Regret

Rhys lay on his side in the dim office, one arm still loosely curved around the woman who had fallen asleep the moment the last aftershock left her body

“Liora.”

Even her name tasted sweet just like her.

He studied her face in the low amber light. Blonde hair, pale gold, a little tangled from his hands—spilled across the leather of the couch and over his forearm. Long lashes rested against soft cheeks.

Her lips were still slightly swollen and red from kissing, parted just enough that he could see the edge of her tongue. The faint flush of sex still clung across her collarbones and the upper slopes of her breasts where he’d left visible marks

She was the most beautiful thing he had ever had under him

He let himself bask in the the memory of the first second they met play… The way A soft body collided with his chest.

Those eyes.

That mouth.

The way she hadn’t stepped back from him. The way she had leaned in instead, and pressed her lips to the side of his neck like she had every right to taste him

He had felt it then… an immediate, violent Want.

He had wanted her under him, over him, any way he could get her that moment, before he even knew her name. And When she had kissed under his jaw, and then said she wanted him, the last of his restraint had simply burned away

Taking her had been better than what he had imagined

The tight, wet heat of her cunt around his cock. The way she had clenched and flooded him when she came. The broken little sounds she made against his shoulder. The way her nails had dug into his back when he fucked her harder. Filling her until his cum was leaking out of her and she was still twitching around him

A slow, satisfied smile curved his mouth.

Rhys brushed a strand of gold hair from her cheek with the back of his fingers, careful not to wake her. Morning would come soon enough and he intended to still be here when it did… something he’d never done before

***

Liora woke to heat and a throbbing headache .

Solid heat pressed along the entire length of her back, an arm heavy across her waist, and something thick and hot and unmistakably hard nestled against the curve of her ass.

For one disoriented second she thought she was dreaming. But then she felt some discomforting pain in her lower body and immediately, she knew she had that meant

Her eyes snapped open.

The room was still mostly dark as heavy curtains blocked whatever daylight tried to enter. She could make out the shape of the desk, the edge of the large couch they were laying on, the discarded clothes on the floor

Heart hammering, Liora began to ease herself out of his embrace with painstaking care. His arm was heavy; she slid from under it an inch at a time, holding her breath every time he shifted

The hot length of his cock dragged along her bare skin as she moved, and a traitorous pulse of residual want flickered low in her belly. She ignored it.

Once free, she crouched on the floor and gathered her clothes in silence. She pulled them on as quickly and quietly as possible, not bothering with the zipper all the way. Her heels she carried in one hand

She opened the door with only the softest click. She slipped into the corridor, closed it behind her, and did not look back

By the time she reached the apartment she shared with Sofia, the morning light outside felt too bright and her head was beginning to throb all the more. She knocked

Sofia opened the door in an oversized T-shirt, and messy hair. When she saw liora, her eyes widened with worry.

“Liora… oh my God.” Sofia pulled her inside at once. “Where the hell have you been? We were worried sick. You just disappeared on us”

Liora’s stomach twisted with guilt. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you worry . I… I hooked up with some guy last night. And I didn’t know when I fell asleep”

Sofia stared at her. “You hooked up? With who?”

Liora shook her head, already moving past her toward the living room. “Just some guy. I don’t even know. I bumped into him in the hallway and it just happened .”

Sofia followed, still frowning. “We were really worried, Liora. Seriously. We thought something bad had happened.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I left my purse and phone at the table and I wasn’t thinking right”

“Yeah. I brought you purse back”

Sofia’s expression softened a fraction. “At least you’re fine. That’s what matters.” Then the worry turned to curiosity. “Okay, but you have to give me the gist. Who was he? Was he hot? What happened?”

Before Liora could answer, Sofia’s phone started ringing on the counter. She snatched it up

“Nora… yes, she’s back. She’s fine.” Sofia put the call on speaker

Nora’s voice came through, high with panic. “Liora? Oh my God, we were so worried. What happened? Where did you go?”

Liora leaned against the counter, rubbing her temple. “I’m okay. I hooked up with a guy at the club and fell asleep. I didn’t mean to disappear.”

There was a beat of silence, then Nora’s voice again, already shifting into the same hungry curiosity Sofia had shown. “Wait… hooked up? Who is he? Was it good? Details, girl. We need details”

Sofia nodded vigorously, eyes bright. “Yeah, come on. Spill. Was he hot? Did he know what he was doing?”

Liora looked away. “I forgot his name. And… he was good… I guess. But I don’t want to talk about it.”

The sudden flatness in her tone made both friends pause

Sofia’s smile faded. “Hey. Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”

Nora’s voice came in. “Liora? You’re scaring me a little. Are you alright?”

Liora swallowed. “We didn’t use protection”

Silence.

Then Nora spoke. Her voice was alert “What? Liora… you need to go to the hospital or a clinic or something.”

“I’ll take care of it,” Liora said. “Don’t worry.”

After a few more worried protests and promises to check in later, the call ended

Liora stayed leaning against the counter for a moment, then asked quietly, “Sofia… do you have any morning-after pills?”

Sofia shook her head. “I ran out last week. I’ll go buy some right now”

“Thank you.”

Liora went to her room without another word. She closed the door, crossed to the bed, and let herself fall face-down onto the mattress

The sheets smelled like her. It always does. She turned her head just enough to breathe, then exhaled a long, heavy sigh that seemed to empty her chest

She’d had raw sex with a complete Stranger. A reckless, unforgettable sex with a man whose face she had deliberately not looked at this morning… a face she was thankful she didn’t remember so well

What the hell had she done?