Prologue

"This isn't a free ride, you know?"

Something huge from inside the dream hit me hard, instantly making my eyes open wide. I woke up in an unfamiliar room, with my head throbbing and surrounded by confusion. After desperately adapting to the light and being able to open my eyes lightly, the room slowly began to clear up, revealing a strange man curled up in a blanket beside me.

Wait, WHAT?!

Panic struck, prompting me to try to piece together the previous events that led me to this wacky situation. Everything seemed foggy, blurry images of scenes flashing through my mind. There was nothing I understood other than … oh, my God, the fucking alcohol! There was no way I could remember what happened last night.

Unable to find an answer, I finally decided to do something that made more sense. Carefully, I pulled back the crumpled white blanket and then disentangled myself. Oh my God, I didn't realize I was holding my breath until my feet finally made it to the cold floor. I started tip-toeing around, looking for where I thought my clothes had been thrown last night.

"Trying to sneak away, huh?" A voice broke the silence, making my heart stop. I turned around, finding him looking straight at me with one eyebrow raised, his elbow propped on his head.

"Trying to seduce me, huh?" A voice from my memories flashed. This was it!

Newly aware of my condition, I hurriedly pulled the blanket to cover my naked body, forgetting that it was also the blanket covering his. I glared at the sight before me, and instantly turned over. "Well, waking up in a strange room tends to make one slightly uneasy," I muttered trying to sound like I was joking, but my voice implied otherwise.

There was a subtle laughter that filled the room. And instantly that same sound flashed through my head again. He laughed softly in my ear. "I'm not usually one to play around." The sound of loud music played in the background.

"Not the smoothest escape plan I've ever seen though," he commented. Behind my back, I heard him get up from the bed and get dressed.

"Look, I know this sounds cheesy, but I don't remember anything." I started the conversation, hoping he could cooperate without cracking jokes that made me even more ashamed of myself.

"Well, all I remember is that we had a great night," he replied. Even with my back to him, I could tell he was smiling mockingly. Okay, he couldn't be cooperated with.

Convinced that he was already dressed, I turned around, intending to give him a threatening glare. However, my gaze instead misfocused on his still open-upper body.

My hand grazed his abs, while he kissed my neck. And with one smooth movement, he pushed me onto my back on the bed.

I shook my head quickly, pushing the memory away. My gaze shifted to his eyes, trying to maintain eye contact so he couldn't see the internal conflict reflected on my face. I tightened the blanket, clearing my throat softly. "I really don't remember anything," I repeated, not finding anything good to say.

He sat on the edge of the bed. His hands supported his body from behind. "Do you always wake up with strangers in hotel rooms?" he quipped. "With that wonderfully classic I-don't-remember excuse?"

I immediately blushed. "No, not really. Seriously, it's not a typical thing for me."

"Which one? The 'waking up with a stranger' part or the 'I-don't-remember excuse' part?"

I growled in exasperation. The man grinned, deepening the wrinkles around his eyes. Oh my, how old is he? Would it be appropriate for me to ask him that directly?

"So, what do you want?" he offered.

"What do you want?" he whispered, sending a puff of breath across my lips. His fingers glided along my spine.

"Make me forget," I said deliberately, draping my arms around his neck. "I want to lose myself in it for just a little while."

And then his hand went to the nape of my neck, pulling it up until he could kiss me so deeply, so fiercely.

I hissed, closing my eyes. This was wrong. God, this was really wrong. "I should not be here."