Serena stirred slowly the next morning, her body sore in places she hadn't known could ache. For a moment, confusion clouded her mind, but as her eyes blinked open and adjusted to the soft light, reality came rushing back like a thunderclap.
It hadn't been a dream.
The heated touches, the teasing, the denial, the overwhelming pleasure, all of it had happened. She was still in Lucian's bed, the scent of him faint in the sheets around her. A thick duvet covered her body, but as she shifted beneath it, she realized with a start that she was completely bare underneath. Her cheeks flamed instantly.
The effect of the bracelet was gone now. And with that came a brutal clarity. Memories from the night before paraded through her mind in vivid, excruciating detail. She buried her face in the pillow and groaned. How was she supposed to face him? Shame crept up her spine, mixing with embarrassment so fierce she wished the mattress would open up and swallow her whole.
