His arm is draped across my waist, his slow, steady breathing in my hair as I glance at the alarm clock on his nightstand. 10:14 a.m. I can’t believe I slept over. At a stranger’s house. A complete stranger. Well, not complete. He’s the only man that knows my body the way I want them to. And sweet Jesus does he know it. Plus, it felt natural to cuddle up next to him and fall asleep on his chest. It was almost intimate, our experience. It was hot as hell but also sweet. He was gentle with each new position, constantly asking if I was okay before he took me to that depth of passion and f**king owned me. And I felt his affection deep within me. But I pretended I didn’t. This wasn’t supposed to mean anything other than a hot fling.

His warm body was pressed up against mine the entire night, our legs a tangled mess under the covers. The intoxicating aroma of his scent filled my lungs and it was slowly becoming the only air I wanted to breathe. Nothing had ever smelt that divine. Complete manly deliciousness. I wished I could keep him.

I slip out from underneath his arm and scramble around the bed, picking up my dress and panties. After dressing and using the bathroom, I step into my heels and grab my clutch.

“Hey.” His sexy morning voice grabs my attention as I’m about to sneak out of his room. “Come here, pretty girl.” He props one hand behind his head, holding his other out to me. He looks positively adorable in that just woken up way, his hair sticking out a bit and his eyes still sleepy. I walk over to the bed and take his hand, bringing it up to my lips for a kiss. He smiles, weakening my knees with his dimples. “That’s my move, isn’t it?”

“I gotta go.” I go to release his hand but he tightens his grip. “You’re trouble, you know that? I have places to be.”

His cell phone rings from the nightstand, forcing him to release my hand with a disapproving grunt. “Stay with me a little while longer. What’s the rush?” The phone continues to ring in his hand as he waits for my response.

“I can’t.” I lean down and brush my lips against his, the ringtone finally fading out. And then I start toward the door which is an extremely difficult task. Every ounce of my being wants to stay with this man, if only just to talk to him.

“Wait, damn it. At least tell me your name.” His phone starts ringing again, having been ignored the first time.

“Thank you for last night. I’ll never forget you.”

I allow myself one last look before I slip out of his bedroom. His eyes are sad, pleading even, and I can’t keep looking or I’m going to crack. I turn and leave before I weaken even more. And I know I’ll never forget him. He was amazing, and exactly what I wanted my first time to be like. A beautiful memory. That’s exactly what he’ll be.

Chapter Three

Ben

“Jesus Christ. What?” My voice gives away my mood and I’m hoping this phone call is brief. I need to get some sleep. I barely got any last night, but that was well worth it. Really f**king worth it.

“Well good morning to you too,” my sister snaps. She’s my only sister, but she’s all over the place sometimes with her personality that it feels like there’s twenty of her. “What are you doing right now? You busy?” Her voice softens, the snippiness gone and quickly replaced with the tone she uses when she wants something.

“I could’ve been if you wouldn’t have interrupted me.” I grab the pillow my nameless angel used last night, bringing it up to my face. Christ, she smelled good. Like berries and cream. “What do you want, Tessa?”

“Can you come over here and clean the pool? Every time I try to use that stupid vacuum thing, it always jams up on me.” I hear her breathy pause, knowing that the begging is about to start. “Please, Ben. It’s hot as hell outside and when Mia gets here, I want to be able to spend the rest of the day in the pool with her. Please, please, please.”

Mia Fucking Corelli. The most annoying girl that’s ever lived.

I completely forgot she was spending the summer with Tessa. Last time I saw her, she was an irritating fourteen-year-old. She and Tessa followed me around like damn puppies, always wanting to do what I was doing. And the fact that she practically lived at my house didn’t help much. She was always around.

I toss the pillow I’d been inhaling to the end of the bed. “Why the hell don’t you just stay inside with her? I’m not in the mood to spend an hour cleaning out a damn pool.”

“Oh, come on, Ben. You owe me and you know it. Besides, I’d rather have you and Mia get your awkward greetings out of the way so she can relax a little.”

“What does that mean?” I get up and start getting dressed, holding the phone between my ear and my shoulder. I don’t know what awkward greeting she’s referring to. It wouldn’t be awkward. It’ll be brief. Really brief. I have no desire to spend any time with that train wreck.

“You know exactly what that means. She’s nervous as shit about coming back here because of you.” The sound of the sliding glass door opening and closing comes through the phone. “Christ, it’s already a thousand degrees out here.” She sighs and it’s dramatic even though it doesn’t have to be. I know what she’s getting at. “If only I had a big brother who did nice things for me. Nice things that are well deserved after all the last minute favors I’ve done for him over the years.”

“Alright, Jesus.” I zip up my shorts and grab a clean T-shirt from my dresser. “I’ll be over there in an hour.”