The truth is, there’s something almost sacred about that. We met as strangers. We’ll leave as strangers. Nothing to overthink, nothing to fix. Just a perfect night of raw desire sealed in sweat and memory.
A bird chirps through the cracked hotel window. The very first sign of morning.
I shift slowly, easing myself from under his arm. He stirs but doesn’t wake. Doesn’t reach for me.
Okay. Good.
I pull on my shorts. My bra. My flannel, now wrinkled and a little damp from rain and heat and him. I find my boots near the door, one tipped over like it couldn’t be bothered to stay upright.
My heart does this stupid little flutter, and I ignore it.
I gather the rest of my things quietly, careful not to let the door click behind me.
Because I meant what I said.
One night. That’s it.
The last thing in the world I need before I start my new life is another emotional entanglement.
I step into the hallway, cool and dim and indifferent. I take a deep breath, start walking don’t look back.
Chapter Six
LOGAN
I wake up to sunlight warming the edge of the bed and a dull, satisfied ache in every muscle I own.
For a second, I don’t move. I just breathe.
My body is wrecked in the best possible way. My chest is tight, my legs are sore, and there’s a lazy burn between my shoulder blades like I just played nine innings and then ran sprints for dessert.
And then there’s that other feeling.
Thefloatyone.
Like I dreamed something too good to be real. But now the sheets still smell like her and my hand instinctively reaches out.
“Cassie?”
My palm lands on nothing. Just mattress.
The space beside me is cool. Empty.
I sit up, heart thudding like maybe I’m wrong. Maybe she’s in the bathroom. Or ordering us waffles. Or standing by the window in one of my shirts like this is a fucking rom-com.
I rub my dry eyes, blinking them to refocus.
And no.
The room is too quiet, and her clothes are gone.
The toy bag we raided like horny thieves? Still here.
But Cassie?
She’s vanished without a trace.
No note. No number. No last name.
