Page 7 of King of Deception

I have no idea how one-night stands usually go. Is snuggling generally part of the equation?

Part of me thinks I should offer to leave. Slink off to my room with some part of my dignity. But part of me is ridiculously comfortable.

His muscular body has wrapped mine in a cocoon of warmth and security.

“That was amazing,” I sigh out, my eyes closing.

“It was,” he chuckles against my ear, kissing the sensitive spot on my neck. “You were.”

I grin, already in that place between wakefulness and sleep. “I’m pretty sure if one of us was the catalyst of the quality, that was you.”

He chuckles low and soft. “Sleep, luv. You must be exhausted.”

I do. I fall asleep in the warmth of his embrace.

But I wake a little while later, my sleep-addled mind aware that I’m alone in the bed.

The bathroom light is still on. I lift up searching the room for Gris, but I can’t find him. I lay my head back down, closing my eyes. Just as I drift off, I hear Gris’s lilting voice say two words…

“It’s done.”

CHAPTER THREE

Arabella

I wake with a start,sitting up to the morning sun that’s streaming through the French doors.

I have no idea what time it is, which is weird. Even on vacation, I usually wake like clockwork.

Pushing up, I realize I’m also naked. Another oddity. And then the details of the night flood back.

I find myself pulling up the covers, though I needn’t have bothered. No one is here. I’m alone in the room. I grab the top sheet and wrap it around myself as I get up from the bed, my clothes neatly folded in one of the chairs that flank the couch in the sitting area. Each of the bungalows is set up like a studio apartment.

My stuff is still on the console, including the ring. Did Gris notice? Does it matter? There is no note, no evidence I didn’t dream the entire encounter, except for the fact that this is clearly not my room.

I step into the bathroom, rinse my face and pull on my dress, collecting the rest of my stuff.

Stepping outside, I easily find my room in the light of day. Sighing, I push open the closed doors…. I thought I’d left them open…

But inside the air-conditioned space, I see my phone sitting on my console, lit up as it rings on silent.

Picking it up, I glance at the screen with a wince. I’ve got twenty missed calls.

Shit.

“Hello?” I say as I bring the phone to my ear.

“Where the fuck have you been?” my brother Mason rumbles into the phone. “I’ve called six times.”

I look down at the phone, realizing that Cici and Maggie have been calling too. “I had the ringer off. I overslept.”

“Overslept?” He growls, sounding very annoyed. “You never oversleep.”

“You left the girls an open bar tab. They insisted I partake.”

He grunts some form of agreement, his own culpability making him more amenable. “Got it.” Then he clears his throat, moving on. “The reason I’ve been calling is because I need you to come home today.”

“Today?” I cry, pulling the phone away from my ear. “But I just got here.”

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