Too scared to say her name, I turn onto my side and my eyes roam her perfect skin.
What is she doing to me?
Breaking me apart.
Fearlessly, I reach out and brush my finger tips down the length of her spine. The quiet moan she releases is breathy, more of a sigh, as I continue. There comes a moment when I think she might be sleeping but I keep going, using the excuse to touch her.
I don’t think she wants me to pull her in, cuddle and hold her, but this will be enough for me. Or maybe not, because I reach out until my lips touch the soft skin of her shoulder, pressing gently before I let my forehead rest on the warm skin, my fingers still moving.
“Hmm,” she moans and her shoulders roll as far as they can in her position. She sounds as though she’s waking up from a cat nap, still very unaware of her surroundings and readjusting. “Rowan?”
“I’m here, sweetheart.”
“Oh, I—I, um,” she stammers and pushes up with her hands, shifting until she’s seated with her legs hanging off the edge of the bed.
I try to sit up with her, touch her, but she’s too quick.
Natalia is on her feet, still naked, and frantically pushing her hair behind her ears as she eyes the floor, searching for her clothes. “Damn it,” she hisses quietly.
“Natalia—”
“I can’t find my underwear,” she groans and picks up her corset.
I blink, trying to make sense of what we’d just done and what’s going to happen next. With anxious, shaky hands, I push one of them through my hair and tug. “W-Where are you going?”
“Home,” she mumbles, pulling on her skirt. “This didn’t happen.”
I frown. “It happened?—”
“Stop it.” Natalia groans. “This didn’t happen. We’re drunk.”
I force myself to smirk. “We didn’t drink.”
“Shut the fuck up, Rowan! Christ!” Natalia rushes to put on her corset, leaving it half open before she flees away. “Can’t you see I’m trying to make myself feel better?”
“No, because I don’t think you have to,” I say. A frown tugs at my lips as I watch her dress. I should have guessed she would run away. “You can stay.”
“No, I can’t.”
“Natalia—”
“Look, Rowan.” Nat sighs. “This…I don’t know what that was or what this is but?—”
“We had sex, Natalia.”
“I know that!” She groans dramatically. “Look, I…I can’t…”
“You can’t…?”
“I have to go,” she breathes. “Binx has been alone for too long and she’s needy.” Another groan, louder this time. “God, where thefuckis my underwear?”
“Nat—”
“What?” she snaps and checks beneath the bed. “Got it.”
Coming to terms with the way she’s trying to run away, and trying not to let my heart break, I search for my own clothes. Natalia moves quickly, pulling up her panties and her skirt, leaving her shredded stockings on my floor as she stomps away.
“Natalia, we can talk about this like adults,” I say, pulling on my underwear and running after her. “Nat, please.”
