Chapter 1: Morning Heat, Uninvited Eyes
The first thing Brittany registered was the dull throb behind her eyes, a leftover buzz from last night’s wine. The second was the warm, solid weight of Tyler beside her, the sheet tangled low around his hips. Morning light cut through the gap in the curtains, painting a golden stripe across his back.
She shifted, her bare leg sliding over his. The memory of giggles and deep conversations with Catalina felt fuzzy, but the heat simmering in her blood was crystal clear. She leaned in, her mouth finding his in a slow, deep kiss. Her tongue traced the line of his lips, and she tasted sleep and the faint, familiar hint of mint from the night before.
“Morning,” he mumbled, his voice gravelly with sleep. His hands came up to cradle her face, returning the kiss with growing interest.
“Mm, morning.” She swung a leg over him, straddling his hips and pinning his wrists gently to the mattress above his head. The sheet fell away completely. She felt the cool air on her skin, then the heat of him beneath her. “Don’t move.”
A lazy smile spread across his face. “Who’s stopping me?”
“I am.” She leaned down again, her dark hair curtaining their faces, and captured his mouth with hers. This kiss was hungrier, all languid heat and promise. She could feel the hard line of his erection pressing against her stomach. She rocked against him once, slowly, a deliberate roll of her hips that made him groan into her mouth.
The bedroom door swung open with a soft creak.
“Britt, have you seen my—” Catalina’s voice cut off.
Time didn’t freeze so much as it shattered.
Brittany twisted her head, her body still arched over Tyler. Catalina stood frozen in the doorway, a laundry basket propped on her hip. Her eyes, wide and unblinking, were locked on the scene. They darted from Brittany’s spread posture, the flex of her bare ass in the morning light, down to the intimate press of their bodies.
A beat of deafening silence.
Then a sharp, startled gasp.
The laundry basket hit the floor with a plastic thud, spilling a tangle of clean clothes onto the rug.
“Oh my god!” Catalina’s hand flew to her mouth. Her face flushed a deep, mortified red. She spun around, her brunette hair whipping through the air, and stumbled back into the hallway. The sound of her frantic footsteps retreated.
Brittany collapsed onto Tyler’s chest, her heart hammering against his. A laugh bubbled up in her throat, half-hysterical, half-horrifed. “Oh, shit.”
Tyler’s arms came around her. He let out a long, slow breath. “Well. That’s one way to wake up.”
She buried her face in his neck, the passion of moments ago completely evaporated, replaced by a crawling embarrassment. “I thought she was still asleep. I didn’t even hear her.”
“It’s okay,” he murmured, his hand stroking her back. “It’s just Cat.”
“Just Cat?” Brittany pushed herself up, looking down at him. “Tyler, she saw everything. Your… everything. My everything.” She gestured vaguely at their lower bodies. The morning felt suddenly cold.
Down the hall, a bathroom door slammed shut. The lock clicked, a sharp, final sound.