"Thanks," I reply, suddenly uncertain. "Do you want a—"
The rest of my sentence is cut off as he closes the distance between us in two strides, his mouth finding mine with an urgency that makes my knees weak. I respond immediately, arms winding around his neck as I press myself against him.
His hands are everywhere. In my hair, skimming down my sides, cupping my face. We stumble backward until my back hits the wall, and he makes a sound low in his throat that sends heat pooling low in my stomach.
He pushes his jacket off my shoulders, and I shrug out of it without breaking the kiss, letting it fall to the floor. My fingers find the buttons of his shirt, fumbling in my eagerness.
He pulls back just enough to look at me, his breathing ragged. "Bedroom?"
I nod, too breathless for words, and take his hand, leading him down the short hallway to my room. As soon as we're through the door, he spins me around, hands on my waist, and kisses me again, slower this time, deeper, with a thoroughness that makes my toes curl.
My dress has a zipper down the back, and his fingers find it unerringly, slowly dragging it down. The cool air hits my skin as the fabric parts, and I shiver.
"Cold?" he murmurs against my lips.
I shake my head. "Definitely not."
His smile is wolfish as he pushes the straps off my shoulders, letting it pool at my feet. I stand before him in nothing but my underwear and heels, and the way he looks at me makes me forget everything.
"You are..." he starts, then shakes his head, apparently at a loss for words.
I take advantage of his momentary distraction to finish unbuttoning his shirt, pushing it off to reveal a chest that does not disappoint. My hands explore the hard planes of muscle, the slight dusting of hair that narrows down his abdomen and disappears beneath his waistband.
His breathing hitches as my fingers trace the edge of his jeans. "Charlie..."
I look up at him, suddenly bold again. "Yes?"
In answer, he lifts me, and I wrap my legs around his waist as he carries me to my bed. We fall together onto the mattress, a tangle of limbs and heated skin. His weight above me is anchoring, solid, real in a way that makes everything else fade away.
His mouth finds my neck, trailing kisses down to my collarbone, and I arch against him, wanting more. My hands fumble with his belt, and he helps me, kicking off his slacks until he's just in boxers.
"You're sure?" he asks one more time, his voice strained with restraint.
I answer by pulling him down to me, kissing him deeply as my legs wrap around him. "Completely sure."
And then there are no more words, just the sound of our breathing, the rustle of sheets, and the feeling of being exactly where I want to be.
Chapter four
Charlie
I wake to sunlight streaming through my blinds, closing my eyes, I stretch languidly as memories from last night flood back. The alcohol, the dancing, the kisses, Bash's hands on my skin... A smile curls my lips as I roll over, arm reaching across the sheets.
Empty. Cold.
My eyes snap open. The space beside me is vacant, the pillow showing only the faintest indentation where a head had been. I sit up, sheet clutched to my chest, and scan the room. His clothes are gone. No boxer briefs on the floor, no shirt hanging off my dresser.
"Bash?" I call out, though I already know he isn't here.
The apartment answers with silence.
I slide out of bed, wrapping myself in my robe, and pad to my bathroom. No sign of him in here either. Back in my bedroom, I check my phone. No missed calls and one text from Em letting me know she made it home safe and that I better have used protection.
"Well," I mutter to myself, "that answers that question."
A familiar hollowness expands in my chest. Not heartbreak exactly, but its younger cousin: disappointment. I'd thought there was something there, some connection beyond the physical. The way he'd looked at me, asked if I was sure, held me after until I fell asleep.
I head into the main living space and notice Lily's door is cracked open and I can hear her snoring
