Prologue: Afterglow

“Sometimes the very thing you’re looking for is the one thing you can’t see.”
-- Vanessa Williams “Save the Best for Last”

Gwen’s eyes fluttered open and she took a minute to let her eyes adjust to the sunlight that was streaming through the windows of her hotel room. She sat up slowly in her bed and when the satin sheets fell from her upper body to her waist, she realized that she was naked underneath. Her gaze finally landed on the golden brown skin of Luis’s back, as he sat on the edge of the bed, apparently too deep in thought to realize she was awake. The sight of his skin brought a hot blush to her cheek as the memory of the night before came rushing back.

Kisses, touches, caresses and whispers. The way his hands and lips felt on her heated skin. The way he had drowned out her screaming his name with a feverish kiss. The way he felt as he buried himself deep inside her. She was sure the blush on her cheeks was slowly traveling throughout her whole body.

Luis finally heard the ruffling of satin sheets behind him and turned around, to see Gwen wide-awake and propped up against the headboard, her naked breasts in clear view. He felt his hormones tug him in inconvenient places as his eyes connected with her blue ones. Her brown hair framed her face like a halo and the morning light reflected in her eyes. Memories assailed him.

The way she kissed, how she allowed her mouth to be explored by his tongue and then returned the favor by ravishing his own mouth. The feel of her soft, silky skin under his fingers and mouth and the way she moved under him as he brought them to an earth-shattering climax. It had been so long since he had felt that excitement and tension that came with passionate sex.

And now everything was awkward. He didn’t know how two people could go from being extremely intimate with each other at night to completely awkward in the morning. And for the life of him, he didn’t know what to say.

Gwen couldn’t seem to take her eyes away from Luis’s, still unaware that the sheets were bunched at her waist, leaving her entire upper body open to Luis’s gaze. She didn’t care now that Luis had spent the entire night exploring every inch of her body and she had done the same with his. But now she was speechless.

What was she supposed to say after a night of impromptu, unparalleled passion and incredibly hot sex? It was one thing to initiate it, and another thing to participate in it – fabulous as it was – but now to say the first word the morning after seemed impossible to her. What was she supposed to say? Good morning?

“Good morning,” Luis ventured softly with a small sheepish smile. Well it certainly worked for him. She watched as his gaze traveled from her face down to her body and then back up again to reconnect with her eyes. She could clearly see the desire burning in his eyes and felt heat rush to her core again.

“Morning,” she managed to croak out, hoping that he’d tear his gaze away from her because she certainly couldn’t do it. “Were you leaving?”

He shook his head and then looked at her regretfully. “I have to go back to Harmony this afternoon and I have to swing by my own hotel room to get my stuff. I just wanted to make sure you were okay before I left.”

It wasn’t a complete lie. He did want to make sure she was okay, but he knew that for the most part he couldn’t just leave her sleeping and that he needed to see her one more time before he left. He didn’t know why he couldn’t just leave. It was a one-night stand - for both of them and one-night stand usually ended up with one person leaving the other asleep.

“I’m fine,” she answered coolly yet he could see the heat in her eyes and the flush that rose all over her body. He managed to stifle and amused smirk and focused on something other than her naked breasts. He would never get out of there if he didn’t stop staring and he knew he couldn’t stay.

“Look, about what happened last night. It was-”

“Just sex, right?” she supplied for him hoping that he was going to say a mistake. She wasn’t sure what would make her more angry – if he thought it was a mistake or if he thought it was just sex. But why should it matter? It was just sex. Two, healthy, consenting adults having sex. It happened everyday and there experience shouldn’t be any more difficult than those things she heard described as one-night stands.

“Right,” he said looking like she had just given him an easy outlet from a potentially awkward situation. “I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page.”

“We’re one the same page,” Gwen confirmed with a nod of her head.

“Well then I should be going,” he said as he got off the bed. She realized that he had already put on his pants again and he reached over for his shirt and tux. She watched as he dressed and pulled the covers over her upper body. She then changed her mind and swung her feet over the bed, wrapping the sheet around her she stood up. Luis finished dressing and then absently rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. “Well…”

“Yeah,” she said awkwardly.

“Well bye.”

“Yeah bye.” Gwen answered as he walked out of the room. Gwen sighed and looked around the room and then at the twisted sheets on the bed. It was a one-night stand. And it was never going to happen again.