“Want me to help you relax?” She leaned over him and kissed his neck.
“It’s late,” he murmured, barely lifting his head.
“It’s not even midnight.” She smiled against his skin and slid her hands under his shirt. “Come on. Let me take care of you.”
Ody exhaled slowly, eyes closing again. “Anna…” he tried, voice low, but she kissed him before he could finish. Her lips pressed harder, insisting, her hands sliding up his sides as her nails dragged across his skin.
He didn’t react. Not right away. His body stayed still beneath her, heavy with exhaustion and something darker. Anna kissed his jaw, his neck, whispering his name between breaths, trying to pull him into the moment.
“Ody… come on…” she murmured, her hands moving with clear intent. “Let me make you feel good.”
He swallowed hard, eyes still shut. “I’m tired,” he repeated, but she kept going, kissing him again, coaxing him, her body shifting closer like she could wake him back up with touch alone.
He didn’t want this. Not now. Not after everything. His thoughts were a mess, his chest tight, guilt twisting deep in his stomach. He didn’t want to hurt her, or push her away, so he let her kiss him and touch him, even though his mind wasn’t there at all.
A shiver ran through him when his thoughts shifted, uninvited. Mano’s lips. Mano’s breath. The way Mano had grabbed his shirt, fingers trembling. The way he kissed back, soft and desperate. Heat shot through Ody so fast it stole his breath.
Anna kissed him again, and this time his hands moved, almost on their own. Not because he wanted her, but because the memory of Mano’s mouth hit him so hard his whole body reacted. He kissed her back, but behind his eyelids he saw only black hair and honey eyes. The sounds and the warmth blurred together until he wasn’t sure who he was touching anymore.
Anna let out a soft sound against his mouth as the bed shifted beneath them. Ody let it happen, his mind miles away from theroom. She didn’t notice. She was too caught up in the moment. Ody let himself sink into it, using her touch to chase the feeling of Mano’s lips, losing himself in the rush before he could think, before reality could hit him at all.
Mano stepped out of the room, the door clicking shut behind him. He rubbed his face, still groggy, and took one slow step toward the stairs. He never made it to the second. A soft sound drifted through the wall beside him. A faint moan. He frowned, trying to place it. Then he heard it again, clearer this time. “Ahh… Ody…”
Anna’s voice.
He froze in place, his entire body going still. It felt like the floor dropped under him. Another sound followed, low and unmistakably male. Ody’s voice. The wall beside him carried more sound than it should have. Anna’s voice again, urging him to go faster.
Mano’s breath caught. He stared at the wall, unable to stop the sounds from sinking in. Each moan hit like a spark in his chest. His pulse punched into his throat, his hands curling into fists at his sides.
He squeezed his eyes shut. It didn’t help. He could still hear them, clear as if they were in the same room.
Jealousy twisted through him, uglier and sharper than he’d expected. Beneath it was something worse, a painful sense of betrayal that hollowed him out and made him feel stupid for wanting any of this at all. He didn’t even have a name for the feeling, only the raw certainty that he didn’t want it, didn’t ask for it, and now couldn’t get rid of it.
Her moans grew louder and Mano stepped away from the wall fast, the sound hitting him like a physical blow. He didn’t think, he just turned and walked, quick and stiff, heading for the lobby because he needed air and space, anything that wasn’t the sound of Ody’s name on someone else’s lips.
He bought coffee and water from the vending machine, barely aware of the buttons he pressed. The machine hummed, dropped a paper cup into place, then filled it. Mano stood there staring at nothing, his mind a chaotic blur he couldn't slow down.
He stepped outside the building, the cool night air washing over him. He stood still for a moment, jaw tight, something painful twisting beneath the anger on his face.
He took two long sips of the coffee, forcing it down like he could swallow the feeling with it. When he reached the bottom of the cup, he crushed it in his fist and tossed it into the trash with a sharp flick of his wrist.
Then he headed back toward the room, shoulders tense, steps steady, trying to look normal despite the storm still burning under his skin. He reentered the room, the water bottle in his hand cold against his palm.
Ranya looked up from her phone, smiling. “Oh, perfect, thanks. What took you—” He tossed the bottle onto the bed with enough force that it made a dull thud. Her smile faded. “What’s wrong?”
He didn’t answer. He walked straight to the balcony and slid the door shut behind him. He gripped the railing hard, staring out into the dark while the sounds of Ody and Anna together replayed in his head again and again.
He couldn’t make it stop.
Chapter 39
Morning light slipped through the curtains, warming the sheets. Ody stirred, blinking himself awake, and felt Anna’s body curled against him. Her leg over his, her face tucked into his neck, her breath soft and warm on his skin. His stomach tightened instantly.
For a moment he just lay there, staring at the ceiling, the memories of last night crashing back with full force. Mano’s mouth on his. The way Ody had kissed him like he had no girlfriend at all. Everything he shouldn’t have done.
A cold wave of guilt rolled through him so fast it made his chest tighten. He shut his eyes again, like that could undo any of it. What the hell had he done?
Anna shifted sleepily, nuzzling into him. Her innocence in the moment made the guilt worse. He felt sick with it. He didn’t deserve to touch her. He didn’t deserve the warmth of her breath on his skin. Not after what he did, and after the way he had kissed Mano like he belonged to him.
