Whatever I have needs to be gone by the weekend. The Memorial Day festivities start in a few days, and I’ll be busy helping Mom with Chamber of Commerce activities.
At the moment, it sounds exhausting.
I send Shane and Emma an email letting them know I’m leaving early and head home.
I change clothes, turn on the TV, and face plant onto my bed. I must have fallen asleep at some point because the next thing I hear is a man’s voice.
And not just any man’s voice.
I raise my head and blink my eyes to find Nate’s stupidly handsome face on my TV screen.
It’s a well-made, slick, black-and-white commercial for a well-known athletic brand. His deep voice narrates as shots show him in the company’s clothing working out in a gym, then running down a deserted road.
The camera pans in for a close-up of his muscles and at one point shows him using the bottom of his shirt to wipe his face, giving the millions of viewers a glimpse of those abs and sex lines that haunt my dirty dreams.
God, he’s gorgeous.
The last scene is an action shot of him in midswing at home plate. His sexy voice recites the company tagline before it ends.
The ad makes the ache in my gut to touch him again nearly unbearable.
I sigh and roll over, staring at the ceiling.
I have zero regrets about spending one night with Nate. His body is a work of art like a carving of Roman gods or something.
And the way he moved it? Strong and graceful like the elite athlete he is. It was hands down the best sex I’ve ever had. He’s a magic man between the sheets, and I know without a doubt he’s ruined me for all other men.
At least I have the memory to keep me going. With our siblings engaged—Aidan popped the question after Megan’s party—we’ll no doubt run into each other again.
Even more reason to stick to the one time only rule to keep things from being too complicated.
So why does this thing with Nate feel so unfinished?
The peal of the doorbell brings me out of my musings. I roll up out of bed, but apparently too fast because my stomach lurches.
“Oh, shit.”
Breathing in through my nose and out my mouth, the riot happening in my belly settles down.
“What are you doing to me, body?” I mutter, clutching my stomach as I trudge to the door.
“Hey!” Megan says when I open the door. “Aidan’s working tonight so I thought I’d come by to see if you wanted to get dinner.”
My mouth waters but not for food. I run for my bathroom, barely making it in time.
I flush the toilet and shift from my knees onto my butt, leaning against the wall, my chest heaving.
A few seconds later, Megan rushes in, her eyes wide, and crouches down next to me. “Are you okay?”
“I don’t know.”
She brushes back the stray hairs escaping my ponytail. The tips of her fingers are soft and cool against my skin. “Did you eat something bad?”
I swallow. “No, I’ve hardly eaten today.”
Megan finds a washcloth and wets it before laying it on my forehead.
“Thank you,” I whisper, closing my eyes. “That feels good.”
