Claire would be proud of her for not overthinking things, she thought with a little laugh as she hugged Kyle's pillow to her chest. No, analyzing the situation had been the furthest thing from her mind, not when she'd been so wildly distracted by a hard, gorgeous body designed to fulfill a woman's every fantasy, a hot, talented mouth made for decadent sin, and big, strong hands that had been both gentle and demanding, depending on what kind of pleasure he'd been trying to coax from her.
In short, the sex last night with Kyle had been freaking phenomenal. Like, off-the-charts sensational. It didn't even come close to comparing to when they'd been teenagers, and it had been everything that had been missing from her relationship with Tucker. The white-hot passion. A little sweet and a whole lot dirty. The multiple orgasms. The aching need that Kyle skillfully heightened into the sweetest, most satisfying bliss she'd ever experienced.
As far as one-night stands went-not that she'd had any experiences with one until now-it had been absolutely stellar. She'd lost count of how many times they'd fucked between short bouts of sleep, but her body, her muscles, and her pussy were sore in the most delicious, satisfying way.
She buried her face into his pillow, inhaling his woodsy, masculine scent one last time, trying to memorize it, because once she got out of Kyle's bed this morning, there wouldn't be any repeats of last night. Even if a part of her wished things could be different between them. But second chances just weren't in the cards for them. Logistically, a relationship didn't make sense, nor was it feasible. And emotionally . . . well, there was a lot of history between them and their families that made any chance of being together difficult, if not impossible.
That was the reality of the situation, and she'd been well aware of all those variables when she'd asked, or rather begged, for just one night with him.
On that disheartening thought, she got out of bed and walked into the adjoining bathroom. There was a new toothbrush on the counter, along with a fresh towel and washcloth and her clothes from the guest room that she'd worn yesterday so everything was in one place. The sweet gesture made her smile.
After cleaning her teeth, she found a comb and worked the tangles from her hair, then twisted the strands into a knot on top of her head. She took a quick, hot shower, and once she was dried off, she put her hair into a loose braid and got dressed. There wasn't much she could do about the fact that she didn't have a speck of makeup on, but as she glanced in the mirror, she was glad that she moisturized twice daily, because it at least made the skin on her face look soft and supple.
She headed down the hall and followed the sounds to the kitchen, where she found Kyle standing in front of the stove turning bacon in one pan and scrambling eggs in another. Judging by his damp, tousled hair, he'd already showered, and he was dressed in a pair of jeans and one of those fitted T-shirts that seemed tailor-made for him and conformed to his wide shoulders and strong biceps. He put the food on two separate plates, then turned to retrieve silverware from a drawer.
He glanced in her direction, looking surprised to find her there. His expression softened as he met her gaze, and there was something in his eyes that made her feel weak in the knees. A desire and tenderness that echoed deep inside of her. Time seemed to stand still, and all at once, everything she'd tried to deny for the past hour in his bedroom now hit her like a ton of bricks-that this man's emotional effect on her was as strong as ever. She might have justified last night as a casual hookup, but no-strings-attached sex shouldn't make her heart hurt at the knowledge that that's all it ever would be. One night only.
With that reminder, she put her guard up and stuffed those feelings right back into the box they'd been in for the past ten years.
Slowly, he smiled, his gaze now sweet and sentimental as it roamed over her face-a complete one-eighty from the hot alpha man she'd been with last night. It made her feel shy and a bit uncomfortable.
"Why are you staring at me like that?" she asked, not sure what had caused that look of his.
He strolled toward her, closing the few feet of distance that had been separating them. Very gently, he took her chin between his thumb and forefinger and tipped her head up toward his. "I'm staring because you look beautiful without any makeup on, like the girl you were back in high school."
For a moment, she thought he was going to kiss her. Longing unfurled inside of her, and somehow, someway, she managed to block the sentiment and pulled her chin away. "We aren't those kids anymore, Kyle." Her words were meant to give them both the reality check they seemed to need. They could never go back to what they once were.