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“Oh, you can put me to bed, alright. But only if you’re going to join me,” I seductively offered when he came back over to where I was standing.

“Where’s your roommate?” he asked, ignoring my insinuation.

“She’s not home. She’s probably off having some hot and steamy make-up sex with her boyfriend.” I brought my hands to his hips and tried to slip them inside the stretchy material around his waist.

“Is that so?” He gently removed my hands and turned me toward the hallway leading to the bedrooms.

I just want to touch him. Why is he being so difficult?

“Yeppers. But apparently, she’s the only one,” I said in frustration. “My vagina just collects cobwebs. Except for earlier tonight. You managed to remove some of them for me. Want to remove a few more?” I asked, trying to flash the best come-hither look I could muster as he ushered me into my bedroom.

“I hear you’re listening to the music I loaded onto your phone. That was probably not a very good idea tonight,” he said, moving to the stereo to turn it off.

“Why not?”

“Apparently, my ‘Persuasion’ list worked. Along with a bottle of wine,” he added, pointing to the empty bottle on my nightstand. His expression was amused as he turned down the blankets of my bed.

“You know…I think you’re right. That’s a dirty trick you pulled on me, Stone—using music to persuade me.”

“Climb into bed, angel. You need to sleep.”

“You didn’t answer me before. Are you coming to bed with me?”

“No, Krystina. I’m not coming to bed with you.”

“Why not? Don’t you like drunk sex?” I pouted. The room was starting to tilt a little bit.

Maybe it would be better if I did go to bed.

I climbed into bed, not very gracefully, and waited for him to pull up the covers.

“I don’t want to be with you like this. Not today anyway.” He leaned down and brushed the gentlest of kisses to my forehead. “Don’t worry. I’ll have you tomorrow night. I promise.”

He tucked the blankets around me and moved to shut off the bedroom light. I didn’t want him to go. He promised he would have me tomorrow, but oh how I wanted him right at that moment. I closed my eyes, wishing he would crawl into bed next to me.

Maybe when I open them, he’ll be here with me.

That was my last thought as the darkness pulled me into a dreamless sleep.

Chapter Nineteen

Alexander

Within seconds, Krystina was passed out cold. I stood there for a while, just watching her sleep. Her breathing was already soft and regular, the lush mounds of her breasts rising and falling beneath the thin cotton T-shirt she wore. Moonlight flooded through the slats of the blinds on the window, casting a subtle halo around her head and giving her an angelic look.

Her picturesque appearance caused a restless sort of feeling to settle into my gut. It was unfamiliar and unwanted.

What the fuck is wrong with me lately?

I sharply exhaled and shook my head in aggravation. To say the entire evening was troubling me would be a complete understatement. Krystina’s limited experience with sex was a concern, but her naivety was an issue that would easily resolve itself, given some time. It was more than just that. I was more bothered by the fact that I was in her apartment, unsure of what possessed me to come here in the first place.

I had immediately known something was wrong when I called her. It was the not knowing what it was that made me feel powerless, compelling me to go to her. I had been consumed with worry over her welfare, and I simply reacted.

Drunk text. That’s all it was. How was I supposed to know she would demolish a bottle of wine all on her own?

But my effort to shake off the uneasiness was in vain. The apprehension crawling over my skin was not just because I had left the comforts of my bed out of concern for a drunken woman. I was troubled because every response Krystina elicited from me was foreign. I am always in control of the situation, no matter what the circumstance was. My wants and needs were always the endgame. Yet, throughout the evening, I had found myself reconsidering those needs more often than not.

When I eventually turned to leave, an extensive CD collection under the bedroom window caught my attention. Knowing Krystina was easily influenced by music, my interest piqued, and I went over to the long lines of shelving to get a closer look. I squatted down to see the selection better through the slant of light coming in through the bedroom door.