He tilts my chin up, his dark eyes studying me. “Then you’ll have to give me your number before you leave in the morning.”
“Let’s see if you snore or not first.”
His chuckle is a rumble beneath my touch. He shifts, pulling me to him until our bodies are flush. “Deal.”
6
OUR NIGHT TOGETHER WAS SUCH A MINDFUCK
HAISLEY
When I wake up five hours later, the room is starting to fill with the glow of morning light. Next to me, I can sensehim.The man who very unexpectedly swept me off my feet last night. His face is turned the other way, and he’s snoring faintly.
I still can’t believe I have no idea what he looks like behind the mask or what his name is. Yet, I’m intimate with all these small, captivating details about him that only someone who has had sex with him would know. The taste of his lips, the feel of his muscled upper body against mine, the beautiful colorful tattoos all over his torso, and his husky voice are only a few things I find attractive. Not to forget his sense of humor and adventurous nature.
My heart skips as my tired eyes trace the artwork decorating his back and arms. Each inked design seems deliberate, pieces of a puzzle. I wonder what stories they tell. How long he sat in the chair getting them done. And why do I feel the need to know every single detail?
Our night together was such a mindfuck. It was supposed to be something wild and impulsive, just a way to let loose and enjoy myself without strings or consequences. But I hadn’t counted on him. On the way he looked at me like I mattered. I didn’t expect how easily he’d slip into my thoughts with a smile I couldn’t forget.
Everything that happened replays vividly in my mind, a movie I can’t pause. Every whispered word and every lingering touch is forever burned into my memory. But what stands out the most is our final round a few hours ago.
He woke me up with soft and unrushed kisses on my neck, cuddling me from behind. His warm body wrapped around me was my favorite part…until I could feel him hardening against me, so I turned around and straddled him.
“Ready for one more round?” he silently asked. “Or are you too sore?”
I reached for the condom as the answer. Quickly covering him, I added lube before he effortlessly lifted me onto him, letting me set the pace after. The way our bodies moved together in the stillness of the early morning felt like a dream I didn’t want to wake up from.
It was our last shared moment of connection and desire. Something that will linger on my skin and in my thoughts for a long time.
I shift quietly, not wanting to wake him. Reaching for the hotel’s notepad on the nightstand, I scribble down my name and number. Tapping the pen, I wonder if I should leave more than that. Maybe a message? A clue about who I am?
And that’s when a genius idea strikes me. I dig through my silver clutch for my red lipstick. The one he loved smearedaround his exceptional cock after a sloppy blowjob. My pulse quickens when thinking about him naked in all his glory.
I twist the tube and swipe the color over my swollen, puffy lips. Pressing them against the paper, I leave behind a kiss. It’s a bold yet somewhat cute reminder of last night.
Stealing one last look at him sleeping so peacefully, there’s a strange feeling tugging at my chest. I can’t exactly name what it is, but I push it deep down as I carefully step away from the bed. The carpet softens my steps as I move around the spacious room, collecting my scattered clothes.
As I stand at the entrance to the room after getting ready, I hesitate, my fingers grazing the cool metal handle of the room door. A part of me wants to turn back and see all of him. But the other part of me knows better. I need to wait to see if he contacts me before anything else happens.
When the door clicks shut behind me, I let out a shaky breath I didn’t realize I was holding. My heart starts pounding harder as I stride down the empty hallway, the echo of my heels the only sound. I clutch my bag tighter against my side, a small smile playing on my lips.
Outside, the streets are waking up to another day. Even if it’s said the City never sleeps, there’s a magical space between night and day where everything feels softer and quieter. I soak that feeling in and slide into the back of an Uber.
The car pulls away from the curb, and I sink into the seat, letting my head fall back against the rest. My body aches in that delicious, well-fucked way that sends a shiver down my spine every time I shift my legs. My thighs are sore from riding him, and my lips are still tingling from all the kisses.
No matter what I do, my mind’s still back in that room. Whoever my masked stranger is, he treated me better in one night than any of the men I’ve actually dated.
That realization stings more than I expected.
All my exes could learn a lesson (or a hundred) from him. I’ve had the worst luck with men who thought bare minimum effort was romance and emotional availability was optional. Sometimes I think I’m cursed with a steady string of charming facades and disappointing realities. The universe is hellbent on sending men my way who look perfect on paper but leave nothing but a hollow feeling behind. The never-ending experiences of mismatched expectations, gaslighting exes, and one-night stands have made me feel emptier than I did before they ever touched me.
Many guys have wanted the polished fantasy version of me; the well-off daughter of a successful hockey franchise owner and GM. Not the woman who snorts when she laughs too hard, who sometimes likes to order dessert before dinner and who can’t sit still in silence for more than five seconds without filling the void.
And then there’shim. The man who made me feel seen without ever even showing me his face. Who held me as if I was the most delicate flower, then took me with the kind of urgency that said he knew exactly what I needed. Who never once made me feel the need to hide my true self or pretend. The man who made me feelseen.
There were no false promises, no fragile egos or manipulation dressed as charm involved. Just raw honesty, explosive chemistry, and a mouth that knew how to ruin me with nothing but a smirk and a softly whisperedsweetnessagainst my skin.
It was supposed to be fun and casual. A wild night to scratch an itch before my job and family business both take most of my time for the next few months. But now that I’m remembering it…it didn’t feel casual at all. It wasn’t just mind-blowing sex. It was a real connection.
