A frustrated groan escaped my lips before I could stop it, and I buried my burning face in the pillow, hoping the thick fabric would somehow smother the humiliation threatening to consume me. Instead, it only made the silence louder. The memory refused to leave me alone. Every time I squeezed my eyes shut, I saw him again—those impossibly blue eyes fixed on mine, the amused curve of his lips, the confidence with which he had closed the distance between us. My heart betrayed me by beating just as wildly as it had then, making me wonder if it had learned absolutely nothing from the experience. I let out another muffled groan into the pillow before rolling onto my back and staring blankly at the ornate ceiling of my room. "Get yourself together, Alyssa," I whispered to myself, my voice soundi
