Ella’s POV
When I opened my eyes, the other side of the bed was empty. I reached out, but only touched the sheets where Cyril had slept next to me. They were still warm, but he was gone.
For a moment I simply lay there, blinking at the golden light seeping in from the curtains, trying to convince myself that last night hadn’t been a fever dream.
I sat up slowly, the blanket pooling around my waist, and I pressed my palms to my burning cheeks. My body ached in places I had never ached before, but it was delicious pain, it was proof that I had given myself to Cyril and that he had taken me in return.
Every memory from last night hit me suddenly. . . the way his body had pressed into mine, the feral growl in his throat when I begged him not to be gentle the heat of his mouth, the rough wa
