EMMIE

Iwake to a buzzing sound. I’m so relaxed that I almost put it out of my mind and pass back out, but then the body that’s wrapped around me like a freaking spider monkey comes to, and he moves faster than I thought possible.

His heat leaves me, and I’m left cold and alone as he grabs his phone. The light of the screen makes me wince as he lifts it to his ear and I watch as he stands from the bed, bare as the day he was born, and walks toward the door.

“What’s wrong?” he asks in a cold, angry voice that immediately makes my hackles rise.

Rolling onto my back, I pull the covers tighter around me, trying to retain some of his warmth.

I try not to think about how much I miss him already when he’s only in the hallway. I refuse to be that girl, even if I know deep down that I already am.

“Fuck. I’ll be right there,” he says before walking back into the room and immediately pulling out a clean pair of boxers to drag on.

Damn shame, if you ask me.

I watch as he starts covering himself up before walking to the bed and leaning over me.

“I’m sorry, Hellcat. Business calls. I won’t be long.”

He drops the sweetest kiss to the tip of my nose that makes my heart flutter wildly in my chest.

“Okay.”

“Go back to sleep. I’ll be back before you know it.”

“You’d better,” I warn, sinking into his kiss when his lips find mine.

I’m on the verge of reaching for him and refusing to let him go, but I know I can’t. A call in the middle of the night is never a good thing, so I reluctantly let him go and listen as he makes his way out of the flat.

I let out a sigh and curl back into the sheets, but I already know it’s pointless.

I might sleep like the dead, but once I’m awake, that’s it.

Forcing myself to stay put, I will my body to succumb to my exhaustion, but it’s pointless. And less than ten minutes later, I give up, throw the covers off and swing my legs over the edge of the bed.

The coolness of the flat surrounds me, making goosebumps prick my skin, and I shudder, but it’s not enough to dampen down the aches throughout my body.

Hell, he worked me over pretty thoroughly last night.

A smile twitches at my lips, because damn if it wasn’t the best night of my life.

Reaching for one of Theo’s hoodies that are neatly folded in his wardrobe, I pull it on and head for the bathroom.

As I step inside, images of the time we spent in here together last night fill my mind and it makes my temperature pick up.

The things he confessed, the way he kissed me, the softness to his touch after the brutality in both the garage and living room…

The memories of it now make my head spin almost as much as when it was happening.

While I’m sitting on the toilet, I look to the side, noticing a hidden panel. Pressing my hand to it, it opens just like the one by the shower, and sure as shit, inside sits a box of tampons. And not just any box, the exact same ones I usually use.

“Creepy fuck,” I mutter to myself, but I can’t help the smile playing on my lips.

Did he know I was going to end up here with him in the end? Was he just playing the long game?

I think back to some of the less than enjoyable times we’ve spent together as we hurled insults at each other and generally hated that the other dared even breathe near us, and I can’t help but wonder if this is all some twisted game.

Surely not.