Body sore, throat parched, she tried to move and found she couldn’t. Fighting down panic, she scanned her surroundings until her memory caught and held.
Last night, she’d slept with a stranger.
Last night, she’d fallen a little bit in love with a man who was nameless.
Turning her head, she gazed at him in sleep. Russet hair mussed from her fingers running through the strands. One muscled arm was slung over her, chaining her to the mattress. Full lips were slightly pursed. The sheets were tangled around his waist, giving her full access to the map of matted hair on his broad chest and hard abs that led in a perfect line to a secret garden of delights that she’d taken advantage of over…and over…and over.
Every memory slammed through her, ravaging the shreds of her control.
Oh, the things they’d done together. Things that made her scream and beg and shatter into multiple orgasms.
But it wasn’t just the sex. That would have been fine. It was the emotions already tearing her heart apart as she gazed down at him. Tenderness and hunger spiraled, making her want to reach out and touch him. Her entire body throbbed for more in any way she could get it.
Sierra closed her eyes and bit back a whimper. This was too much. How could she know someone so intimately without knowing anything about his current life? How could one night form such a bond, as if they were already deeply connected?
Panic struck.
She had to get out of here.
Glancing at her watch, she knew there was a small window of time before he woke. His breathing was deep and even, gorgeous face smoothed out in sleep. With careful motions, she removed his arm, and slid out of the bed.
He grunted. Frowned. Moved. Then settled.
Relief flooded her. She moved quick, gathering up her clothes and phone, quietly dressing like it was the apocalypse and she couldn’t wake the zombies. Heart pounding, she paused at the door, hand on the knob.
She could leave a note. Leave a number. Leave a clue. Something that would lead them back to each other. Because Sierra sensed she’d never meet a man like him ever again.
Her life flashed in slow images.
She worked at a clothes store in a small southern beach town. He was a millionaire and lived in New York.
She was newly divorced. He wasn’t interested in relationships or love.
She had no idea who she was anymore and she was tired of pretending she did. He knew exactly what he wanted and who he was without apology.
They were on different paths; different lives.
She wasn’t ready for someone like him.
It was time to figure shit out. On her own. Being with this amazing man in the real world may be another blockage or detour she couldn’t afford right now.
Emotion choked her throat. She gazed at him one last time, memorizing his face. She’d never forget last night. He’d changed her. Sierra was no longer afraid to begin tearing things apart to find her happiness. It was overdue. Staying in a loveless marriage and settling for satisfaction wasn’t the path any longer.
Better to leave now before she got more attached. There was no way she’d be able to walk out of here if he woke up and reached for her.
Sierra walked out the door and didn’t look back.
Chapter Five
Present Day
She’d run from him.
Just like she had that morning.
Kane sat on the edge of his bed in the guest room with Dug. The small, very ugly dog had wormed his way into his heart, even though he tried not to show it. Brick had inherited the canine, who looked like a rat monster with a long snout, overbite, and stuck-out tongue. He shuffled when he walked, drooled, and had no idea what a command meant.
Yet, right now, as if sensing his distress, Dug plopped his butt on Kane’s bare feet and stood guard. The company helped ease some of the ache in his chest.
