When the alarm goes off, I’m momentarily confused. Blitz silences the noise and moves my hair away from my face. “You’re more than a princess in the morning,” he says. “You’re a goddess.”
I sit up, holding the sheet to me. “I seriously doubt that.” I try to run my fingers through my tangled hair, but they get stuck.
“You’re otherworldly,” he says. He pushes aside the covers. “And somebody agrees.”
I glance down, my face heating to see him erect and waiting.
He must have gotten rid of the other condom at some point. I reach out to touch him. He is hot and hard, and he takes in a deep breath as I slide my palm along his length.
“Come here,” he growls, and before I know what is happening, he’s got me on my back.
“Somebody’s looking for a second helping,” I say, then gasp as his fingers slip inside me.
“I’d have a third, fourth, and fifth if I had my way,” he says. “But I know we can’t tarry.”
My hand smacks his back. “Did you really just say tarry?” My laugh comes out as a snort, which makes him crack up.
“Well, we are talking about princesses and castles,” he says. His hand shifts, and I cry out from the pleasure of it. He has me figured out.
I’m feeling bolder than last night, and I catch him off guard by shifting sideways and rolling him over.
Then I’m on top of him.
“Well, then,” he says. His hands are free and he grabs another condom package off the side table.
I lean down to kiss him as he tears it open, then sit back to give him room to roll it on. I watch it with interest. This is something I should have known about before. Something I should have insisted on five years ago. But I hadn’t. Young and foolish.
Blitz grasps my hips and lifts me up. “You ready for this?” he asks.
I nod and then cry out as he thrusts upward into me. He moves me over him, rapid and unrelenting. I can’t even think, sparks are shooting through me so fast. I gasp and try to find some sort of control, but it’s nowhere and before I can even figure out what he’s doing, I’m over the edge, spasming around him, and calling out his name.
He pulls me down against his chest and rolls us over in one smooth movement. Now he’s on top again and his rhythm is hard and fast. I’m still trying to recover from the last orgasm when he adds his fingers and I feel it again, forcing me back into that space, pushing me, making me want more than I think I can bear.
This time when I cry out, he goes with me, pumping straight through it, until I see colors bursting out like an explosion. When he finally collapses on me, I feel so exhausted I don’t think I’ll be able to move.
But he gives me a quick kiss and withdraws. “Rise and shine, Princess. We have to cross the moat and get past the guards.”
I groan and try to dive under the sheets. Blitz laughs and pulls them away. “Now, I’m more than happy to load you on a plane next to me and haul you to LA. But if you want to go home, we have to get you back.”
I lie there a moment, thinking. What do I want? I picture myself riding off in the Ferrari, walking onto an airplane.
But I know I can’t. There’s his show. My SAT. Parents. Toe shoes. Gabriella.
I stick my head back out. “Fine. I’ll get my clothes.”
“That’s my girl.”
There’s no time to spare now, so we move to the living room and dress quickly.
The atrium is dark and silent as we head down, although a few early travelers are in the lobby.
Blitz’s car is out front and waiting for us. The vent blasts cold, though, so I rub my hands together as we take off for my neighborhood.
“So when do you go back to LA?” I ask.
“In four hours,” he says. “I was sneaking a day away. There will be hell to pay for skipping this morning’s rehearsal, plus yesterday’s.”
“I didn’t know you were supposed to be there!” I say.
“I couldn’t concentrate. I had to know that you were okay.” He reaches over to hold my hand. “It’s just ten days until the finale. I’ll declare a winner and end the show. Then hightail it back here for whatever’s next.”
He’s coming back here? For me?
“Is that okay?” he asks. “Do you want me to come?”
“Of course. We can figure out a way to introduce you to my parents,” I say. “They might flip, but they can’t keep me locked up.”
“Why haven’t you left?”
“I’ve been pretty sheltered. I don’t know anything about finding a job or supporting myself. I don’t even have a driver’s license.”
He shakes his head. “I can help you.” He parks at the same spot he left me in the rain, a few houses down from mine. “This work?”
I nod. “I promise to keep my phone on. I won’t ignore you again.”
“It’s going to get pretty intense in the next few weeks. They’re going to start airing some segments to promo the live finale. They might be hard for you to see. Don’t give up on me.” His eyes are pleading. “No matter what you see. No matter how well I play the role, believe in me.”
“I will,” I say. “I have faith.”
“Okay,” he says. He leans over to me, and I meet him halfway for a good-bye kiss. Except that it isn’t really. I’ll see him when all this is over.
I open the door and take a deep breath.
“Should I wait until I know you’re okay?” he asks.
I peer down the street. My house is still dark. “Nobody’s up,” I say. “I can get in.”
“Call me if anything goes wrong, okay? I can come get you.”
I lean down and smile at him. “I will.”
But as I cross the carport and open the door to a dark, quiet house, I know I’ve made it.
And I also know my days here are numbered.