Chapter 28
Soraya awoke with the essence of a dream slipping from her mind and tiny sparks dancing across her skin. As she came to, she was thankful that the pounding headaches she was so used to waking up with were, for once, wonderfully absent.
Blinking her eyes open slowly, she lay still for a moment, taking stock of her body’s sensations. At first, she felt a soft buzzing energy tingling through her limbs, but a more insistent, distracting sensation soon overshadowed it.
A low hum of need pulsed through her core, squeezing around a gnawing emptiness that made her ache with desire.
She bit back a groan and drew in a shaky breath to help calm herself down, but it only made things worse. The sweet, intoxicating scent of crisp berries and spiced pine flooded her senses, making her mouth water and her already throbbing pussy spasm.
A fresh wave of wetness pooled in her underwear, and her throat clicked as she tried to swallow against its dryness. Switching to breathing through her mouth helped slightly, dampening the scent and paralyzing arousal.
After a couple of deep, scent-deprived breaths, she finally felt able to move.
Cautiously, she sat up, but even that slight motion sent an unyielding flash of arousal shooting up her spine and knocked the breath from her lungs.
She choked back a curse, knowing her needs couldn’t be ignored for much longer.
Her damned libido was trying to kill her early in the morning. The sun wasn’t even up, for mercy’s sake.
Reaching out a hand, she fumbled for the side of her dresser, searching for her vibrator, except…her nightstand wasn’t there.
Confused, she sat up—gingerly—in bed, trying to spread her legs to avoid brushing her increasingly sensitive clit against anything. Her hand flailed in the open air where her nightstand should have been, but wasn’t there.
She blinked.
As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, realization dawned. She wasn’t in her room.
She had woken up in another hotel.
Again.
This is really getting out of hand, she thought as she groaned to herself.
Throwing back the covers, she bit the inside of her cheek to quell her desires and quickly stood out of the comfortable bed.
A long black cloak slid off her and pooled onto the floor in the process.
Still breathing through her mouth, she could practically taste the sweet berries on her tongue, and a sudden wave of dizziness made her head spin.
She slammed her eyes shut, feeling her knees weaken and her core clench. She stood still until the sensation passed before opening her eyes again.
The room she found herself in was about the size of a standard hotel room—nothing big or grand. It had cream-painted walls, a four-poster bed, a dresser pushed against the wall, and a set of fogged-over glass double doors that likely led out to a small balcony.
She looked down at her fully clothed body and realized that she hadn’t been up to anything nefarious lately. Which would explain her throbbing sex. She could use a good round of—
Shaking her head of all thoughts that belonged in the gutter, she determined it was time to go back to her apartment, even as her gut clenched at the idea.
Looking around the room, she spotted her sneakers by the door. Ignoring the way both her gut and pussy clenched in protest, she walked over and slipped her shoes on. She patted the pocket of her leggings and found her phone still there. When she pulled it out, she frowned at the dead screen.
Perfect.
She would have to walk home from wherever she’d ended up.
As she glanced around the empty room, a strange sense of déjà vu washed over her. Shrugging it off, she was about to make her exit when she caught a glimpse of a figure behind the fogged glass doors. From the silhouette, she could tell it was a man by his broad back.
She couldn’t recall his name, but she knew she had met him at the pub earlier.
Soraya bit her lip. She remembered eating and drinking all of his food, and… had gotten a little too tipsy on the wine, judging by her hazy memories. As she tried to leave, she ended up bumping into someone right before she passed out in his arms. She was grateful he’d been there to catch her.
He must have taken her back to his hotel room to look after her. Like any decent person would, though it couldn’t have been easy.
Her heart warmed at the thought. He even removed her shoes for her.
She should say goodbye to him before leaving—and if it led to something more… well, all the better. Her pussy throbbed in agreement.
But just as she took a step in his direction, she noticed the way he was hunched over the railing, head down as if the weight of the world were resting on his shoulders. Soraya knew that feeling all too well, and she certainly wouldn’t have wanted to be bothered in that state.
Guilt settled heavily on her chest. Here he was, dealing with his own burdens, and on top of it all, he’d taken care of her sloppy, drunk ass when he didn’t owe her a thing. And now, she was standing in his room, breathing through her mouth like some kind of creep ogling him.
She couldn’t even give him the decency of remembering his name.
She also couldn’t pay him back for the food, and she’d taken his only bed for the night. Embarrassment heated her cheeks. She hated the thought of being someone else’s burden.
As quietly as she could, Soraya slipped out of the room, finally allowing herself to breathe through her nose again.
She found herself in a wood-paneled hallway. It was short, with only one exit, so she turned left and followed it until it led her to a curved staircase. A soft light glowed at the bottom, guiding her way.
When she reached the final step, she looked around what appeared to be a small reception area.
A desk was tucked beneath the narrow staircase, and a lone lamp with a white shade cast a soft glow over the space.
On either side of her, purple curtains hung over doorways leading to dark rooms. Soraya wasn’t in the mood to explore, and there was no need to—the front door was right in front of her.
She made a swift exit and found herself in an alley lined with scattered wooden crates. Stepping down onto the cobblestone, she glanced right, then left, trying to gauge which direction would lead her home—that was hopefully not too far away.
Soraya sucked in a breath of salty air that tingled as it filled her lungs, then exhaled slowly, steeling herself for the walk ahead.
By the smell of it, she was close to Santa Monica.
If that were the case, she’d have to head back upstairs and bother the stranger for a charger.
She hadn’t really thought this through. But at least the mind-numbing arousal she’d woken up with had faded to a dull throb.
As she stood there contemplating her next move, a voice called out, startling her.
“And where are you going?” a raspy voice asked.
Her heart pounding, she glanced up and spotted a familiar figure leaning over an iron railing, looking down at her. Of course, she thought. The balcony faces the alleyway.
Caught off guard and unsure what to say after being caught sneaking out, she licked her lips and replied, “I’m trying to go home.”
He tilted his head to the side, his white hair glinting in the moonlight. He was still wearing his costume. “Where is your home?”
“It’s by the university, close to downtown L.A.,” she said, a hint of hope in her voice. “I don’t suppose we’re close to there.”
His eyebrow quirked up. “Never heard of the place.”
A shiver shot down her spine. His raspy voice stoked the fire in her core, but she managed to hold it at bay. Clenching her thighs together, she opened her mouth to respond—but then his words registered.
“You’ve never heard of downtown L.A.?” she asked, incredulous. She’d never met anyone who had never heard of L.A. before. Was that arrogant of her? Probably.
Instead of responding, he simply leaped over the iron railing of the balcony and landed right beside her.
Soraya blinked, all thoughts flying from her mind. “Wow…that was…” she trailed off as the scent of those damned berries and spices gripped her senses.
He straightened to his full height, pinning her in place with his golden eyes. As he stepped closer, she realized he was the source of that intoxicating, mind-numbing scent, and it hit her like a ton of bricks square in the chest.
Her mouth parted, and her breath hitched as that familiar throbbing sensation ignited a fire between her legs, sending an inferno sweeping through her entire body. Her cheeks flushed as she began to feel her own wetness seeping out.
Looking up at him, the rest of the world seemed to slip away until he was all she could see. He looked just as disoriented as she felt. His throat worked as he swallowed hard, and his eyes grew heavy, his gaze darting to her parted lips.
It felt like she was paralyzed, unable to do anything but watch as he raised a hand to brush against her lips.
That simple touch burned her.
Soraya made a sound in the back of her throat, and the next thing she knew, he was leaning down, brushing his mouth against hers until their lips sealed together. The kiss was soft and coaxing, and a tingling, electrifying sensation began to dance across her skin.
God, he tastes good.
The flavor of him consumed her, and before she could stop herself, her wandering hands found their way to his chest, then lower. Through the coarse fabric of his shirt, she could feel the defined lines of every muscle on his chest and stomach.
He made a low, pleased sound; placing one hand on her neck, he gripped her gently and pulled her back slightly to break the kiss. With nothing short of pure control, he managed to say in a voice thick with gravel, “Well, someone’s needy. Is there something you want, love?”
Since he’d asked, she wordlessly moved her hands down to his belt and slipped them under his shirt. When her fingertips brushed against his velvet-soft skin, she felt his stomach tense, his breath coming out ragged.
That shut him up.