Chapter 5: The Morning After

MADDISON

The next morning, I woke up to him.

Sleeping beside me.

One arm tucked under his pillow, the other across his chest like a Greek statue finally at rest. That beard...God. It wasn’t just a beard. It was a sculpted jaw-throne. The kind that could bruise your thighs and bless your soul in the same night.

He looked different like this.

Peaceful.

Soft.

Almost dreamy.

Like a fallen angel who was only on earth for a vacation.

An Angel who knew how to break hearts.

Long lashes that could make girls jealous, lips slightly parted, brow relaxed. Vulnerable. But still dangerous. Like the bad boy in the movies, the kind that kisses you breathless in one scene and breaks you in the next.

And then it all came rushing back... the Mirror Room. His grip. His mouth. The way he touched me like he had every right to. Like I already belonged to him.

My fingers traced my bottom lip, 

I could still feel the scrape of his beard down my neck.

My thighs squeezed involuntarily.

And still… all we did last night was sleep.

SLEEP!

Which was the most dangerous part. Because I liked sleeping next to him.

I bolted upright. No. No, no, no.

Didn’t need him waking up. Didn’t need to see that look that would make me feel like a mistake.

What the hell was I even thinking?

I knew I had issues. I knew I froze. Bedroom stuff never came easy. Asides my recently broken relationship, I have gone on dates, made out a few times, been in short-term relationships, have come close to having sex couple of times but I never get through the trauma-punch. Not even with Chad. I simply couldn’t handle men touching me like that…. not without breaking. 

I needed to message Ms. Sinclair. Tell her I’d made a mistake. Back out. Cancel. End this whole arrangement before it explodes in my face.

I knew I would get in a lot of trouble for messing things up with their biggest client.

Shit.

I can't think of that right now.

First.... the bathroom.

I slipped out of the bed, careful not to wake him, and tiptoed inside.

White walls. White tiles. I could smell luxury off the walls.

And of course, the whole place smelled like him. Musk. Cedar. Heat. Like dominance bottled and sprayed across the entire room.

Without thinking, I grabbed a towel off the hook and wrapped myself in it. Only when I pressed it to my nose, breathing him in, did I realize it was his.

“Shit.” I dropped it instantly, like it burned.

Of course it's his.

I planted myself in front of the mirror, mumbling to my reflection. “One weak moment, Maddie. That’s all this was,” 

“Even good girls get one.”

I nodded. Grounded myself. Breathe. 

'Get out before he wakes up.'

Except… where would I go?

Back to Sydney’s shoebox apartment? Sleep on a beanbag next to her constantly moaning, sex-obsessed boyfriend?

Yeah. That’s what I deserved.

“You’ll figure it out, Madds. You always do.”

I opened the mirror cabinet. Neat rows of grooming products. And then, a whole row of toothbrushes. A dozen. All unused.

Of course. How many women had brushed their teeth here before me?

He’s probably had a long line before me and there’ll be more after.

I wasn’t special. “Just another toothbrush in a row.” I mumbled, sighed.

I grabbed a white one and reached for the toothpaste.

Then chaos.

A bottle slipped from the shelf, hit the sink, popped open,

Pills. Red. Everywhere.

“Crap!”

“No no no….”

I scrambled to scoop them up, half already melting into the sink.

Then,

“What the fuck are you doing?”

That rough sexy voice slammed into me. I flinched back from the sink so fast I lost my balance. But he caught me. Of course he did. Because that’s his thing. Catching me when I’m about to collapse.

Strong arms. Steel-hard chest. The kind you don’t want to leave even if it’s killing you.

“I…. I’m sorry, I was just reaching for toothpaste and everything kinda... exploded. I didn’t mean to….” I mumbled quickly, breathless between words.

He didn’t loosen his grip.

“Don’t touch my shit,” he growled. His eyes locked on mine…. green, wild, possessive. “Rule number one. Ask.”

His body coiled around mine like a wolf protecting what was his.

I should pull away. I don’t. I can’t. God, I like the way he holds me.

Like I wasn’t broken. Like I’m something worth catching. Like if the world went up in flames, his arms would be the only thing left standing.

“I... I was going to leave,” I whispered. “Didn’t want to overstay.”

His brow rose. “Leave?”

“After last night… I figured you were done with me.”

His jaw flexed. Silent. Then his gaze dropped to my lips. A flicker of heat passed through them.

Then he leaned in. Closer. Tighter. Took my bottom lip into his mouth like he owned it.

One slow, deep suck. A bite. Another suck. 

His hands didn’t even move, but my whole body was caving into his, heating up like a bugger in a damn microwave. I clutched his shoulders, weak, weightless, on fire, moaning into his mouth. And then suddenly, he pulled back.

Left me breathless.

“Does that feel like a man who’s done with a woman?” He drawled, rough, sexy, possessive.

I couldn’t even answer. Just breathed. Shook my head. “No,” I whispered.

His voice dipped lower. “We’re just getting started, Maddison. But don’t fuck with my rules.”

He stepped back and I nearly collapsed.

How can one man make your body forget how to stand?

Have you ever wanted someone so badly it scared you?

That’s Corian Van Halen. In seconds.

He adjusted his watch. “Ausley will have breakfast ready. Eat.” he commanded.

Then paused, leaned in, and whispered against my ear,

“You’ll need every ounce of strength when I take what I’ve been starving for.”

He turned away like he hadn’t just turned me inside out.

Already dressed in black running gear, tension flexing across every muscle. Over six feet of walking dominance.

Then he was gone.

And I was left standing there, trembling, breathless, drowning in him and wondering what the heck he had planned next.