When Nichole wakes up the next morning, the first thing that she does is smile.

Last night with Ademar had been beyond amazing. So amazing that Nichole can barely think of the right words to construct a sentence that would be descriptive enough to let others know just how much last night had truly blown her away—and blown her back out.

Ademar had done things to Nichole's body that no man had ever done before. Nichole had such an incredible time, had felt so damn good that, after her fourth orgasm, she ended up losing count of how many times Ademar had made her cum. Nichole has never been a big believer in love at first sight... but love after a-very-unforgettable-first-fuck? Dealing with the exceptionally skilled Ademar Rodriguez, Nichole might have to get her fragile heart in check fast, or else.

Damn, I haven't slept this good in weeks...

Still at Ademar's place, Nichole sits up in his ridiculously large bed and stretches her weary bones.

Her long passion twists are a frizzled mess, the result of having slept without her bonnet on. Hickey and bite marks cover her body from neck to thighs, and of course, she's sore as hell (but in all the best places). Each ache is a beautiful reminder of what all had transpired last night. Each delicious ache brings back filthy memories of how Ademar had taken Nichole to see the stars last night, all without having to leave the comfort of his bedroom.

Hearing her phone buzz from over on the nightstand, Nichole reluctantly gets up and grabs it on her way to the bathroom.

The texts are from Bonnie.

BONNIE (grey) | NICHOLE (blue)

After freshening up in the bathroom, Nichole returns to the bedroom and is about to throw on her clothes from last night until she sees a white T-shirt and black sweatpants folded neatly at the foot of the messy bed.

Nichole finds herself smiling again. They definitely weren't there before she'd gone into the bathroom. Ademar must have come back from wherever he is and set it up for her, guessing she'd be more comfortable wearing something fresh and clean instead of the tight sweaty dress that he had fucked her in and out of from last night.

The gesture is undoubtedly a sweet one from Ademar. Compared to how most men would act when in a situation as such, Ademar has proven to be more considerate, given that this is nothing more than a one-night stand for the two of them. After they part ways today, they'll probably never cross paths again. Nichole's smile begins to fade because of the depressing thought.

I hope he wants to see me again because I sure as hell would love to see him a second time, and maybe a third... Nichole shakes her head, hoping the silly thoughts will fly out of her brain as she dresses in Ademar's comfy clothes.

As refreshed as she's feeling right now, with what all happened to her in the past, Nichole is fiercely protective of her heart these days. She has to be. She knows she can't afford to get emotionally attached to someone new when her heart is still healing and trying to get over all the bullshit and trauma that her last boyfriend, Kade Lowery, had put her through.

Nichole's relationship with Kade had been the longest that she's ever been in. They dated for two years and they loved each other hard, passionately. Sometimes too passionately.

During their first year together, Nichole had experienced heaven with Kade. Heaven, ecstasy, and everything else in between. Everything about their relationship was so new and happy and beautiful. Nichole really thought Kade was the one, that he was her soulmate. But during their second year together, Nichole endured nothing but hell. Kade had ventured down a dark road and switched up on her, blindsided her. His attitude and demeanor had completely changed for the worst. He became the epitome of the word toxic.

Abuse in the relationship began to present itself in various forms: emotional, verbal, and, on rare occasions, physical, until enough was enough and Nichole finally garnered the strength to walk out on his ass. She hasn't looked back since.

Three years later, now a successful and independent businesswoman, Nichole is still pissed that her heart continues to have pieces of it missing from when it broke the first time because of Kade. She struggled to put it back together again, as if it'd been a more complex version of Humpty Dumpty.

"I hear you moving around back there so I know you're up! Come join me for breakfast before everything goes cold," Ademar calls out.

Snapping back to reality and pushing all negative thoughts aside, Nichole closes the curtain on memory lane and proceeds to follow the smell of bacon. She's brought into a large and lavish kitchen that makes her baker hands tingle. Nichole doesn't know what all goes into being a construction manager, sounds pretty self-explanatory though, but it clearly pays handsomely from what little she's seen of Ademar's condo.

And speaking of the sexy devil, Ademar wears nothing but black briefs as he prepares their plates. Nichole takes a seat at the kitchen island, admiring him with a mischievous grin and naughty twinkles in her eyes.

"For the record," Nichole says, "I think I deserved to sleep in later than normal due to the workout that you put me through last night."

"You're welcome." Ademar meets Nichole's gaze and smiles, making her pulse race.

"I didn't thank you," Nichole teases.

"I know, but I sensed that you were definitely about to," Ademar teases back. He takes a seat next to Nichole and passes her a tasty looking plate full of food. "I hope you've got an appetite this morning because I most certainly do."

Nichole definitely has an appetite as well. She immediately digs in, complimenting Ademar's cooking skills along the way. Having always been big on food and baking, cooking in general because there is a difference between the two, a man who knows his way around the kitchen is a man that's just a few steps away from turning the knob to the door that opens Nichole's fragile heart.

"You get bonus points for not overcooking the eggs. There are way too many people in this world who are incapable of scrambling eggs and I'm so glad you're not one of them," Nichole says. "It's the little things that count, Mr. Rodriguez. You continue to impress me. Keep it up and I may never leave your fancy ass home."

Ademar chuckles. "You won't hear any complaints from me about that, I can assure you."

They continue to make small talk as they eat, and Ademar eventually gets around to telling Nichole a little more about himself.

Although he made it through high school, he didn't get to finish college due to the abrupt death of his father who was only fifty-five when a heart attack had taken him out. It was a shock to Ademar and his family because his father had seemingly been in tip-top shape. Regardless, Ademar had to step up and grow up fast shortly after that. His mother had never been in the picture, so all he had to lean on during the hard times was himself. It was up to Ademar to not only take care of Manuel, his younger brother, but also take over the family's construction business. So far, he's been doing an exceptional job at both.

"How about you? Any siblings?" asks Ademar.

"Nope. I'm an only child. But I did grow up with my two best friends, so they're practically my sisters," Nichole answers. "We all lived in the same neighborhood and were always over each other's houses. I never felt alone even though I technically was."

Nichole finds comfort in how easy it is to talk and joke around with Ademar. Being with him is different. A good kind of different. Nichole feels like she can be herself with him, feels like she doesn't need to be on level one-hundred all the time because he seems like the type that'd appreciate her company whether she's dolled up or looking the opposite.

Their connection is genuine. What they have with each other, it's more than just a one-time fuck, and it has Nichole curious to see if anything will bloom out of it.

"So, this bakery of yours that you mentioned earlier," Ademar says, wanting to know more about the beautiful woman sitting next to him. Dressed in his clothes, nothing extravagant in the slightest bit, Nichole still looks good enough to eat... again. "You said you started it shortly after graduating college. How long ago, if you don't mind me asking."

"Going on three years now," Nichole replies. "I was fortunate enough to be one of those people who knew what they wanted to be when they grew up. No shade to my pops, but I absolutely idolized my mother as a little girl. She always had a passion for cooking. I got my love for baking from her."

Just like Ademar, family is everything to Nichole. Without her parents, Lord knows where she'd have ended up. Whenever she had doubts about being able to successfully achieve her goals, any time she wanted to call it quits and drop out of school simply because she was fed up and tired of feeling "stuck" in life, her parents were always there to talk her off the edge. Always.

They're part of the reason why she was even able to open her bakery. She's since paid them back the money that they loaned her, but the fact that her parents had believed in her dreams enough to go out of their way to monetarily support her, it meant the world to Nichole.

"Intelligent. Independent. Funny. Sexy as hell... you're a dangerous combo, mujer. I don't think I'll be able to handle you," Ademar jokes, making Nichole giggle. She's yet to make a sound that he hasn't immediately fallen in love with.

"Well, I hope you'll at least try. It'd be a shame for us to end things here..." Nichole gets up to stand in between Ademar's legs. She leans into him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Wouldn't you agree, handsome?"

"Sí." Ademar closes the space between them, kissing Nichole with such intensity that it brings about the sexiest moan from her. "Care to fuck the morning away with me, sweetheart?"

Nichole smiles. "I thought you'd never ask."