AIDEN’S POV
I wasn’t expecting much when I pushed open the motel door. Maybe the faint smell of cheap air freshener and Cheryl sprawled out on the bed, tangled in the thin sheets.
What I wasn’t expecting?
Cheryl. Naked.
Dripping wet.
Frozen mid-step like some kind of forbidden masterpiece I was never meant to see.
My brain glitched. My breath caught.
And for a full second—maybe two—I didn’t move.
Her eyes widened in sheer horror, and for once, I wasn’t the one in control.
The motel’s crappy lighting flickered above us, but it didn’t matter. I saw everything. Water trailed down her collarbone, over the curve of her waist, disappearing between her thighs. Her wet hair clung to her skin, droplets catching on her lips, which were slightly parted like she’d forgotten how to breathe.
S
