“But his motives are mysterious.”
“Nothing mysterious about a guy wanting to dip his wick in a random girl.”
“You’re not random.”
“But your comments are.”
She tsks. “You still haven’t given me the details of your night.”
“And I won’t.”
“It was that good, huh?” She grins at me, flashing me a crooked front tooth, and I think about that.
She’s right. But it’s more. It’s how… violent is was, and sensual, intense and perfect at the same time. The kiss against the door, his mouth on me, the roses on my back, his arm around my chest as he rocked inside me…
Intimate. Far more intimate and personal than anything I ever tried with Chance.
“What’s up?” Dorothy’s gaze has sharpened. “Why the frown? I thought you had a good time.”
“I did.”
And that’s the problem. It was an amazing time. It was more than that, it was an unforgettable night, and Hawk swept through my life like a hurricane, so how am I supposed to forget all about him now and pretend that night never happened?
“He doesn’t want a repeat,” I hear myself say and wish I could swallow the words back. I sigh as I fuss with my bed covers, pulling them from under Dorothy’s ass to make my bed. “I should head to class.”
“Not so fast.” Dorothy manages a hard grip on the hem of my sweater, and hauls me down beside her. “What doesn’t he want?”
I rub a hand over my eyes. “To see me again.”
She gives me a long, serious stare. “Did he say that?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay. That’s asshole-y of him. But you just broke up with Chance. And you barely know Tall, Blond and Non Mysterious. Right?”
“Right.” I manage a smile. “Let me go to class, Dodo.”
“Yeah. Me too.” She taps my nose. “I hate seeing you sad, Laylay. Don’t set your heart on a guy who told you from the start he won’t be with you. He gave you a good night. And he’s a millionaire, right? You can’t trust a millionaire. That’s common knowledge.”
“Nobody told me,” I mutter, more irritated at myself by the second. “You’re right, it was a good night, and everything’s fine.” I make my smile brighter, even if it’s strained. “A new experience. Maybe someday in my memoirs I’ll mention it and become a bestseller.”
“I thought you wanted to be a publisher, not a writer.”
I thought many things, too. I thought I knew myself, my body, my desires. I thought I was safe and happy with Chance—and look. Just like mom and dad, we broke up.
Broke apart.
And then a blond Nordic god gave me in one brief evening what I’ve been missing. A glimpse of a lifetime.
***
The week passes way too slowly as I try to focus on my classes and assignments for college. The weekend is a drag. I don’t want to go out, so I stay in and do my best to study.
The next week rolls in, and then out, and it’s as unbearable as the previous one. Mom has been calling me, too, as if sensing the funk I’m in, insisting I visit her in New York, trying to lure me with promises of awesome shopping, theater plays and author signing events.
Sounds good. I should go.
But something’s keeping me back. And it can’t be Hawk. That would be absurd. He’s not going to be part of my life in any form, so why am I still thinking about him?