Page 29 of Curvy Nanny for the Cougar

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And maybe that’s what does it.

The trust in that gesture.

The vulnerability in his peace.

Because I know myself.

And I know that if I stay, I’m going to fall.

Hard.

So before the sun rises, before he wakes up and looks at me with those golden eyes that make me want to believe in impossible things, I slide out of bed.

Silently, gently, I gather my clothes.

I pause in the doorway, heart hammering against my ribs, torn in half by the weight of my own cowardice.

But I still leave.

Barefoot. Bare-faced.

No note. No name.

Just a memory between the sheets and a soft whisper of what-if clinging to the air behind me.

Because I don’t know what this is.

And I know I’m not ready.

Not yet.

But maybe, just maybe, if it’s real, if it’s meant to be, maybe I’ll see him again.

Maybe he’ll come find me.

Chapter 9

Dane

Waking up usually comes fast for me. I have so much on my plate with business and Alex, but today? Today, I feel more centered than I’ve ever felt.

I’m relaxed. Sated. Happy.

Which is, of course, when everything goes to shit.

So, having the best sex of my entire damn life?

Priceless.

Waking up alone in a bed that still smells like her, with no sign of the woman who rocked my entire world?

Absolutely not okay.

Like, zero-fucking-percent okay.

I shoot up in bed, scanning the room like a damn crime scene.

The twisted sheets.

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