“Hercules, please.”
“Shit,” he says before answering my call.
We are in over our heads—the kissing, his probing thrusts. I caress every part of him, and it’s not enough. His fingers are gripping my ass, and as his dick and my pussy collide, he’s nailing me against his erection. And still, he’s not inside me far enough. I want to feel him deep in my belly, in my sternum, my heart, my fucking throat.
I’m in heaven listening to Hercules’s whimpers. I know this is just sex, but for the moment, I feel like I love him. Maybe I do. Maybe if he knew who I was, he would say that he loves me too.
I’ll say it. I’m going to tell him now.
“Ah!” He propels his dick into me as far as it can go. “Ohh!” He roars as his body quakes until he stiffens.
Then, like air spurting out of a balloon, he grows limp. Hercules kisses my check and rolls over onto his back. I’ve never missed anything more than his heaviness on top of me. I want him back.
The warm air that settles in the bedroom presses against the sweat on my skin, and I’m chilly. “Hercules?” I say, ready to confess the truth.
I hear him snore and turn to see that he’s asleep.
* * *
Never in a millionyears did I think I would be this intimate with the boy of my dreams. Well… not boy. Hercules is a man. He’s always been more man than boy anyway. I can’t sleep. I know that it’ll be wise of me to call a cab and head back to campus. When he wakes up, I should be gone—but I can’t leave.
I’m staring at him up close. His perfect profile. His kissable lips. I press my nose against his chest and sniff. His aroma expands through my senses.
What if I kiss him? Will he wake up like the sleeping prince who’s just been kissed by his happily ever after? If I shake him, will he enter me again? I glance down. The condom is still on his penis, and it’s flopped against his thigh. His snoring gradually turns louder.
Lying on my side, I curl up in a ball to watch his sculpted chest rise and fall. He really is in good shape. I take my gaze up to his face and then to his skull. I've never been too impressed by a man's looks and physique. I'm more of a brain girl. I always thought that Hercules was smart. He used to pay close attention in class and wrote meticulous notes. When staring at his face wasn’t an option, I would watch his hand out of the corner of my eye. Even on the night of the party, he was sober and quick to figure out what was going on. I never took him for the type to get blackout drunk. Something must have gone really wrong from that night until now. I think about sticking around to discover the truth. I’m sure after he realizes he had sex with me, he’ll open up and tell me everything.
Will he change his mind about not making any promises if he knows who I am?
I shift closer to him. My mouth is next to his ear. “I’m Paisley Grove,” I whisper.
I lean away from him. He’s still the sleeping prince, and his snoring is god-awful jagged. I’m trying to figure out what to do to help him sleep easier when a chime sparkles through the room. I turn and look over my shoulder. I hear the sound again. I roll onto my stomach and look over the side of the bed. A cellphone sits next to an empty bottle of liquor. The active screen holds a page full of messages.
We’re getting married.Get used to it. Xoxo Contessa
I gaspinto the palm of my hand. That message was sent at 2:33 p.m.
Call me.Let’s make it work.
She sentthat one at 4:55 p.m.
Areyou working for Achilles today? I’m your fiancée whether you like it or not. Say something to me. Xoxo Contessa
That last textmessage was sent a minute ago.
Holy cow.I’m stunned and don’t know what to do next. Here I am, lying naked beside a man who just fucked me better than anyone ever will, and he did it while drunk. And he has a fiancée?
I flip around to study Hercules. Is Contessa the reason why he warned me, the stranger he picked up while intoxicated, that he can’t get into anything serious with me?
Feeling like the life has drained out of me, I take in Hercules’s expensive modern dresser drawers and the light fixture in the hallway that must lead to his bathroom. How very adult his life is compared to mine. He’s only three months older than I am. Maybe Max was right when he said that I’m veering off track. I’ve had to work three times as hard to keep up with my grades and academic projects ever since Boyles came into my life.
Gosh, he was so demanding, so high-maintenance. Boyles needed weekend breakfast followed by hikes in the Catskills. I wasted so much time with Boyles, engaging in our many make-out sessions. He said my lips were the most kissable ones he’d ever sucked on. But it sure looked like he was enjoying Dandi’s quite a lot. And the code. I’ve neglected the code, and doing that is like turning my back on Grandfather.
Hercules’s snoring whips against the air. Knowing what I know now, I wonder if I would let him fuck me again if he happened to wake up and draw me under him.The truth, Paisley.
“Yes,” I whisper and flop onto my back.
I look at him, trying to really see him. The smell of strong drink rising from Hercules’s breath saturates the room. I couldn’t smell it earlier as much as I do now. He’s still gorgeous, but he looks tired, worn out. Maybe earlier I was drunk on desire. I’m starting to fall out of his spell—I think. I’m a Grove, and we don’t comingle with Valentines. On top of that, he’s marrying some girl named Contessa.
