With Every Heartbeat(104)

I rolled onto my side and into the pillow she’d used, rustling up the wild cherry and jewel orchid smell of her shampoo. But my fingers met with cooled sheets.

My eyes flashed open. I sat upright in bed, only to find myself alone.

“Zoey?” I croaked, my voice hoarse and raspy.

No one answered except my own, lonely echo.

Panic clutched my throat as reality struck me over the head like a club, reminding me how much alcohol I’d guzzled last night.

The first night I’d gotten wasted, I had remembered nothing from the night before...nothing until last night. This morning, I remembered everything. Every single detail, every time I woke in the night to take Zoey again, every time she accepted me and let me back into her body. I lost count of how many times we’d come together; after a while, the rounds blurred together until I stopped pulling out and just stayed inside her until I was hard again.

I’d taken her from behind, underneath, against the headboard, in her mouth. I’d wanted her every way possible, and she’d been willing—so freaking willing and eager—to let me do whatever I wanted.

“Oh my God.” I clutched my head, my hangover coming on strong as memory after memory flooded me. I hadn’t just taken Zoey’s virginity, I’d completely demolished it.

Only hours after breaking up with her roommate.

Ripping the sheets off me, I flew out of bed and found my clothes from last night scattered around the floor. It wasn’t until I was yanking my jeans up that I spotted a feminine-looking piece of pink cloth peeking out from under the bed. I bent to pick it up and unwadded it to find panties in my palm. Zoey’s panties. She’d been in such a rush to escape, she’d left her underwear behind.

That couldn’t be good. But what really made the dread rise in my gut was seeing my engagement ring for Cora sitting on my nightstand.

“No, no, no,” I chanted as I shoved my feet into the first two shoes I found. They totally didn’t match, but I had a left shoe on my left foot and a right shoe on my right foot, so that was good enough for me. I tucked her panties in my pocket and raced for the door.

Okay, fine, I smelled them before slipping them out of sight. And they smelled exactly how I remembered her. My mouth watered, detecting the taste of her divine nectar. When my cock hardened, I muttered, “Stupid pecker.”

If my drunken hormones had just lost me my friendship with Zoey, I would never forgive myself.

I drove to her apartment. I didn’t even think. I just had to see her. Had to make sure she was okay.

Noel texted me on my way over. Twice. I ignored his messages until I parked in the parking garage of Zoey’s building. When I opened his message, I was reminded I was late for practice.

You’re coming to practice, right?

I didn’t answer. I didn’t want to think about football right now. And I didn’t particularly want to see Ten, who would be there.

Man, you HAVE to come to practice, Noel wrote in his next text. Coach won’t let you start the next game if you don’t.

A minute later, he tried again. Ten just covered for you. He fed coach a big lie about how sick you are.

Good. Ten better have covered for me. He owed me that much at least. I had thought Noel would leave me alone then, but he didn’t.

You’re going to forgive him, right? It’s TEN! You HAVE to forgive him. The guy’s driving me nuts with how worried he is.

“Yeah, and you’re driving me nuts,” I muttered aloud, finally punching in my response. It felt strange to type a curse word, but I didn’t regret it in the least. Did you fuck Cora too?

Noel’s response was immediate. WHAT? NO! GOD no.

That was all I needed to see. I shut my phone off and slid it into my pocket, the same pocket with Zoey’s panties. The soft cotton brushed against my knuckles and I shuddered, remembering when I’d slid them down her legs and had my first look at her completely naked.

I looked up just in time to see Terrance opening the door to her building. When Zoey stepped outside, I sucked in a breath and climbed from my truck. She was so beautiful. I still couldn’t believe I’d been inside her just hours ago. I’d seen her naked and touched her. Licked her. Loved every freaking inch of her. My hormones buzzed with awareness, even as I shook my head, unable to believe we’d actually done everything we’d done.

She wore her hair down this morning, which worried me since she was always big on ponytails. Plus she had on her glasses, which she never wore when she left her apartment. The wind blew her hair in her face and she pushed it out of her eyes in her usual Zoey way. My chest filled with pressure, with possessiveness. She was mine. Only I had ever done to her the things we’d done last night. As wrong as I knew I was for sleeping with her only hours after breaking up with her best friend, I couldn’t stop the perverse satisfaction that bubbled up my throat. No matter what happened, a part of her would always belong to me. I’d been her first.