Page 46 of Fireworks & Forehead Kisses

“Oh, I’m on the pill. I have been since I was a teenager. I never miss one.”

I knew that it wasn’t the best idea to have sex with someone I didn’t know. STDs were no joke. It was careless, but I’d never done it before. Ever. Not even with Garrett because I was too scared to get pregnant while I was still in school. He looked so concerned, and he said that he’d never had a one-night stand; it made me think…

“Do you have something?” I asked.

“No.” He raised on his forearms, so he was staring straight down at me. “No. I don’t. Do you?”

His tone wasn’t accusatory at all. It was the same way I had asked if he had something. “No, but you just looked so upset I thought maybe…”

“No, I don’t. It’s justveryout of character for me.”

“Yeah. Me, too.” I blinked up at him.

Neither of us spoke. Since I wasn’t exactly versed in one-night stands, I wasn’t sure what the etiquette was. I figured it was probably better to err on the side of leave-them-wanting-more, not overstay-your-welcome.

“Um.” I licked my lips, and his cock twitched to life inside of me. I had to admit it was a nice ego boost that he was so affectedby me, although he could be that affected by every woman he was with. Despite what my body and soul felt, the truth was I didn’t know the man. “I should probably go.”

“Do you have to?” His thumb grazed my jawline.

It was an innocent touch, but I felt it in my entire being. Not just physically, but mentally and emotionally. The connection I felt with him didn’t make any sense. It had to be because of what I’d found out about Garrett. I was projecting what I’d wanted with Garrett, what I thought I had with him, onto this stranger.

“Um…” No. I didn’t have to go. But I didn’t know if it was a good idea to stay. I was already confused about what was happening here.

“I don’t want you to go. Please stay.”

He had me at,do you have to, but I wasn’t going to tell him that. Maybe there was a woman who’d be able to say no to a man who had just given her the best three orgasms of her life, but I was not that woman.

16

DECLAN

A loud beepingsound interrupted my sleep. Typically, I was a light sleeper, but for some reason, I was finding it difficult to force my heavy lids open. When I finally did, my vision was blurry. It took me a few moments to focus before I was able to get my bearings.

I wasn’t in my home. I was at a hotel. My hotel. And I was alone. I knew that before I even checked. I could sense it.

As I stared up at the ceiling, images and senses from the night before began to fill my head. Long red hair cascading down a perfect hourglass figure in a lace thong and heels. A fresh and sweet berry scent. Pink, feminine folds, glistening with sweet juices. Huge, mesmerizing blue eyes. The melodic sound of steady breaths.

I’d stayed awake for at least an hour just holding the woman from the bar while she slept, rubbing my hand up and down the slope of her back. I’d never done that before—not with any partner. Not with Serena. Not with Lucia, the woman I dated before Serena, and not with Wren, who was my college girlfriend. Or Talia, who I was with in high school.

There was something special about Carrie. Something wholly unique about our encounter. I wondered if I’d done the wrong thing by not telling her who I really was. If I’d fucked up by not getting her last name or phone number.

Last night, it seemed like the right thing—the logical thing to do. I was coming off of a seven-year serious relationship. Tomorrow I was leaving for six months. This was not the time to start something. But in the light of day, I wondered if I’d made a mistake.

Everything about her intrigued me. From the way she looked to my reaction to her. The sound of her voice was melodic and soothing. The things she said were surprising and adorable. The way she smelled was intoxicating, which I assumed had to do with my pheromonal response to her. But it was more than that; it was who she was. Her character. She’d gone back to tip Lucas. She didn’t do it to impress me. The opposite, actually. She’d lied about what she was doing, so Iwouldn’tknow. She said she wouldn’t have been able to enjoy herself if she hadn’t made sure he’d gotten his tip.

Who did that? She was so different from anyone I’d ever met. Yet, I felt like I knew her. From the moment I’d seen her with her back to me, my soul recognized her.

My phone buzzed on the nightstand beside me. When I picked it up, I saw I had four missed calls and five text messages. One was from Gran asking if I checked in on Ashley yesterday.

Fuck. I completely forgot. That wasn’t like me. That seemed to be a running theme since the second I met Carrie. When I went back to the bar, and Carrie asked if I was going to ask her up to my room, I got tunnel vision. I totally forgot about the conversation I’d had with my grandmother. I quickly responded and told my grandmother that I would make sure to stop by this morning before checkout.

Three of the missed calls were from Serena. I listened to the voicemails. They all said basically the same thing. She wanted to speak before I left for Tokyo.

There was nothing left to say. She’d slept with someone else, and now I had, too. Not only had I been intimate with another woman, but I also had sex without protection. I still couldn’t believe I’d done that.

Maybe I was having a midlife crisis. Was thirty-six too young to have one? I wasn’t sure.

I sat up in bed and swung my feet over the side. Leaning forward, I rested my elbows on my thighs and ran my fingers through my hair as I tried to process what happened the night before. It felt like a dream. The entire encounter was surreal. I wasn’t sure what had come over me.

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