Chapter 3: Morning Breath, Lingering Heat

The first thing Layla felt was warmth.

Not just the soft cocoon of a blanket tucked around her naked body, but the quiet hum of another person’s presence—solid, steady, and close.

Kai’s arm was draped across her waist, his fingers curled gently against her skin as if even in sleep, he didn’t want to let go.

Her breath caught.

The room smelled like his cologne—clean, musky, and something darker beneath. Her thighs still trembled faintly, reminders of how he’d claimed her just hours ago. Slowly, her eyes fluttered open, meeting the soft grey light of dawn spilling through the curtain.

For a second, she didn’t move.

She just watched him.

Kai’s face looked different in sleep—relaxed, almost boyish. His hair was messy, falling into his eyes. There was a faint bruise on his collarbone—her doing. Her cheeks flushed.

Last night wasn’t a dream.

His mouth, his hands, the way he made her beg...

She closed her eyes, trying to steady her racing thoughts, but his body was so close, so warm. Her mind replayed flashes of the night: her name in his voice, his mouth trailing down her stomach, the press of his body inside hers...

A soft gasp escaped her lips.

“Morning,” a voice murmured, rough with sleep.

Layla’s eyes snapped open.

Kai was awake. One eye barely open, but his mouth had curved into that maddening, lazy smirk.

“Did I just hear you moan?” he asked, voice thick and low, sliding through her like silk.

“No,” she said quickly. Too quickly.

He chuckled.

“Mmhmm.”

Kai rolled onto his side, propping himself up on one elbow. The blanket slid down his bare chest, revealing the toned ridges of his abdomen. Layla tried not to stare.

“You’re blushing,” he said, reaching to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “Cute.”

“You’re—annoying,” she muttered, trying to hide her face.

He leaned in, his lips brushing her cheek, and then lower—to the curve of her jaw, the soft spot under her ear.

“You didn’t think I’d just sleep after that, did you?” he whispered.

Her breath hitched.

“You’re insatiable,” she whispered, voice catching.

He grinned against her skin. “Only when you’re in my bed.”

Before she could respond, he rolled on top of her, pinning her gently beneath him. His hands slid under the blanket, gliding over the bare curve of her hip.

“You can still say no,” he murmured, eyes dark but sincere.

She looked up at him, heart pounding. “I don’t want to.”

His lips crashed into hers.

It wasn’t like last night—slow and teasing. This kiss was hungry, messy, all tongue and heat. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he deepened it, the blanket forgotten, their bodies tangling again.

Kai kissed down her chest, over the faint marks he’d left last night, and smiled against her skin.

“I like seeing these on you,” he murmured. “Proof you’re mine.”

Layla whimpered, arching into him.

He didn’t stop this time. He devoured her all over again—slower, deeper. Exploring her with a gentleness that contrasted with the intensity in his eyes. Her fingers tangled in his hair as he murmured praises between kisses.

“You feel so good.”

“Like that?”

“God, yes—don’t stop…”

And he didn’t.

It was different this time—more intimate, as if now that they’d crossed the line, he wanted to memorize every inch of her. Their hands clasped. Their lips met again and again. His rhythm slow, deep, relentless.

By the time they came undone together, shaking and breathless, the sun had risen fully, painting the room in a golden glow.

---

They lay tangled in silence, only the sound of their breathing filling the space.

Kai brushed a kiss to her forehead.

“You okay?” he asked softly.

Layla nodded, nestling into his chest. “Yeah. Just… overwhelmed.”

He chuckled. “Same.”

They stayed like that for a while—skin to skin, nothing to say, everything said.

Until her phone buzzed on the floor.

Layla blinked, suddenly remembering the outside world.

Classes. Her roommate. Her towel.

“Oh god,” she groaned, pulling the blanket over her face.