Page 25 of Beautifully Complicated

“Amazing.” He sighs.

“Me, too.”

Aiden flops to his back, hair mussed in the most depraved way, which makes him look roguishly sexy. “You might need to call housekeeping for some new sheets.”

Now it’s my turn to go pink. “What’s the proper amount to tip for changing sex sheets? Do we even have to change them? Maybe if we stick to the other side of the bed we can avoid the wet spot.”

“We?” Aiden blinks up at me with those gorgeous toffee eyes. “You want me to stay?”

Cupping the side of his face, I bring his lips to mine for a delicate kiss. “The night isn’t over.”

As we snuggle on the dry half of the bed, my fingers dance over his arm while I recite all the things I’ll bring up in the morning. Things like phone numbers, and when we might be able to see each other again since I don’t live here.

But when I wake up in the morning, he’s gone.

Chapter seven

Kier

FOUR MONTHS LATER

“Staff meetings are Monday morning at nine. Bring your own coffee because the stuff they serve here isn’t fit for human consumption. The bagels are good though,” my new colleague Daniel says as he finishes the tour of the computer science building right where we started, my new office.

“Good to know.” I muster a timid smile.

His jovial grin falls. “Hey, the students aren’t that bad. I know it can be daunting to lead a class, but you’re no stranger to lecture halls, right? Besides, these kids aren’t here to challenge you like some of the other experts in the field do, they’re here to learn. You’ll do great.”

I thank him for the advice even though lecturing a bunch of undergrads isn’t the thing that keeps me from smiling. At the risk of sounding pompous, teaching people about my life’s passion is something I can do in my sleep, so I’ve got zero trepidation about that. I’ve also got zero excitement about it. I haven’t had much enthusiasm about anything for the past four months, when I woke up alone after the most incredible night of my life.

Just as I have every day since, I recall that night with alarming clarity. The soft touches, the whispered confessions, the potent euphoria. Most of all I remember the moments right before sleep claimed me, when I rehearsed all the crazy things I wanted to say about our connection being too great to ignore. That we should see each other again.

I never got the chance to voice those thoughts.

Though Aiden’s absence should have been a clear sign he didn’t feel the same way, I struggle to accept that.

I’m not usually one to misread people, or situations, so the notion I was the only one to catch feelings was a blow. One I haven’t been able to wrap my head around. And since my head is programmed to observe, analyze and solve, that’s what I’ve been trying to do.

Over and over again, I dissected every minute of our time together. Every shared smile. Every lingering glance. Every passionate kiss. Time and again I came to the same conclusion.

I didn’t imagine our connection, I just underestimated how vulnerable he really is.

That’s the only explanation.

I know he felt the same magnetic pull for me I did for him. I could feel it in the way his body responded to mine. In his kiss. In the way he trusted me to be his first top. But I foolishly believed in that old adage that actions speak louder than words, even though I’d had to use my words several times that night to reassure him of his appeal.

And rather than telling him how I felt as soon as I realized it, I rehearsed what to say. I can only conclude that sometime during the night he had another moment of self-doubt, one that I couldn’t diffuse since I was asleep, and snuck out.

My failure to act in the moment is the reason I woke up alone, I know it. As a result, I haven’t smiled very often since then. I haven’t taken a full breath either. Both are hard to do when you’re afraid you’ve lost the thing that would’ve made life complete.

“Anything else you need to get settled in?” Daniel asks.

“I’m supposed to have a TA. And a research assistant. Do you know how I get in touch with them?”

One of the reasons I took this position is the cutting edge computer lab that will allow me to continue my work with nanotechnology and AI. Pairing the two to enhance the functionality and comfort of prosthetics is a passion I’ve been pursuing since my adoptive father lost his leg in a car accident nearly a decade ago, and the research that goes into that endeavor is daunting to say the least. I welcome all the help I can get, and I was assured my new charge, whoever he is, will be up to the task.

That, and the position is in Colorado, so…

It’s probably futile to look for a man whose full name I don’t even know. Hell, I’m only assuming he lives in Colorado since that’s where we met. For all I know he was on vacation that fateful evening and he really lives in Florida.

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