Page 26 of Winning Her

I chuckled. “That was amazing, and I’m glad you agree. Look at you, all speechless.”

She blinked up at me.

I tugged the covers over the both of us. We were both covered in a light sheen of sweat, and I knew she’d start to feel the chill as it cooled down. My legs shifted, and I winced when I felt my limp, wet cock against my thigh.

“Give me a minute,” I grumbled, moving to get out of the bed.

But Jessi didn’t let me get far, her hand clutching at my bicep to keep me still.

“Wait!” she cried out, only to squirm under the covers when she realized she’d been a little loud.

I grinned at her cute antics. “What is it?” I asked, brushing a lock of hair away from her face.

“Where are you going?” she asked.

My chest swelled a little in pride. She didn’t want me going anywhere. The thought made me break out into a larger grin, and I couldn’t remember the last time I was this happy, or entertained, while in bed with someone. Usually, by this point, either I or the woman would be getting out of bed and getting ready to leave.

But why did Jessi look so shifty?

“I’m not going anywhere,” I reassured her. “I was just going to get something to clean us both up.”

I hadn’t used a condom, I realized. I didn’t exactly have any on me because I’d come home with clear goals in mind, and sex had never been in that set of goals. I had to hope she was protected and go about the business of bringing her a towel to clean up.

“It’s fine,” she said quickly, tugging on the hold she had on my arm.

I frowned but decided I didn’t need to go anywhere after all. I watched as she sighed and closed her eyes, snuggling into my pillow. A minute later, her breathing had slowed down and evened out, and I knew she’d fallen asleep, but I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. There was something peaceful about the way she slept as if everything that was wrong had all of a sudden disappeared and it brought a smile to my face just watching her.

When did you get this beautiful, Jessi?

I knew the truth was that she always had been. She was just more grown up now. I hadn't expected she’d ever wind up in my bed though. Or just how much I’d loved having her in it.

It would have been wonderful if I could have something like this. I knew it was impossible, but I indulged myself in it just a bit. If I hadn't been so stuck up when she confessed to me when we were young, or if I had returned her kiss then we would have been together. We’d have got married and already started a family together. It was something I didn’t see in the cards for my future, but the thought of a family with Jessi sounded divine for some reason.

Why couldn’t it happen? I questioned myself for the first time.

I pulled her close, tucking her into my chest. She let out a sigh, her arms going around me as she ducked her head under my chin. I closed my eyes, buried my face in her hair, and inhaled her scent again.

Like that, we fell asleep, and I felt peace for the first time I could remember without having to resort to sleeping pills. I couldn’t help but dream of all the things I could have with Jessi.

When I woke up in the morning, she was gone.

10

Jessi

I woke up feeling a little strange—as if I’d been taken captive by aliens, but I knew there were two reasons for me feeling this way.

I was really warm, almost uncomfortably warm, and I was sweating slightly as I traced a finger on my sheets. The other issue was the fact my head was hurting so much. It was an uncontrollable pain, as if my head was about to explode. I tried to move my head, but I couldn’t because it felt as if it was an erupting volcano.

What the fuck was I thinking last night? I thought to myself with a light groan.

I didn’t often drink, even when it was wine. The most I’d ever had was when some of the pastries I made needed wine in them. Like my parents, I took the occasional champagne at a party, and wine was saved for special occasions.

And yet, Laura and I had gone through two bottles last night, which I would have to remember to replace before the rest of the staff realized, or I’d be in some serious trouble because they were both expensive bottles. Not only was I hung over, my skin felt icky with dried sweat, and the inside of my mouth tasted disgusting.

I couldn’t even remember most of what she and I had talked about and I wondered if I’d told her anything particularly incriminating. We were having fun, and it was the first time for me in a long time, so I’d let myself go.

Regret curled into my stomach now. Not only regret, I realized, as my stomach gurgled and I had a moment where I was worried the wine and cake from last night would come right back up. I frowned and curled in on myself as much as I could, swallowing down the need to vomit. The wave of nausea passed, and I let out a sigh.