Holding my breath, I slowly turned my head and studied the man sleeping next to me. He was sprawled on his stomach, his face turned toward me, and I couldn’t help but admire the pure perfection of him. From the dark hair sweeping across his brow to the long eyelashes and sensual lips, he was put together just right, and my lady bits clenched in appreciation. Only one question. Who the hell was he?
Memories from last night came back to me in a rush, and I bit my lip to hold back the groan. I’d been at a bar. He was there. He bought me a drink. One thing led to another, and here we were. Only, who was he? All I knew was that he was a fire demon, like me. Initially, I’d been curious, but then it hadn’t really mattered who or what he was. He was just a body. But now I had a pressing issue… how the hell do I get out of here without waking him up? I had zero interest in getting to know him despite the hot sex and his drop-dead good looks. This was a one-off, an aberration on my behalf, and I needed to get out of here before he started asking questions I didn’t want to answer.
Biting back a curse, I slid out of bed as quietly as I could and tiptoed across the room, scooping up my clothes as I went. I debated for a second on how quietly I could dress. Would I inadvertently wake him? Was it safer to dress in the bathroom? But would the sound of the door opening and closing disturb him? All of these thoughts flashed through my mind, and I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, causing the floorboards to creak. I froze, eyes zeroing in on his face.
One eye cracked open, then the other. He blinked. Once, twice, then focused chocolate brown eyes on me.
“Going so soon?” he mumbled, rolling to his back and stretching, the sheet dipping low on his abdomen. Fuck.
“Errrr.” I clutched my bundle of clothes and stood like a deer in the headlights. Come on, Katie, I scolded myself; get your act together. You’ve got this. You are a strong, independent woman with nothing to be ashamed of. I bit back a groan when he swung his legs out of bed and stood, gloriously unashamed of his naked body.
“Coffee?” he asked, crossing the room to where a coffee maker sat on the dresser. He flicked it on without waiting for a reply and disappeared into the bathroom.
I had about one minute to get my clothes on and get out of this hotel room. Dropping the bundle of clothes, I rummaged for my underwear, pulled them on, then my jeans, and was almost done when the toilet flushed. Breathless, I tugged my shirt over my head and heard the running of water. Then the door was opening. Shit, shit, shit. I scooped up my boots and headed for the door.
“Wait!” Damn it. I dropped my head, closing my eyes for a brief moment before straightening to face him.
“Yes?”
“I didn’t get your name,” he drawled, his lips curling in a seductive smirk, and while he’d wrapped a towel around his hips, the expanse of naked torso called to me. I had to bite my tongue to keep from licking him like I had last night. I almost groaned at the memory.
“I didn’t give it.” My voice came out breathless, and I saw his nostrils flare, sensing my arousal.
“Will I see you again?” His eyes were darker now, changing from hazel chocolate to almost black. He was as turned on as I was.
“Doubtful.”
“Why?” He took a step toward me, and I held up my hand, palm toward him. He stopped. If he came closer, all my good intentions would fly out the window, and I couldn’t let that happen. Last night had been a mistake. A great blow my fucking socks off mistake, but a mistake, nonetheless.
“It’s just not a good idea. Look, thanks for a great night. I had fun. But this is goodbye.” I opened the door, only to have it slammed shut. He’d moved fast and now stood behind me, one hand over my head, holding the door closed. I rested my forehead against it for a moment and breathed in the scent of him, felt my arousal climb, and knew I was scant seconds away from dragging him back to bed. He brushed his lips against the back of my neck, and god help me, I moaned.
“You want me.” His voice was muffled against my skin, but I heard the pure male pride in it. And the thread of determination.
“True. But it isn’t going to happen.” I screwed my eyes shut, trying to push down the riot of lust shooting through my body like a pinball machine on steroids. He froze behind me, and I almost laughed. An honorable man. He wouldn’t force me, even though he knew it wouldn’t take much to convince me to return to his bed.
“Why fight it? You want me; we both know I want you. What happened between last night and now? Regret?” His hot breath blew on the skin of my nape, and I shivered. Regret? No. I’d learned to live my life without regrets. More like self-preservation. There was something about him, something in our chemistry that told me he could be dangerous for me; he could tear down the walls I’d built around myself. He was a risk I wasn’t prepared to take.
“Sorry, I’ve got to go. Work.” I attempted to open the door again, heard him sigh behind me before removing his hand and letting me leave. I didn’t turn back, didn’t look at him again, just darted through the door, boots clutched to my chest, and kept going down the corridor toward the green exit sign. The silence was loud, and I didn’t breathe until I heard the click of his door closing.
