Early the next morning, Skylar felt a dull ache in her body as she slowly got out of bed. Looking around the room at the scattered items, she rubbed her forehead, her mind still spinning from the night before.
“It’s only 5:30 a.m. Why not sleep a bit longer?” Joe’s voice was soft, groggy from sleep.
Skylar wrapped herself in a towel and headed for the closet, trying to shake off the fatigue. “I’m going to make breakfast. We had a lot of stew for dinner last night, and now my stomach’s a bit uneasy. You go ahead and sleep.”
She felt a blush creep up as she thought about the mess left in the room. The staff from Pearlhall Residence would be coming to clean up soon, including the disheveled bed, and Skylar was eager to tidy up before then.
As she moved toward the closet, Skylar heard Joe’s teasing voice behind her. “Why don’t you call me darling anymore? I quite liked it when you called me that last night.”
Skylar didn’t dare look at him. Joe had a way of making everything feel so…charged. She couldn’t help but smile despite herself, feeling the warmth of his presence.
“I had to go along with it,” she said, her voice soft but still playful.
Joe laughed softly, his mood light. It was evident he was in a good place emotionally, something that often followed moments of intimacy. It was funny how it worked, Skylar thought—how even men who weren’t necessarily in love seemed to be gentler after such moments.
Skylar stopped at the door of the closet, glancing back at Joe. His bare chest and warm smile made her feel unexpectedly tender, and she couldn’t help but smile. Rising on her tiptoes, she quickly gave him a kiss on the cheek. “You did great last night, darling,” she said with a thumbs up.
Joe’s gaze lingered on her as his heart seemed to skip a beat. For a brief moment, everything around them felt still, just the two of them in that quiet morning.
Suddenly, he reached for her, pulling her into his arms. His voice was low and filled with a quiet intensity. “It’s still early…”
Skylar noticed the change in his eyes, a hint of desire there that made her heart race. She quickly shifted her focus back to the mundane, thinking about breakfast. “No, it’s not. I need to make breakfast,” she said, her voice soft but firm.
But Joe wasn’t having it. He gently pulled her back toward the bed. “Save your strength for me. Breakfast can wait.”
Skylar tried one last time to resist. “I just want a cup of coffee…”
Joe silenced her protest with a tender kiss, and for a brief moment, all of her thoughts disappeared.
After a whirlwind of a morning, Skylar managed to clock in just in time for work. Her heart was still racing from the chaos of the morning, but thankfully, she wasn’t late.
Sitting at her desk, she finally had a moment to check her phone. The first time she’d had a chance since waking up. There were messages from Charles and Natalie that still needed a reply.
Charles had asked who she had dinner with, and it struck her as odd. Normally, if she said she was eating, he wouldn’t ask any more questions. Could it be that he had seen her with Joe?
Charles and his friends often went to high-end places, so it wasn’t far-fetched to think they might’ve bumped into her.
With a thoughtful pause, she quickly typed her response. “I had stew with a friend. My phone died last night, and I only just remembered to reply now. When I get a chance, I’ll introduce you to him.”
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