CHAPTER 1: STRANGER

IZZY’S POV,

It's warm, I like it. I thought to myself, welcoming a slight smile when I felt the warmth of sunlight on my face.

I was waking up, feeling the rays of the sun but didn't want to open my eyes yet. I was tired and the bed was warm. I was warm. And I liked the way everything felt. Though, it didn't last for long because I felt the hangover from the previous night making its way up.

I groaned.

The morning light spilling inside my bedroom through the partially drawn curtains didn't make the hangover any better. The headache had already started to settle in, followed by nausea and thirst. I knew taking shots after shots was a big mistake, but I had my reasons. I needed to forget him.

I tugged at the blanket around my chest, pulling it higher to cover my face from the burning rays of sun that I had started to hate, thanks to the headache it was giving me. The blanket moved in compliance to my wishes, and I let out a content sigh, curling my body into the sheets.

However, just a few seconds later, the blanket slipped from my face and settled around my waist. The sunlight once again started to burn my eyes, and the headache became more prominent than before. I rubbed my eyes accepting defeat, and fluttered open the lids to look around my room.

Immediately my heart filled with joy, and for a few seconds I forgot about the headache.

'It was a nice idea to paint the walls yellow,' I muttered to myself and stretched my arms while yawning.

I was staring at the balcony window, covering my face with my hand to escape the sun rays, while waiting for my senses to return. And as I started feeling more and more awake, to my absolute horror, I became aware of the rhythmic inhaling and exhaling of someone else besides me.

I was confused for a second, and gripped the blanket wrapped around my chest, hoping it would protect me from whoever it was sleeping next to me.

When the other person didn't move for a few minutes, I took a deep breath and was about to turn around to check who it was, when I felt an arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me closer to him. It was as if the stranger read my thoughts and knew exactly what I was going to do.

I was mortified when he started kissing my shoulders, mumbling something in their sleep. I bit my lips and tried my luck by pushing his arm away. I knew it wasn't my fiance, well ex-fiance, on the bed with me because I knew I wouldn't do anything that stupid. After what he did, no matter how drunk I was, I wouldn't have let him touch me again. Besides, he didn't have a hairy chest like the man pushing his morning-wood against my back.

The blanket didn't protect me.

I gulped and tried to wiggle my way out of his grip, all the while thinking about the night before. I remembered being in a club, drunk and dancing with a crowd full of strangers. I wanted to forget the man I considered the love of my life for years, and the false promises he made to me.

I couldn't remember what exactly happened after I left the dance floor to do another round of shots. There was a tall and attractive guy that whispered something in my ear while we were dancing. However, the stranger sleeping next to me wasn't him either. There was someone else, and I could hear the echo of his familiar voice in my head.

It was someone I knew, and the tall guy knew him too, because I remembered the surprised look on his face when he saw the other man.

‘What are you doing here? Elizabeth? What is going on? What's wrong?’ I remembered the panic in his voice when he saw me, but couldn't put a picture or name to it.

Hence, I focused on what I could do instead in that situation, and that was getting away from the one night stand. I almost had his arm loose when he once again pulled me closer, holding me tighter this time than before. I shut my eyes when I felt him reaching for my breasts. However, what surprised me was that I didn't stop him.

I let him grab my breast and moaned when he rubbed my nipples between his fingers.

Hearing me moan, he grunted heavily because it got him even harder. Pleased with himself he started rubbing his morning-wood between my ass. I moaned again, and this time he responded by sliding his hand down from my breast. I threw my head back, hitting his chest when his fingers traced my sensitive spot.

He started to kiss my shoulder, while I was looking for a way to leave without causing any drama. I didn't want to see who it was, I just wanted to leave, because somewhere deep inside my heart, it felt wrong. I was still in love with Tyler and the idea of finding comfort in someone else's arms just felt wrong.

I opened my eyes and decided to tell the person to stop when I realised I was in my own bedroom, and not at his place. I couldn't just leave. The reality of the situation settled over my shoulders and my eyes widened in surprise. I invited a stranger to my house. I had never done that before.

What is wrong with you, Izzy? How can you be so careless? I screamed at myself as the man turned me, so that I was on my back, staring at the ceiling.

“Look, you are already wet, darling,” the stranger whispered seductively in my ears, and my heartbeat stopped for a second 

I suddenly remembered the voice. I had heard it before for years. I was frozen at my spot on the bed, as my one-night-stand sucked on my tits before climbing on top of me with a wide spread smile on his lips. He saw the surprise on my face and probably realized what had happened, and smirked proudly.

“Wasn't expecting me or what, Elizabeth?” he said in his strong husky voice. “You look surprised.”

I was too stunned to say anything. My eyes just stared at his green eyes and the wrinkles around them, the smile lines on his clean shaven face, and the grey strands between his brown waves. Everything about the older man screamed attractive, yet I couldn't look past the uncanny resemblance between his face and Tyler's.

“Mr. Black!”