I rested back against the wall and closed my eyes, trying to calm the headache and get a sense of balance before figuring out how to deal with the world. I took a deep cleansing breath. In. Out.
Wait a minute.
It was only a handful of seconds later when my eyes flew open again. Having spent the last several days at Kendra’s, I’d gotten used to waking up somewhere other than my own bed. But not only wasn’t this my bedroom, it also wasn’t hers. And I hadn’t the faintest recollection of arriving there.
I scanned the room for something to jog my memory. I was alone. Nothing was familiar. Not the rustic wood floors nor the plush gray rug nor the tall modern lamp at the side of the bed nor the sleek black wall behind me. Definitely a male’s room. Everything about it screamed man, including the vague musky scent. It wasn’t until I’d spotted my dress—rather Kendra’s dress—draped over the back of an armchair I’d never seen before in my life, that I realized I was naked.
I clutched the sheet around me in what was likely a much-too-late attempt at modesty. What had happened last night? I remembered the party. The shots. Blue Eyes. The limousine.
Oh my God, the limo.
Three incredible orgasms—or was it four? After that, everything went blank.
I would have been less irritated at the fact that I’d obviously gone home with Blue Eyes if I had the pleasure of remembering it.
The jackhammering stopped suddenly, though the pain that accompanied it still vibrated in my head, and I was pretty sure it hadn’t been an actual jackhammer but something more domestic. Coffee grinder?
Shit. He was making breakfast. The whiff of bacon in the air confirmed it. And though the idea of a man making breakfast was very appealing, there was no way I could stay for this. I’d taken too much of a risk even getting in the car with him. He could have found out that I hadn’t actually been invited to that party, and if word got back to my boss… Not to mention that he was a stranger, and I hadn’t told a soul where I was going.
Well, he’d said he wanted to be one of my mistakes. Congratulations, Blue Eyes, you just may have landed the top spot.
I had to get out of there. I didn’t have any idea what the layout of the apartment was, but maybe I could slip out while he was distracted. After a quick trip to the en suite bathroom, I put my dress back on as quickly as I could without throwing up. My shoes and purse were next to the chair, as if they’d been laid out for me. My panties, I suspected, had been tucked away as a souvenir because they were nowhere in sight. My phone was almost dead, but I was able to shoot off a quick text to Teyana.
Went home last night with the pervert from the roof. Tell you more later. If I disappear, here’s where I was last.
I sent her a GPS ping giving her my location, then tucked my cell in my purse, grabbed my shoes, and tiptoed out of the room. A short hallway led to a living room. A formal dining room was next to that. Both were immaculate and spectacularly designed. I didn’t have to be an art aficionado to guess that the multicolored modern painting on the wall cost a fortune. The floor-to-ceiling windows let in the perfect amount of light to show it off. One thing was for sure—Blue Eyes had cash. Which made sense. He’d actually been invited to the Sebastian party, and from what I’d learned from knowing Kendra, those rich folks tended to hang out in packs.
As much as I wanted to stay and explore, top of my agenda was sneaking out unseen. I had two options for my route of escape—another hallway or a swinging door that led to another room, likely the kitchen.
Hallway it is.
A couple of yards down this one, and another hall broke off to the right, this one leading to—hallelujah—the front door. I’d made it.
Except, halfway there, a figure stepped out from a door to the right, another entry to the kitchen, apparently. Blue Eyes had looked good in a tux. Wearing nothing but gray sweatpants, he was absolutely sinful. Rock-solid abs highlighted his bare chest. A perfectly toned arm held a black coffee mug, which he held inches below his devilish smirk.
“Sneaking out?”
“Uh…” I smiled guiltily.
He took a casual sip from his mug, appearing to not be at all bothered by my intentions to leave without a goodbye. “I made eggs and bacon, if you’d like a bite to eat before you go. Fresh orange juice and ground coffee too.”
It was tempting. Even though the sound of food made my stomach churn, the image of him cooking for me, serving me, got my pulse racing.
Honestly, he just got my pulse racing in general. The chemistry between us was wickedly charged. Whatever had happened between us last night, it hadn’t been enough to run the heated energy to its end. A fleeting image of what might transpire if I stayed flashed through my mind—me bent over his kitchen table, his body pressed to mine as he entered me from behind.
Nope, nope, nope. “Sorry. I’m running late,” I lied.
“On a Sunday?”
“Church.” My face went warm. Did I really suggest I was going to church? Once it was out, there was nothing to do but run with it. “Really devoted to my congregation. Never miss a week. I’m going to have to go home and change first, though. So…”
His lips twitched with amusement, and I wondered for half a second if he was going to call me out on the fabrication. Then he said, “I’ll have my driver take you.”
“Already called an uber.” I dug out my phone from my purse and waved it in the air. I hoped I had enough battery to actually call for one when I got downstairs.
“Cancel it.”
How did he manage to be both commanding and pleading at once? My chest fluttered in response. Why did I have to have met him the way I did? If my deceit wasn’t tangled up with our meeting…
But there never would have been an occasion for me to meet a man like him at all without my deceit. That’s how it was for girls from my side of the tracks. We had to hustle just to get the scraps.
My hesitation or my expression must have told him all he needed to know. “Okay. No ride. You don’t want me to know where you live. I can take the hint.”
Good.
Why did it feel so bad? And not the good kind of bad. The kind of bad that I was sure Blue Eyes was really good at being.
“Well, then.” I forced myself to cross to his door. When he was behind me, I paused to slip one shoe on, then the other.
He didn’t move. I could feel him watching me, the heat of his gaze searing into my backside. “At least tell me your name,” he said after several seconds had passed.
“No reason to know it now.” My hand was on the knob.
“I don’t accept that. Without your name, how am I supposed to see you again?”
Bingo.
But I didn’t want to be that blunt. It wasn’t his fault I had to cut this off right now. In other circumstances, I would have been all over his invitation for breakfast. I would have been all over him period. Knowing it was an impossible fantasy, I threw my head over my shoulder and gave him one last flirty smile. “I don’t know, Blue Eyes. Maybe you’ll find me anyway. You seem like that kind of guy.”
I had the door open before he took his first step toward me. “Blue Eyes? Is that how you’re going to refer to me when you think of me in the future?”
I paused before turning toward him. I wanted to ask him why he was so sure that I’d think of him, but I didn’t have the energy to deny what we both knew was the truth. “It’s your most notable feature,” I said instead.