Chasing Happy

Chapter 8

The next morning Kieran awoke feeling groggy, as she knew she would. She stretched. "Oh my God!" she shrieked when her leg brushed against something and she realised it was Rome and that they were both naked.

"What's wrong?" he asked sitting up in a panic.

"What do you mean what's wrong? Why didn't I go back to my room?" she demanded.

Rome visibly relaxed when he realised there was no emergency. "We got distracted." he grinned.

Kieran stared into his eyes that twinkled before he closed them and lay back on the pillows. Her stomach knotted as she remembered the night's events; after she had freshened up, she returned to join him in the bedroom. He had fallen asleep, she had only meant to stay a little while, just so she could be close to him, but he had kissed her and now she was naked in his bed.

Kieran grabbed the sheets and brought them to her chin. She'd known him all of five seconds and they'd already done the dirty. Her friends were going to kill her, well Christina would. Chantelle would applaud her. She bet he thought she was loose giving it up on the first night. Kieran buried her face in the sheet.

It's official. I'm a slut.

"This isn't how it was meant to happen!" she groaned.

Rome opened his eyes again and looked at her in confusion. "How what was meant to happen?" he yawned as he tried to pull her back towards him.

"This... us... you know what I'm talking about!" she snapped pushing him away.

"Come on, don't freak out. We are adults."

"So? I'm not the kind of woman that meets someone then sleeps with him on the first night despite what you might think," she said rounding on him.

She stared at him as he sat up and rubbed his temples. He knitted his brows, even in his tired and confused state he was sexy. What did he want with her?

Duh! Sex was what he wanted and you gave it to him!

Kieran wanted to slap herself. She couldn't blame the drink, because she'd thrown most of it up. She shuddered at the memory and groaned. What had she been thinking? She had never been that reckless before. Now she had potentially ruined something good with Rome all because she had slept with him on the first night.

He sat up and put his arm around her, this time she let him. "Look, I am not judging you," he said, "we, you, didn't do anything wrong."

"You should judge me, I'm judging me right now," she told him. She couldn't bring herself to look him. The shame she felt was too much to bear.

He turned her face towards his. "I'm not judging you, and you shouldn't judge you either, it happened. There's nothing that you or I can do about it now, so stop beating yourself up." he leaned in and kissed her on the lips.