I woke up to the soft light of morning leaking through the curtains, my body heavy and my foggy. For a moment, I didn't know where I was. My head pounded faintly, and my mouth was dry, but that wasn't what startled me.
It was the cold, empty space beside me on the bed.
My heart skipped. I jerked up, calling out instinctively, "Nina?"
Panic tightened in my chest. I scanned the room, but there was no sign of her. The sheets were rumpled, the faint smell of her perfume still clinging to the pillows, but she was gone. I swung my legs off the bed, my heart thudding against my ribs.
Then, from the bathroom, I heard her voice—
"Yes, love, I'm in here," she said softly.
I froze.
Her tone was different—gentler, warmer, almost… bashful. It wasn't the usual playful, teasing Nina I knew. This voice was honest. Honest in a way that made my stomach turn over.
I stood, realizing in confusion that I was only in my boxers. My clothes were nowhere in sight. How the hell had I gotten undressed? Was I really that drunk last night?
I rubbed my hand through my hair, stumbling toward the bathroom door.
"Nina?" I called again, standing right outside. "Are you okay? What happened last night?"
Silence.
A long, stretching pause that made my heart race faster. I pressed my forehead to the cool wood of the door, searching my memory for fragments of what had happened—but everything was hazy, like a dream slipping away before I could grab it.
"Nina?" I said again, softer this time.
Then, a chuckle—light, musical, and so intimate it sent a shiver down my spine.
"You really don't remember?" she teased.
The door opened slowly.
And there she was.
I almost forgot how to breathe. Nina stood in front of me, her hair tied up messily, a few wet strands clinging to her forehead. Drops of water trailed down her bare shoulders, disappearing into the fluffy white robe she wore loosely around her body. Her skin glowed, damp and radiant. She looked… ethereal. Real, and yet almost too beautiful to touch.
Her cheeks were pink from the steam. Her eyes—those endless brown eyes—were softer than I had ever seen them. Vulnerable. Loving.
I caught myself licking my lips, hungry just from looking at her.
And God—my body reacted instantly. I was getting hard, and it was impossible to hide it. My boxers did little to disguise how badly I wanted her.
She tilted her head slightly, a coy smile playing at the corners of her mouth.
"Would you like to join me?" she asked.
For a second, I thought I imagined it. Nina—inviting me, commanding me—with such tenderness in her voice?
It sent a shockwave through me.
It wasn't a question. It was a demand wrapped in silk. Her eyes, steady and unwavering, left me no room for doubt, no space for refusal.
I must have stood there looking like a stunned idiot because she laughed again—a soft, breathy sound—and reached for my hand. Her fingers were warm and small around mine as she tugged me gently into the bathroom.
The air was humid, thick with the smell of soap and her perfume.
Nina leaned against the sink, her damp robe clinging to her curves. Her hands looped around my waist, resting lightly on the small of my back as she gazed up at me.
She was close enough for me to feel the heat of her skin against mine.
I opened my mouth to speak, heart pounding. "Nina, I… I just wanted to apologize for last—"
She didn't let me finish.
Nina leaned in and kissed me.
It wasn't a soft, tentative kiss.
It was fierce, commanding—like she was telling me to shut the fuck up and just be here with her. Her lips moved over mine with a need that was raw and electrifying.
I groaned into her mouth, helpless against her.
My hands slid to her waist, feeling the slippery wetness of her skin beneath the thin robe. Slowly, achingly slowly, I loosened the knot at her waist. The robe parted, falling open, and my breath caught.
She was perfection.
Her body was everything I loved and everything I craved. She wasn't tall, but her height fit so perfectly against me, like she had been crafted just for my arms. Her breasts were full and soft—perfectly proportioned, not too big, not too small, but made to be kissed and worshipped. Her waist was narrow, her stomach flat, and her hips—God, her hips—flared out just right, promising a softness and warmth I wanted to drown in.
I stared openly, hungrily, my chest tightening at the sight of her.
Nina smirked, her hands moving to my boxers, tugging them down with maddening slowness. I stepped out of them, and she wrapped her arms and legs around me, clinging to me with such desperate intimacy that I almost lost it right there.
I lifted her easily, her small frame fitting so naturally against mine, and carried her into the shower. Water still sprayed down, warm and loud, soaking both of us instantly. I pressed her back against the wall, my arms braced around her, her legs locked around my waist, and her lips never leaving mine.
And this kiss—
This kiss was different.
There was no teasing, no games. It was full, deep, slow. Her sounds—small, breathy moans against my mouth—were unguarded. She wasn't holding back, not a single bit. Her breasts pressed against my chest, soft and slick and unbearably perfect, and when I moved inside her, she gasped, tilting her head back in pure surrender.
I felt it in every fiber of my being.
This was not the sex we had shared before.
This was not routine, not mechanical, not lust for its own sake.
This was… something else.
Nina clung to me with a kind of wild abandon, her nails digging lightly into my shoulders, her hands threading into my hair. Every movement, every sigh, every kiss told me—this was different. This was real.
She whispered my name between gasps, begged me not to stop. I didn't want to—God, I didn't want to—but my legs were starting to tremble from holding her up so long.
I hesitated, trying to catch my breath. I didn't want to ruin this moment, but I also didn't want us collapsing onto the slippery floor.
Without thinking too hard, I reached out and turned off the shower.
The sudden silence was deafening.
Nina blinked at me, dazed and confused. "Why did you turn it off?"
"I… I want us to go use the bed," I admitted, panting.
For a second, she rested her head back against the wall, giving me a look so wickedly beautiful it nearly broke me. A slow, mischievous smile curled her lips.
"Let's go, baby," she whispered, kissing me again.
My heart soared.
This—this—was everything I had ever wanted.
I carried her carefully, our wet bodies slipping against each other, until we made it to the bedroom. I placed her at the edge of the bed, standing over her for a long moment, just staring.
She was sprawled there, glistening with water, her body an intoxicating map of curves and softness. Her hair fell around her face in damp tendrils. Her lips were red and swollen from kissing. She looked like some wild, beautiful thing plucked out of a dream—and she was mine.
She lifted her arms toward me, laughing softly.
"Stop staring, Ethan. Come on."
I laughed too—an unsteady, breathless sound—and lunged forward, capturing her mouth with mine again. I let my hands roam freely, exploring her body without restraint. I squeezed her hips, her breasts, memorizing every inch of her with my fingertips.
I was drunk on her. Drowning in her.
I slowed for a second, pulling back just enough to meet her eyes.
"Nina," I said, almost groaning, "I don't think there are condoms in here."
For a moment, something flickered across her face—relief.
She smiled, softer this time, and cupped my cheek tenderly.
"I don't think we'll be needing that," she said, pulling my face back down to hers.
And in that moment, I knew.
This wasn't just sex.
This was her choosing me.
This was her giving herself to me completely, without fear, without reservation.
My heart felt like it could explode. I kissed her deeper, my whole body aching with how much I loved her, and how much I needed her.
And this time, we didn't hold anything back.