CHAPTER FOUR

W ELL ... H ELL ...

Cade eased out of Charlotte’s body and flopped onto his back on the bed—exhausted, drained, and still tingling with the power of his orgasm.

She moved beside him, her breathing as uneven and unsteady as his.

He managed to turn his head and caught her staring back at him. Her lust-blown pupils and the flushed glow on her skin both a validation and a warning.

Had she felt it too? The intensity of their connection? Because he’d never experienced anything like it before. And he’d slept with a lot of women—maybe not as many as his reputation on social media suggested, but enough to know that had been spectacular. And he was not a guy given to hyperbole.

A smile edged her lips, her expression more open than he had ever seen it, making her seem artless—and impossibly young.

‘Thank you, Sir Galahad,’ she said, her gaze unguarded. ‘Finally I know what all the fuss is about.’

He forced out a gruff laugh.

‘You’re welcome, Mizz Charlotte,’ he said, trying to lift the weight pressing on his chest.

They’d been waiting to explore their chemistry for hours. And he didn’t do deferred gratification, if he could help it... Plus it had been a month since he’d had any sex at all. And a whole lot longer since he’d slept with a woman as captivating as Charlotte Courtney.

But what they had shared was still only sex. Ultimately, this hookup was no different to all the others. It couldn’t be.

She yawned and let out a throaty sigh, which had the heat in his groin pulsing.

Seriously? How could he want her again so soon after that mind-blowing orgasm?

But then she dragged herself off the bed and began rooting around for her clothes.

He propped himself up on his elbow. ‘What are you doing? It’s two in the morning.’

She glanced over her shoulder, having slipped on the thong, flashing him a delicious view of her rear end.

‘Heading back to my motel before I drop into a coma,’ she said. ‘I haven’t slept for close to twenty-four hours now, and I’m out of practice doing all-nighters.’

Surprise was followed by disappointment. He wasn’t ready for her to leave. Another first.

‘Come back to bed,’ he said, grabbing his shorts and tugging them on to cross the room. He lifted the silk dress out of her hands before she could slip it over her head. ‘Sleep here.’

‘Won’t that get weird?’ she asked with her usual directness. ‘Tomorrow morning?’

He brushed her hair back to hook the unruly curls behind her ear, captivated all over again, and he wasn’t even sure why. She wasn’t wrong. He wasn’t a snuggler—once sex was done, he preferred to sleep alone—and mornings after could be just plain awkward, if his latest hookup had expectations of anything more substantial. But somehow, with Charlotte, he doubted that would be a problem.

And weirdly, her reluctance only made him more determined to get her to stay.

‘Why would it be weird?’ he asked to delay her.

She shrugged. ‘Walk of shame-wise? You really have to ask?’

‘I’m not ashamed of what just happened,’ he countered. ‘Are you?’

‘No, of course not,’ she said, but a hot rush of colour suffused her features.

He pressed a kiss to her forehead, feeling strangely protective of her. As a kid she’d been left to fend for herself in a very adult world. No wonder she was wary of being caught leaving his place. After the Blush piece—and the viral storm still raging online—he knew what it felt like now to be objectified by social media’s keyboard warriors.

‘How about I help you to leave incognito tomorrow?’ he said. ‘The people hounding me on social media aren’t aware I’m in San Francisco yet.’ Or he certainly hoped they weren’t.

He’d like to see her again, but he could take his time if no one found out what had happened tonight. Luke’s party was famous for its privacy. And they hadn’t been seen anywhere public. So they were both good.

But why not make Charlotte his summer date after all? They’d have to figure out some stuff—logistics-wise—because she lived in London. And her brother might pitch a fit—but it would be worth the extra effort. One thing was for damn sure, he didn’t see himself getting bored with her soon.

She looked at him for the longest time, the flush on her pearly skin intensifying. His insides clenched. The desire for her to stay overnight and be here in the morning was unprecedented. And did not have one damn thing to do with the bet, if he were being honest.

Then her face broke into a huge yawn.

‘Come on.’ He took her hand, drew her toward the bed.

Throwing back the sheet, he guided her in, then climbed in to drag her body against his. Spooning for the first time in his life.

His body responded accordingly.

She shifted against him. ‘FYI, I’m far too shattered to do anything about that...’

He smiled against her hair, his arm tightening around her waist. ‘Ignore it. It’ll go down eventually.’

Although it took a while, because listening to her breathing deepen was impossibly arousing, too.

He stared out into the San Francisco night, his body pounding with need, and wondered when and how he had become so enchanted by her.

But as he drifted into sleep himself, finally letting the hunger go, he persuaded himself his desire to keep Charlotte for longer than he’d originally planned was all about finding a way to win the bet...while also having an entertaining and enjoyable summer.

No big deal.