The first cigarette tasted bitter.
I leaned against the balcony railing overlooking the dark ocean while smoke curled slowly into the cold early morning air. Below, the waves crashed endlessly against the shore in violent rhythm. Somewhere upstairs, Alice slept.
Or at least I assumed she did.
Unfortunately, my mind refused to leave her there. It drifted back toward the kitchen instead. Toward flushed cheeks and stubborn eyes. Toward the way her breathing had broken beneath my hand before she’d ruined everything by calling me Mr. Montoya again.
Disobedient. My jaw tightened slightly around the cigarette. It wasn’t even the touching replaying inside my head anymore. It was her mouth. Sharp one second. Soft the next. The way she challenged me constantly while still trembling whenever I go
