Alaric

The apartment fell painfully quiet after Nico disappeared down the hallway toward my bedroom.

I remained bent over the kitchen island for several seconds afterward, breathing helplessly while trying to calm the violent pounding inside my chest. My entire body still felt overheated and sensitive from everything that had just happened between us.

My legs trembled slightly every time I tried to move.

I could still feel him inside me.

The memory alone made heat crawl slowly back through my body.

I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment before releasing a shaky breath.

What the hell had just happened?

The cold marble pressed against my skin while my thoughts spiraled into complete chaos. Nico had completely ruined me tonight in ways I had not been prepared for.

My body still carried traces of him everywhere. The bruises blooming across my neck, the soreness between my thighs, the lingering scent of him still clinging stubbornly to my skin.

And somehow the worst part was the fact that I had loved every second of it.

A weak groan escaped my lips as I slowly pushed myself upright from the kitchen island.

My knees nearly gave out immediately.

"Oh my God," I muttered under my breath while gripping the edge of the counter for support.

Nico had not been joking earlier when he said he was going to fuck me until I could not walk.

I actually could barely walk.

Heat flooded my face instantly at the realization.

I reached down to grab my boxer briefs from the floor before pulling them back on slowly. Every movement made my body ache pleasantly, especially when I straightened completely.

My gaze drifted across the kitchen afterward.

The entire place looked destroyed.

Wine glasses sat abandoned on the counter. My sweatpants were still lying somewhere near the dining table.

Nico’s clothes were scattered carelessly across the floor exactly where he had thrown them earlier.

The sight made something soft twist unexpectedly inside my chest.

It looked intimate.

Dangerously intimate.

I swallowed hard almost immediately after the thought crossed my mind and forced myself to look away before my mind could wander any further down that path.

This was just sex.

Nothing more.

Then why did the silence after he left suddenly feel so strange?

I sighed quietly before walking toward the living room to gather the clothes scattered around the apartment.

I picked up Nico’s black turtleneck first before grabbing his coat from the floor beside the couch.

That was when something small slipped from one of the pockets and landed softly against the marble floor.

I frowned slightly before bending down to pick it up.

Then my entire expression froze.

A condom packet.

Unused.

My eyebrows slowly pulled together.

Wait.

I stared down at it silently for several seconds while confusion spread slowly through my chest.

But—

Nico had asked me if I had condoms earlier.

I remembered it clearly.

The memory replayed instantly inside my head.

I need a condom.

My confusion deepened immediately.

If he already had one inside his pocket the entire time... then why had he lied?

Before I could think deeper about it, footsteps suddenly echoed from the hallway behind me.

I turned around immediately.

Nico walked back into the living room with nothing but a towel hanging loosely around his waist, droplets of water still clinging to his damp skin and dark hair.

The sight almost made me forget what I was holding.

Almost.

His eyes landed on the condom packet in my hand.

Then his entire expression changed.

It happened fast.

For a brief second, something dangerously close to panic flashed across his face before it disappeared beneath his usual calm expression.

"Oh," Nico muttered quietly.

I lifted the packet slightly.

"You already had one?"

Nico stared at it for a moment before running a hand through his damp hair.

"Oh my God," he muttered. "I completely forgot that was there."

I continued staring at him silently.

Nico walked closer before laughing softly under his breath. "Well, that is embarrassing."

But something felt off.

His voice sounded too casual.

Too rehearsed.

Like he was trying too hard to make this seem normal.

"You forgot?" I repeated slowly.

Nico shrugged lightly. "Apparently."

I narrowed my eyes at him immediately.

"You literally asked me if I had condoms."

"And thankfully one of us was responsible enough to remember protection," Nico replied smoothly.

I was not in the mood for his usual teasing tonight.

Not after the strange way he had suddenly pulled away earlier.

Not after the way his hands had shaken slightly before he disappeared into the bathroom.

Something was wrong.

I could feel it.

Nico stepped closer before reaching for his clothes calmly like nothing unusual had happened between us at all.

"Amazing night, by the way," he said casually while pulling on his pants. "Ten out of ten experience. Would absolutely recommend," he added jokingly.

I continued staring at him without laughing.

Nico glanced toward me briefly before sighing softly.

"Alaric."

"What?" I asked immediately.

He paused while pulling on his turtleneck.

"You are overthinking."

That annoyed me instantly.

"You lied," I said bluntly.

Nico’s movements paused for half a second.

Then he continued dressing himself normally again.

"It was a condom," he said calmly. "Not a murder confession. It should not be that serious."

"That is not the point."

Nico grabbed his watch from the table before fastening it around his wrist.

"You are really going to interrogate me right after sex?"

I crossed my arms immediately. "You practically ran away afterward."

"I went to shower."

"You looked panicked."

Nico finally looked directly at me again.

Something unreadable flickered briefly inside his brown eyes.

Then he smiled lightly.

"You are imagining things, princess."

There it was again.

He was deflecting and trying to make a joke out of it, but I could already see through him.

He always turned things into jokes whenever he was losing an argument.

Nico kept hiding behind humor every single time things became too real between us.

And for some reason, that irritated me more than it should have.

Nico grabbed his coat afterward before slipping it back on slowly.

The atmosphere between us felt completely different now.

It was awkward.

After that incredible sex, the last thing I wanted was for us to end the night like this.

Nico glanced toward me again while adjusting the sleeves of his shirt.

"I should leave," he began quietly, clearing his throat. "I will see you in Saudi Arabia," he said softly. "I hope you do not take second position this time."

I rolled my eyes automatically.

"Shut up."

A small smile appeared briefly on his face, but it disappeared again almost immediately.

"Goodnight, Alaric."

I swallowed strangely hard.

Part of me wanted him to stay the night, but judging from the way he had rushed to shower and immediately get dressed afterward, Nico clearly did not want to stay here with me anymore.

"Yeah," I answered softly. "Goodnight."

Nico stared at me for one last second before finally turning toward the door.

Then he left.

The apartment immediately felt colder afterward.

I remained standing there silently for several moments while staring at the closed door.

Why did this suddenly feel so complicated?

I released a frustrated sigh before dragging a hand through my hair.

This was supposed to be simple.

A bet that somehow ended in sex.

Nothing more.

So why did my chest suddenly feel strangely tight watching him leave?

I eventually forced myself toward my bedroom afterward, exhaustion finally starting to settle heavily into my body.

The moment I collapsed onto the bed, every muscle immediately protested.

My face burned with embarrassment remembering exactly why my body hurt this much.

Nico Park was genuinely insane.

I stared up at the ceiling silently while replaying everything that had happened tonight over and over again inside my head.

The kisses.

The way he touched me.

The things he whispered against my skin.

And then—

The panic.

My eyebrows slowly pulled together again.

Something had definitely happened earlier because Nico had looked genuinely shaken after pulling away from me.

It was almost like he was afraid.

I tossed around on my bed trying to see if I could fall asleep, but the memory would not leave my head no matter how much I tried ignoring it.

Then my phone suddenly vibrated beside me.

I blinked before grabbing it from the nightstand.

It was my sister, Catherine, who had sent me a text message.

Catherine:

Family dinner tomorrow night.

And before you ask, yes, you are coming this time.

Another message appeared immediately afterward.

Catherine:

Bring Dami with you too. Bastien keeps asking about him. Make sure he is here.

I snorted softly before tossing the phone onto my chest.

Normally I would have immediately replied with something sarcastic.

But tonight my thoughts kept drifting somewhere else entirely.

All I could think about was Nico and the strange look on his face when I had shown him the condom packet.

Why had he lied?

And why could I suddenly not stop thinking about it?