“What happened?” Lexis asked in the background.

“Vino got his woman’s hair wet. He said her hair texture’s like yours,” Luca told her.

“Luca, put the phone on speaker,” Lexis demanded.

Luca gave Lexis a quick update on my situation.

I grabbed a towel, ran it under cool water while still holding her hair, then wiped her face.

Her face twisted, and she leaned back over the toilet and continued vomiting.

“Nothing’s worse than getting drunk,” Lexis sighed. “Vino, she’s going to be pissed when she’s sober.”

I wiped Claire’s face again. “I know,” I replied.

“You can’t put cheap shampoo on her hair. If you do, her hair will be stiff as a board.”

“Lexis, I bought the same stuff she had at her place.”

“Good.” She gave me quick instructions on how to wash and style her hair.

“Thank you both,” I said.

“You’re welcome,” Lexis stated. “The girls and I can’t wait to meet her.” I could hear the smile in her voice before she disconnected the call.

Claire hauled herself up from the floor and sank onto the toilet. I swiftly flushed, but she went on as if I wasn’t even there. Settling onto the edge of the bathtub, guilt nudged at me. This was entirely my fault. I’d needed answers about her past, convinced alcohol was the key to loosening her lips. Dark smudges of mascara painted streaks beneath her eyes, making her look like an oddly pretty football player after a tough game.

Eyes squeezed shut, she wrapped her arms around her knees. “I shouldn’t have had so much to drink,” she groaned miserably.

Loud noises escaped her ass, reverberating sharply off the bathroom walls.

It was the first time I heard a woman, unrelated to me, fart. Witnessing a woman take a shit was definitely new. I couldn’t be grossed out. My woman was just a regular person, and everything she did was natural. I smiled, certain she wouldn’t recall this by morning. After she wiped herself and flushed the toilet, I assisted Claire back to the shower bench.

“Where did you come from?” she asked, her words slurred.

“Everything’s going to be fine.” I grabbed a new toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste.

“I’ll get some electrolytes into you after I get you cleaned up.”

I yelled out a text message to my phone. I requested Xavier bring a few bottles of Gatorade upstairs and leave them outside the bathroom door.

Thirty minutes later, I had Claire all cleaned up. She smelled good enough to eat. Cotton candy conditioner coated her hair. I grabbed the tie I had on earlier, using it to pull her hair up into a ponytail. I pulled one of my clean white undershirts over her head and placed her in bed, and pulled the sheet over her body. She didn’t have on a drop of makeup. I wasn’t sure I’d seen her without it before. She looked even more youthful. I returned to the bathroom and cleaned the space before hopping in the shower.

The hot water drenched my skin as I leaned forward, resting my forehead on the cold tile wall. The way she cried in my arms on the side of the road broke something inside of me. I never had deep feelings for another woman. I knew I became obsessed with her when I first laid eyes on her. After being around her for five months, I’d fallen in love with her. I still hadn’t decided when I should tell her I was Angelo. It took a lot to get us here. She finally trusted me enough to have unprotected sex. Of course, having a doctor on standby helped. What this woman didn’t understand was I had no plans of fucking anyone but her.

I curled a massive hand around my dick, sliding it up and down.

“Fuck, Claire,” I murmured, the memory of her on her knees so ravenous and desperate for my cock setting me ablaze.

I wanted her to choke on my dick. And the desire to pound her walls and make my dick imprint permanent had been strong. Especially knowing my cock would be the only one she’d ever see and feel again. But like I said earlier, I wouldn’t fuck her while she was intoxicated.

“Tomorrow, baby,” I groaned as hot ropes of cum slipped down the wall.

Staggering backward, I ran my fingers through my damp hair beneath two of the six shower heads. The thought of her lying in my bed drove me wild. With the towel teasingly low on my hips, I stepped into the shadowy room, where a thin slice of light from the bathroom revealed her curled up on her side. I pulled back the sheet, gently spreading her legs, and my gaze fell on her glistening pussy. My tongue slid over my lips. I loved eating her pussy. It was the highlight of the last five months we shared. I’d watched her come undone for Angelo. Now, I got to watch her do the same for me without the mask.

I buried my face in her pussy that smelled like cotton candy bath gel. “Fuck, baby,” I groaned, my words muffled against her warmth.

Claire’s body jerked in her sleep. “Vi-no,” she whimpered.