5
NIKOLAJ'S POV
My eyes pulled open slowly, meeting the flat, white expanse of an unfamiliar ceiling. The room was silent and cold. I reached out to my side, searching for some physical proof that the intense, feverish night I remembered with a total stranger hadn't been a hallucination.
The bed was empty. I was alone, but the evidence was everywhere. Her scent still clung to the fabric of the pillows, and the floral fragrance of her hair products seemed to have settled into my very skin. I sat up, dragging my hands through my hair as I tried to process the weight of what had happened.
How had I let things spiral so far? The entire night had been a blur of impulse—everything moved so fast that I'd been swept away before I could find my footing. I'd tried to keep my distance initially, but she was magnetic. I couldn't look away from her.
Something about her had triggered a reaction in me that I hadn't felt in years.
If I were being honest with myself, I'd been struck by her the moment she stepped into that bar. Her beauty wasn't loud or artificial; it was simple and completely enchanting. I'd found myself staring at her across the room and had to consciously force my eyes back to my work.
Usually, I didn't have much use for women. In my experience, they were mostly the same—driven by a desire for status, wealth, or a way to outshine their social circles. I'd seen too many go to desperate lengths just to land a rich man, so I rarely gave any of them a second glance.
But she felt different. I felt an immediate pull I didn't want to acknowledge.
Then, just as I'd managed to focus on my laptop, the confrontation with the bartender broke out. I tried to stay out of it, but I couldn't. And because I'd already been captivated by her earlier, it didn't take much for her to completely dismantle my defenses.
I got out of bed, dressed quickly, and checked the bathroom. Empty. She was gone.
I took a quick shower, ordered some breakfast and a fresh change of clothes, then headed down to the lobby. The common area was quiet, with only a few people nursing coffee. The sleazy bartender from the night before was nowhere to be seen; a woman had taken his place.
"I was in Room 5. The—"
"Ah, the gentleman from Room 5," the woman interrupted with a polite smile. "The young lady came down quite early and took care of the entire bill."
"She paid for everything?" I asked, a frown deepening on my face. Why would she do that?
"Yes, sir. Settled the tab in full before she left."
I let out a sharp sigh. "Did she leave a card? A phone number or an address?"
The woman shook her head. "Nothing."
"How much for the room?" I asked, reaching for my wallet.
"As I said, she already—"
"She paid for her stay," I corrected, sliding my credit card across the counter. The woman looked startled. "I'm paying for mine. That's final. Are there any other outstanding charges?"
"No, sir," she murmured, biting her lip. I knew she'd likely pocket the extra, but I didn't care. I wasn't about to let a woman I'd just met cover my expenses like I was some deadbeat.
I stayed in the room for a little longer, the events of the night replaying in high definition. I had never experienced anything like it.
She was... perfect. I could still feel the softness of her skin and the silk of her hair beneath my fingertips. Even in the heat of it, she had stayed cheerful, despite the obvious heartbreak she was carrying. I could tell she wasn't some "loose" girl looking for a thrill—the ring on her finger told a different story.
I tried to tell myself she was the one who seduced me, but a cold, logical voice in my head wouldn't let me off the hook.
She was intoxicated. More than that, she had been drugged. I was the one who was sober. I could have been the bigger person; I could have locked her in that room safely until the chemicals wore off and she regained her senses. But I didn't.
I had allowed my own desires to override my judgment. Maybe it was because I'd been alone for so long, or because her beauty was so disarming, or simply because she was so innocently alluring—I couldn't say for sure.
Finally, I decided it was time to move on. I'd been driving for hours the day before after landing back in the country, and finding a hotel in this remote area had been a nightmare. I'd been lucky to find this inn just to get some work done, but I never expected it to end like this.
I walked out to my car and pulled up the GPS for the final leg of my trip home. It was a two-hour drive, and the sun was already beating down.
I dreaded the midday traffic. Being stuck in a gridlock under that kind of heat felt like a slow death.
As I pulled onto the main road, the path ahead looked clear.
"Just forget her," I told myself firmly. It was a one-night stand. By definition, it was meant to be left behind in that room.
But as the miles ticked by, her face stayed fixed in my mind. Forgetting her was clearly going to be the hardest thing I'd done all year.
I couldn't get her out of my head.