An All-Black Kiss

PROLOGUE

Waking up was like being hungover. Well, yeah, I did remember taking a couple of drinks from a tequila bottle last night. I groaned as I felt my head throb and bile rise up my throat. God, I swear I'll never drink again. I don't get it. How can alcoholics manage being hungover? Even thinking was making me feel nauseous. It's funny how I don't remember how I got into bed. Did I really drink that much? I groaned as I shifted around on the bed, but I couldn't really move. There was this dead weight holding me down by the waist. What the hell? What happened last night? I tried moving again, only to be held down more. I slightly cracked open my eyes, squinting them a bit from the rays of the sun that peeked from the window. I looked over at my nightstand, much to the protesting of my throbbing head, at my clock. Nine thirty? Wow, I really must be that hungover. My hearing senses kicked in and the first familiar sound I hear was the early traffic and the light bustling of people going to work. Then I heard even breathing as if someone was asleep. That's weird. Am I the one doing the breathing or do I all of a sudden have super hearing powers? My smelling senses started functioning and the first familiar scent that reached me was my brewing coffee and then...spicy and very erotic cologne. Why I am catching on to different things that I don't usually wake up to? Then, my sense of touch became well aware of the extra warmth I felt. It's so strange that I'm feeling and recognizing so many things all at once. I tried getting up, but I stopped dead in my tracks. Here I am, lying straight on my back with an arm draped over my waist. It wasn't just any arm, per se. It was a tattooed forearm of a maorian design. Oh...my...God. I turned my head and stared at the peaceful and handsome face sleeping soundly next to me. Gabriel Payne was so completely naked right next to me...and so was I. I have never moved so fast in my entire life. I shoved Gabriel's arm away and got out of bed buck naked. Ohh, all this moving around was making my stomach churn and my hangover worse. My bedroom spun for a moment as I clutched my mouth and stomach, willing the contents in it to stay. All of this concentration made me forget about the man currently in my bed. I looked over at him and he looked concerned at first. He tried to stand up but I held up a finger to let him know to stay there. After a few seconds of deep breathing, I finally looked over at Gabriel. He was sitting up on his forearms with the rose-colored sheet covering him from the waist down. His sexy body encased in nothing but tangled fabric. I just stared at his body for a moment until the situation almost literally slapped me in the face. I felt my eyes widen and my jaw drop. Everything from last night flashed through my head.

"Oh, my God! I slept with you!" Instead of feeling as panicked as I felt, the dumbass had the audacity to smile-no, grin at me.

"Are you sure that's exactly what happened, Mika?" His fricking accent made every word he said sound so euphoric. It was quite distracting and I hated it. His accent curled around my name like a soft caress. God, I hate him!

"Because if I remember correctly," Gabriel continued with his damn grin on his face, "we had mind-blowing, back-bending, you-rock-my-world sex last night."

"Ugh! Would you just get out?" I grabbed up on my clothes on the floor and shrugged back into them. But when I was done, Gabriel still hadn't moved.

"Gabriel, get out. I don't want to deal with this right now." I turned and went into the bathroom in search for aspirin. I went through the medicine cabinet and popped two pills and downed it with a glass of water. I stared at my reflection in the mirror and I looked thoroughly ravished with my hair in every direction, my eyes slightly bloodshot, and my lips a bit swollen. The sight took me back to last night.

I was feeling irritable because Gabriel was making me feel things I shouldn't be feeling. I just didn't like the fact that every time he was near, he made my breath quicken and my heart beat faster. So, I decided to pop open a bottle of tequila to drown in. I didn't realize that I drank a lot because of my wandering thoughts. Then, there was a knock on the door. I didn't know who would be visiting late at night, but it sure as hell wouldn't be neighbors asking for a cup of milk. I opened the door and saw six foot tall and two hundred and ten pounds of gorgeous and sexy Gabriel Payne. He was dressed causally in a polo shirt and jeans.