” she murmured into the skin of my chest, her words barely audible.

“Hmm.” I traced lazy circles on her bare back. “I think waking up next to you in the morning might make me feel better.”

She gave a soft laugh. “Then I suppose I’ll stay. Just for your sake.”

I chuckled, pulling her closer if that was even possible. “Oh, how generous of you.”

“Isn’t it?”

I kissed her again. “Goodnight.”

31

WAVERLY

“Goodnight,” Knox murmured into my hair, curling me even closer against him. I felt the rumble of his voice against my cheek and a shiver of pleasure cascaded down my spine.

My eyelids were heavy, sleep tugged at me, but a small part of me wanted to stay awake and savor this moment. It felt good to have our bodies entwined. I didn’t know if another night like this could happen again. I wasn’t naive. I knew this was probably a combination of him needing to finish after what happened the other day and the excitement of the lingerie show. There were a lot of beautiful women on that runway. I just felt good knowing I was the one he chose to take home.

The softness of his skin against mine relaxed me. The scratchy hair on his chest tickled my cheek. The warmth of his body enveloped me. I closed my eyes and let sleep claim me.

I woke with the sun filtering through the curtains and blinked away the remnants of sleep, feeling the warmth of his skin against mine. It took only a moment for the memories of last night to rush back.

Stone-cold reality hit me. I’m in Knox’s bed. I can feel his naked, very hard body, against mine. The realization sent a flush of warmth across my skin. It dawned on me I was just as naked.

I moved my head back to face him. My initial shyness dissolved when I saw Knox lying beside me, completely exposed. The sheet was around his hips. His body pressed against mine, an intimate closeness that made my heart race. I stole a lingering glance. He was worthy of being sculpted, painted, and photographed. How did one guy get all the looks?

I allowed myself a few minutes to savor the last moments of intimacy with him. I didn’t want him to wake up with me beside him. It would be weird. He went to bed with a runway model and woke up with me. I had no doubt my makeup was probably smeared all over my face. He did not need to see that. I slipped out of the bed with careful movements, hoping not to disturb him. My mind was a whirlwind of conflicting thoughts. I wasn’t going to bother trying to put the lingerie on. I tiptoed into the bathroom and snatched the robe from the back of the door. As I was putting on the robe, I glanced at my reflection in the mirror.

“Oh God,” I groaned when I caught a glimpse of myself with smudged mascara and tangled hair. I hastily wiped at my eyes, trying to remove the black streaks that had migrated down my cheeks during the night. Yesterday, I was Waverly 2.0. This morning, I was the old Waverly. All that self-confidence I had built up was gone.

Squaring my shoulders, I gathered up my discarded lingerie from last night and then the dress. I spared one last glance at Knox’s sleeping form before slipping out of the room.

I made it into my room without running into anyone.

When I walked into my own room, I was met with a delightful surprise. There was a massive bouquet of flowers. I dropped the lingerie and plucked the card from the bouquet that had to have cost a few hundred dollars. It was from the lingerie company.

“Waverly, we thought you were smashing last night. Looking forward to more collaborations. Best, The Team.”

A smile gently crept onto my lips as I read the card. At least it wasn’t all a total disaster. I had made an impression at the show and maybe that was enough for me. Of course, there was still the question of Knox and what on earth was going to happen there, but for now, flowers from the lingerie company felt like a victory.