Chapter Eleven

The hotel room was too quiet.

Nora opened her eyes slowly, her body stiff from sleep and something else—something heavier. The sheets were tangled around her legs, the scent of him still clinging to her skin. She reached across the bed instinctively to touch him, but her hand touched only cold linen.

Empty.

Her heart sank.

She sat up slowly, gathering the comforter around her chest as if it could shield her from the aftermath. The curtains were open. Sunlight poured in, pale and sharp, like a spotlight on everything they’d tried to forget last night.

Her clothes were still scattered across the floor. She remembered the way he’d looked at her, the way his hands trembled just before they steadied themselves against her hips. She remembered how desperately he’d kissed her—like he was trying to silence something in himself. She thought it meant something.

Maybe it had. Maybe that was the problem.

She found her dress and slipped it on quietly. Her heels were by the door. His suit jacket st