Page 18

CHAPTER 18

DYLAN

T he steam from the shower still clings to our skin, the heat of the bathroom lingering in the air. The hotel room is thick with sex and exhaustion, a heady mix of sweat, body heat, and the faintest scent of shampoo. The sheets beneath me are tangled, damp with the imprint of us, and the distant hum of the AC barely cools the fever lingering between us.

Kai and I tumble back onto the bed, still damp, still catching our breath. His skin is warm against mine, radiating the kind of heat that seeps into my bones, making me feel heavy, lethargic.

I collapse onto my stomach again, half-buried in the pillows, my body feeling boneless, weightless. My limbs are spent, my muscles tingling with the aftermath of too many orgasms, and a contented sigh slips from my lips before I can stop it. Somewhere in the distance, I hear the faint rumble of city traffic through the hotel window, the muffled sounds of life moving on beyond these four walls.

Beside me, Kai stretches out, one arm draped over his forehead in his usual pose, the other resting low on my back.

Not pulling me in. Not pinning me down.

Just… there.

This was supposed to be a hookup.

No strings. No emotions.

Just good sex with a cocky, insufferable rugby player.

But the way Kai’s fingers move absentmindedly over the curve of my spine? Slow. Thoughtless. Like he’s not even aware he’s doing it.

Too soft. Too intimate.

I clench my eyes shut.

No. Not happening.

I’m not catching feelings for a man I just met.

Especially not for a player like this guy.

That kind of mistake? It could only end in tears, heartache, and maybe an STD or two.

No thanks.

This is just sex. That’s all it ever needs to be.

Kai shifts beside me, exhaling a slow, contented breath, and I feel it—his body aligning closer, the weight of his thigh brushing mine beneath the sheets. A second later, his arm slides lower, pulling me against him—just slightly. His body is hot, solid, too fucking comfortable.

I should move. I should roll away, keep things casual, detached.

But for one stupid, dangerous second… I don’t.

His lips brush the back of my shoulder, his voice low, rough. “You okay?”

I smirk, keeping it light. “You asking if you broke me, Pretty Boy?”

Kai huffs a soft laugh, his breath warm against my skin. “Nah.” His voice is teasing, but there’s something else beneath it. Something quieter. “I already know you can take it.”

His arm tightens around my waist. Just for a second. A quiet, absent-minded squeeze. Like he’s holding on without even realizing it.

I stare at the digital clock on the nightstand. It’s late.

This should be the part where I set the boundary. Where I slip out, grab my clothes, and leave before this starts feeling like more than it is.

Kai won’t stop me. He’s not that kind of guy.

This was just sex.

Right?

But my body betrays me. I sink into the warmth of the bed. Into the solid weight of him behind me.

My breathing slows. My eyes flutter shut.

I should leave before morning. Before this starts feeling like something it’s not.

But then Kai exhales, his hand smoothing over my hip, his fingertips tracing lazy circles there.

And just like that, sleep takes me before I can make the right choice.

As slumber embraces me, my last thought is I know I should go.

But I don’t.

And Kai? He holds me like I’m his without even realizing it.

This was supposed to be nothing.

But it doesn’t feel like nothing.