2

Vivienne

When I crack my eyes open, I’m immediately assaulted by the early morning light. Cringing away from it, I pull the blankets over my head and burrow down into the warmth of my bed. The scent of sandalwood and spice fills my nose.

Wait, what?

Sandalwood and spice?

I pull the blanket down and carefully peek out into the room around me. The light hits my eyes, and my head feels like it’s going to explode. I silently curse Tori for convincing me to spend the night drinking in celebration. Partying isn’t my thing. I usually prefer my nights off spent with a glass of wine and a good book, but last night I yearned for the adventure of a night out. My days consist of class, a shift at one of my two jobs, and late-night study sessions. But all of that is about to change, since I finished my last final the day before. I’m technically graduated, which was the reason why Tori wanted to go out and celebrate in the first place.

I lift a hand to shield my eyes and focus on my surroundings.

What the...

The first thing I realize is that I’m not in my own room.

The second thing I realize is that I’m alone. I’m not sure how I got here, or whose room this is, but I’ve never found myself in this situation. I’m not the kind of girl who wakes in a stranger’s bed, even though I did go out last night with the intention of getting drunk and finding a little fun. This is a little more than I anticipated.

Finally, the last thing I realize is that I’m almost naked under the forest-green sheets I’m buried underneath. Wearing only the fuchsia-colored lace boy shorts I splurged on last week, I grip the sheet tightly against my bare chest, trying not to panic.

Looking about the room, I notice it’s clean. Surprisingly clean. It’s quite large as well, double the size of my own bedroom. Not that my two-bedroom apartment is anything to brag about, but this place is like a fucking palace in comparison. The furniture in the room, while definitely masculine, is dark and sized perfectly to fill it. The entire room looks comfortable and lived in.

I spot my dress draped carefully across the back of a worn-in La-Z-Boy placed in front of a large fireplace and a huge flat screen television.

Where am I?

I sit up, pulling the sheet with me to cover my chest, and rack my brain, looking for some memory from the night before that can help me piece all of this together. It’s all too fuzzy and disorderly.

Shit, how drunk did I get last night? A quick rap on the door directly across from me interrupts my thoughts, and before I can respond, it opens and he steps into the room.

The mere sight of him fills my head with images from the night before, and a few memories of the previous night come rushing back.

Eyes the color of hardened steel staring at me from the bar. A smirk. A wink. Tall, dark, and handsome. His deep voice. The way his hands felt on my body, on my bare skin. His kiss, the one burned into my brain and onto lips. His taste, his tongue, all of it hitting me at once. Leaving me breathless and needy.

And now the same hunk stares back at me with his steel-colored eyes and the same smirk plastered to his kissable lips. His hair dark as night glistens in the sunshine, like he just showered. A day’s worth of scruff is peppered across his chin, making me want to rub the sensitive nub between my legs against it. I clench my thighs together, ignoring the way my body turns wet at the sight of him.

Holy fuck. I swallow hard, remembering to breathe as I do so.

“Good morning,” he greets me with a deep voice, filling the quiet room with his sexy timbre. He crosses the threshold with bare feet, carrying a large white mug in his large hand. Against his olive-colored skin, the stark coloring looks luminescent. The scent of freshly brewed coffee hits my nose, and I watch as he crosses the room and places the mug down onto the side table next to me. “Sleep well?”

“Um… morning.” I tighten my hold on the sheets shielding my body from him and hopefully hiding the effect his voice has on my hardening nipples. He chuckles, and his smirk turns sexy, but his eyes study me, missing nothing. He knows the effect he has on me, or any woman for that matter. He’s that type of gorgeous. “I think so.”

My eyes feast on him, taking in the way his heather gray T-shirt stretches across his broad chest, accentuating the powerful muscles underneath. Flashes of my hands running along the hard planes distract me momentarily, and I feel my body flush warmer from the memory.

He cocks an eyebrow and places his large hands against his hips covered by the low hanging jersey knit pants, teasing me with flashes of his perfectly sculpted V. My hands itch to reach out and pull him closer, but I stay frozen in my spot on the bed, struggling to get a handle on my growing desires.

I shake my head, licking my lips, and drag my eyes up his body to meet his. “This is going to sound presumptuous, I’m sure, but did we—?”

“No,” he interrupts me, and lifts an arm to run his hand through his hair. He knew what I meant without too much trouble. Maybe it’s because of how tightly I’m clutching the sheet to my nakedness. We didn’t have sex. “Vivienne, how much do you remember about last night?”

The sound of my name on his lips sends a tingle throughout my body. While I don’t like being called by my full name, hearing it come from him, I could get used to it. The parts and pieces I remember from my drunken haze have left me with more questions than answers. Looking into his perfectly chiseled face, I know those questions will remain unanswered because I don’t want to ruin the memories of him and me.

“Bits and pieces.” Honest and to the point, I feel my brow pucker as I struggle to weed through the foggy flashbacks. “I remember seeing you. We danced, a lot, and then... and then, walking into this room. What happened to Tori?”

“She went home with a friend of mine,” he explains like it isn’t a big deal. But it is a big deal.

“You mean she left me.” I nod knowingly. It isn’t uncommon for Tori to ditch me for a random hottie, which is one of the reasons I don’t go out with her often. Last night, though, she promised to stick with me all night, even be my designated driver. I should have known better than to trust her.

“Actually, just the opposite. It was your idea to leave last night,” he counters, making me frown. Is he saying I left her behind? I glance over at the cup of coffee longingly, needing the sustenance because it’s much too early for complicated conversations. “That’s for you. It’s black. I wasn’t sure if you wanted creamer or sugar, but I have some if you do.”

Looking up at him, I feel my frown fade away quickly. He brought me coffee. No one’s ever done that before.

“Black is fine.”

“You can borrow something to wear if you want,” he offers, shifting on his feet. I feel his eyes on me, and when I look up at him, I catch him staring at my ample breasts. I clear my throat, and he pulls his eyes away, catching mine without shame. I guess that’s my cue to get my shit together and leave. “Unless you’d rather wear what you had on last night. Either way, you’ll find what you need in the bottom drawer.”

“Thank you…” I start, but flounder as I realize his name is one of those details I can’t make out.

“Wade. Wade Walker.” Fuck. Even his name is perfect.

“Thank you, Wade,” I manage with a weak smile. My head is beginning to pound. Between all the thinking and the bright morning light, I just want to pull the sheets back over my head and sleep for the next week. Only I need to wait until I can crawl into my own bed to do it. “I’ll just get dressed and get out of your way.”

“Are you hungry?” he asks, ignoring my subtle suggestion of me leaving. His voice comes out anxious and his eyes flare, telling me he heard what I said but decided to ignore it. My stomach growls at the idea of food, despite my hangover. He must hear it as he emits a soft chuckle. “I’ll take that as a yes. How do you take your eggs?”

“Over easy,” I answer, looking past him to the door, hoping he takes the hint. I’d like to get dressed, but the last thing I need to do right now is give this stranger a peep show. Even if I can still feel the flick of his tongue and the sting of his teeth against my nipples, reminding me that I’m sitting on his is bed with nothing but my panties on. Shit, how did I get into his bed and out of my clothing if we didn’t have sex?

“I was giving you a tour, and the moment your eyes hit my bed, you started stripping. You didn’t stop until you landed face first on top of it.” I cringe as I listen to him answer the thoughts I believed were in my head only. Way to go, Viv. I sigh heavily, hating that this isn’t the first time I’ve spoken my thoughts out loud. I do it more often than I’m happy to admit. “I took your shoes off and tucked you in after the first snore.”

“Shit,” I gasp in a whisper, feeling the burn of embarrassment creep across my skin. I hang my head, unable to look him in the eye. “I’m so fucking sorry.”

“Don’t be. I thought it was cute.”

“You’re joking, right?”

“Not at all.” He smiles.

“Where did you sleep?” I ask and look at the empty spot beside me. I picture him splayed out against the dark sheets, his dark lashes touching his cheeks, but I slowly begin to realize that the dent in the pillow didn’t come from me. The picture in my head is real.

“I didn’t want to leave you alone in case you woke up sick,” he explains, but not before looking away to shield the heat building in his eyes.

Heat? You’re imagining things again, Viv!

He turns toward the door he entered through, and crosses back to it. “I’m going to give you some privacy to get dressed, but I’ll have some painkillers waiting for you when you come out.”

The door closes softly behind him, leaving me in limbo.

Moments ago, he acted like he wanted me to stay, but now, after I figured out he slept next to me, he couldn’t get away fast enough. Now I’m left wondering why.

All in all, the absolute last thing I expected when I woke this morning was to come face-to-face with a man like him.

Confident. Handsome. Kind.

Someone completely out of my league.