Then the rattle of a doorknob startled me. I wasn’t alone. I glanced at the bathroom door and saw a bright light go off under the crack of the frame. When the door opened, Tai emerged into the darkness of the hotel room. Chicago’s glow through the window lit up her naked body, which had a sheen of dampness from the shower. She had a towel in her hands, drying her long hair, her face obscured. I could see the prominent swell of her collarbone, her narrow hips and bony legs, and everything else, too. Chocolate-brown erect nipples dotted her shallow breasts. The triangular thatch between her legs was black and full.

She dropped the towel and noticed me. Her bright-red lips made a sexy smile, and her dark eyes devoured me.

“Oh, hi. I thought you had to go. I’m glad you stayed.”

I didn’t have time to ask her what was happening. She crossed the space between us, laced her fingers through my hair, and molded her lips against mine. Her nude body pressed against me, soft and sensuous.

“You’re cold,” she murmured. “Did you go out and come back?”

I still couldn’t find any words.

“Let me warm you up,” she said, her hand traveling down my body, slipping inside my pants. As much as my hormones didn’t want her to stop, I separated myself from her and backed away. She gave me a confused look.

“What’s wrong?”

“I can’t do this.”

She smiled at me again. “Oh, I bet you can. I could already feel things waking up.”

“Tai, it’s not that.”

“Then, what is it?” She tried to read my face, and something about my expression must have made her feel very naked. She sat down on the bed and wrapped the rumpled sheet around herself. Her smile fell away. “Ah. I get it. You feel guilty. You’re sorry we did it, aren’t you?”

I studied the bed, which looked and smelled of sex. Tai and I had made love here. In some part of my memory, I could feel her beneath me, feel her legs tightly wrapped around my back, feel myself deep inside her. But it wasn’t really my memory. It wasn’t me.

“It’s okay,” Tai went on. “I said no strings, and I meant it. I’m still glad you called. You turned to me when you needed someone, and that’s what I wanted. But I know you’re dealing with a lot of pain right now.”

“Tai, I’m sorry—” I began.

“Don’t apologize. I’ll go. When you told me you needed to leave, to clear your head, I should have guessed.”

I sat on the bed next to her and tried to figure out what to say. What she’d told me, what I saw in this room, was making my head spin.