Chapter Three

Sam’s POV

The air outside was cold when we stepped out of the bar, but his hand around mine warmed me a bit.

His grip was strong and firm. And I didn’t even question him about where we were going, I just let him lead me on.

My head spun from the alcohol, but there was something else… something deeper. And ever since I set eyes on him, it seemed to be pulling me toward him like gravity.

Neither of us spoke. We didn’t need to. It felt like words would ruin whatever magic we had wrapped around us.

A black car waited at a corner. He opened the door for me, and I slid in, my heart racing. The ride was short but quiet, filled with tension so thick I could almost breathe it.

I kept stealing small glances at him. But the dark mask still covered half his face and I could see his much of his features. Only his clenched jaws, sharp eyes that burned with something wild in them.

When the car stopped, I realized we were in front of a small building.

“This is…?” I started.

“My place,” he said simply. “One of my apartments.”

I didn’t want to imagine how that was at all. We took the stairs to the top in silence. I felt my palms get sweaty and stomach fluttered with the thought of what we were about to do.

The alcohol helped me a little, at least past the creeping thoughts. The doors upstairs opened into a moderate bedroom, nothing near what I was used to seeing at Royal Lodge, but quite modern.

The rush I felt next was unreal. Like I had stepped into someone else’s life entirely. Nothing about this night looked like my boring life.

Before I could take it all in, he turned to me, our bodies really close and the air between us crackled.

I searched his eyes. That moment, he cupped my face, andeverything else disappeared. His touch was firm but gentleagainst my skin, like he was afraid of hurting me or something.

In a what seemed like a clash of storms, our lips met. His kissed me soft at first, then deeper. Soon, I surrendered completely to him and he seemed hungrier for me.

The kiss wasn’t like any I’d ever had. It was like finally coming home to a place I never knew existed and being lost in someone else’s life… at the same time.

My body reacted before my mind could catch up. I wrapped my arms around him, taking in his sexy frame. My heart pounded in my chest as heat shot up from between my legs and spread through me.

He deepened the kiss even further and I groaned softly against his mouth, as be pulled me closer.

We stumbled toward the bed, hands everywhere, kisses mixing with heavy breaths. When we found it, he gently laid me down, handling me like I was something precious or delicate.

Something in the way he clearly wanted me resembled a predator locking unto its prey.

He crouched and took my legs as I sat on the bed. Then he started to plant soft kisses on my thighs, that sent shivers through my body.

“You like that?” his deep voice rolled.

But instead of answering, I just nodded and he kissed me again… slower this time, as if he was pouring emotion into every kiss.

We moved together in an almost perfect rhythm, and for a moment, it felt like our bodies already knew each other long before now.

By the time it was over, I lay against his bare chest, listening to his heartbeat as his hands wrapped tightly around me. Almost like he never wanted to let me go. I didn’t want to let go as well.

But my thoughts soon blurred as I shut my drunk eyes, forgetting the world behind as I drifted into sleep with his warmth around me.

When I opened my eyes next, it was morning, as sunlight shone through the window. I blinked, my mind working fast to recall where I was.

The reality hit me back suddenly like I had been poured cold water. What the hell have I done? I asked myself as I lifted my head off the chest of some handsome stranger.

I sat up slowly, my head pounding slightly. The man beside me was still asleep. Then memories of last night came back flooding my mind.

I turned and took another look at him… without the mask now, I could finally see his full face. And my breath caught in my throat when I did.

It was him… the strange man from the hotel yesterday who had assumed I wasted an autograph and photos with him.

My heart slammed against my chest as I began to connect all the dots… including the instant connection I had felt to him last night. I knew I had felt that feeling before.

But… I had slept with a total stranger who happened to be some pompous jerk… even though he didn’t feel like that when I was kissing him last night.

Oh my God. What was I thinking? Panic overwhelmed my body as I began to breathe heavily. This wasn’t me at all.

With fear growing in my heart every passing second and tears burning my eyes, I carefully slid out of the bed, holding the sheet around me.

My body still felt warm and connected to his. But my mind screamed at me. I quietly gathered my clothes and dressed as fast as I could.

Soon, I was slipping out the apartment door before he could woke up and find me there. As soon as I was outside the apartment, I took to my heels.

I didn’t stop until I found a taxi, got in, and told the driver to take me home. My mind struggled with what I had done, and getting away from the scene as soon as possible was the only thing I wanted to do that moment.

Nora’s so dead… I thought as the taxi drove away. She’d caused all this.