Tyler lies next to me, sweaty and panting himself."No."
No?What does he mean by no?Is no a good thing or a bad thing?I don’t expect to have rocked his world, because I had virtually no idea what I was doing.
Not gonna lie, everything I needed to know, I learned from romance novels.Suddenly, I’m grateful to my sister for making me read all those spicy books out loud to her.Hell, I’m grateful to my sister for a number of reasons right now, but mostly because of the orgasm I had.
It’s different when it’s with another person.
It’s so much better.
I’m determined not to let his words crush me.I prop up on one elbow, clutching the top of the sheet around my chest, and lean over to give him a quick kiss."Well, I’m sorry for you, but thank you from me.I have nothing to compare it to, so I think it was fantastic.I really didn’t expect to enjoy myself, if you know what I mean."
Tyler smiles."There was no way you were going to get through your one-night stand without enjoying yourself."Then he rolls out of bed and heads to the bathroom, his fantastic naked buttocks on display.Seriously, I could bounce a quarter off of those.
It’d probably be out of line to ask.
Though almost everything I’ve done since I met him has been out of line.
Alone in bed for a moment, I have to remind myself it was just sex.It was just sex.It was just sex.I promised him it would be just that.He did enough for me.
I can’t go and do something stupid like fall in love with him.
That’s what my mother would do.She’d mistake kindness for love.Then she’d hang all her hopes and dreams on someone who just wanted a good time.No, I can leave it as just a good time.
I pull the hotel robe over my shoulders and tie the sash before wandering over to the bathroom door.Knocking lightly, I say, "Do you want to get some breakfast?"
He opens the door.He’s fully dressed.I hadn’t even noticed him picking up his clothes from the floor where he’d discarded them last night."Yeah, sure.I want to go back to my room and get my stuff packed up first, if that’s okay."
"Yeah, probably a good idea.I should shower and pack, too.I think checkout is eleven."
"Okay.Meet you in the lobby then?"
I nod.Tyler leans in and kisses me.It’s slow at first, but it quickly deepens.It’s definitely not a quick good-bye peck.I can feel his mouth smiling against mine."That was just a friend kiss.See you in a few."
With that, he’s gone.I place my hands on my lips to see if they feel any different.They’re a little swollen, perhaps.Quickly, I run to the mirror.Do I look different?
My face is flushed.My hair is a mess.I have a hickey on my chest, just below my collarbone.He gave me a hickey!
I’m in the bathroom putting myself back together when Ophelia comes back."Hope it wasn’t too much of an inconvenience having TJ crash here."
It’s a good thing I’ve got my toothbrush stuck in my mouth so she can’t scrutinize my expression."It’s fine.We got ice cream and went to a comedy show.Did you know his brother’s a comedian?Has a Netflix special and everything."
Distract, distract, distract.
"I think we’re gonna get some brunch as soon as we’re all packed.Did you and Xavier eat yet?"
"No, can we join you?"
Several series of text messages follow, and before we know it, we’re a party of twelve having the brunch buffet at The Wynn.Normally, that many people would be too much for me.Today, I’m counting on the crowd to help me sit there without things being weird between Tyler and me.
I just need a few minutes to remember how to act around him.To be able to be in the same room and not think about his lips on my breasts and his handsthere.For as long as I live, no matter how hard I try, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forget what he felt like inside me.
And no matter how many times I tell myself that it was only a one-night stand, my brain is hijacking the conversation by dreaming about seeing him again, hanging out with him, and sleeping with him again.Most definitely that.
I 100 percent understand my mother.Promising herself she won’t get attached and then letting herself down immediately.The only difference is that I don’t have two little kids.She has spent her whole life chasing love that she didn’t deserve.
Guess this apple didn’t fall far from the tree.
Once in the lobby, Tyler immediately starts introducing me to his teammates.One name after another.Maliq.Merriweather.Andy.Crew.I smile and shake hands, knowing I’ll never remember who’s who.It’s easier when they have their names and numbers on their backs, but I guess they can’t wear their jerseys everywhere.
