I’d love to prolong this moment, but I can already feel the pressure rising, ebbing over me inch by inch. I want to ask him to slow his strokes and put the eruption off a little longer, but I lost the ability to string a coherent sentence together when I shoved him inside me. Actions are most definitely trumping words right now.

Then it’s too late.

Ebbs become flows.

Pleasure floods my body, coating every centimeter and each cell.

I free-fall through a stratosphere of delectation. And land in a small closet filled with expensive liquor next to a gorgeous German who is most certainly smirking at me.

I yank my dress down and stride out of the room, leaving him alone in the dark.

Chapter Five

“You were out late last night,” Ellie comments the following morning, appearing in the doorway of my room and flopping down on my bed.

“Yeah, I guess so,” I respond, not looking up from the course catalog I’m scrolling through on my laptop. I have to choose my fall courses this week. Attending class is one part of life at Lancaster I definitely won’t miss. School has never been my strong suit. I cycled through four majors before landing on public relations, and I already have regrets. “Natalie turned it into a whole thing.”

Ellie snorts. “You are aware I follow you on social media, right? If there was anyone instigating anything, I’d bet it was you.”

I roll my eyes. “Whatever.”

“Any German lover boys?” Her playful words dredge up the memories I’ve been trying to repress ever since I woke up. A rough palm sliding up my thigh. Hot tongue in my mouth. Dirty words whispered in an accent. Dragging Natalie, London, and the rest of the girls out of the club as soon as I left that storage closet, claiming a guy at the bar told me about some hip new place around the corner. The club we ended up at was neither hip nor new, but no one seemed to notice.

“Nope.” The word comes out a little too rushed, but Ellie doesn’t know me well enough to notice.

She sighs with disappointment. “Damnit, I was relying on living vicariously through you.”

“What?”

“Again, I follow you, Saylor. You’re a hot-guy magnet.”

“How was your day yesterday?” I ask, eager to change the subject.

“It was fine. Uncle Franz is all excited about some exhibition match the team has coming up.”

“Huh.” Switching topics to FC Kluvberg was not exactly what I had in mind.

I keep scrolling through rows of courses, and then the screen freezes. I sigh, taking it as a sign I should stop. I’m already fed up. Standing, I stretch and then grab my sneakers.

“I’m going for a run. You want to come?”

“You’re joking, right?” Ellie asks. “It’s our day off!”

I let lacing my sneakers up answer for me.