Free Exposed by Deborah Bladon Page A

to come.
    "Oh god." I cry out as I find my release.
    "Sadie," he growls as he pumps himself harder into me, emptying all his desire.
    I lay still, unable to move. I never could have imagined it would be like that. That I'd feel so much so fiercely. That passion could touch so many parts of me. I'll never be the same again.

Chapter 20
    "Can we talk about this?" He runs his index finger down the full length of my scar.
    I nod silently. We're on his bed. The sheets are a rumpled mess beneath us and his head is resting on my arm. I'm completely exposed, yet I feel utterly comfortable knowing his eyes are scanning my body.
    "When did you get a transplant?" He peers up at me.
    "I was eleven." I smile back at him. "I was sick for a very long time."
    "What was wrong?" His gaze falls back to my chest.
    "I was born with a defect in my heart." I glance down at his finger once again touching the scar. "I was very ill when I was little. I was in the hospital a lot."
    "That's horrible." His voice is barely more than a whisper.
    "It was." I nod. "I kept getting sicker and sicker so they put me on the transplant list."
    He leans onto his elbow now so he's facing me. "Would you have died without it?" He nods towards my chest.
    "Yes."
    "How did you get it? Where did it come from?" I can hear genuine tenderness in his voice.
    "I was in the hospital one night and my mother came running in and said they found a heart for me." I push back the memory of that night. I was terrified.
    "Do you know whose heart it was?" He asks tentatively.
    "No. They don't tell you." I offer back. "It's all confidential."
    "So you have no idea?" He stops his finger's path so it's directly above my heart.
    "I was able to write the family of my donor a letter," I say quietly. "That was really hard."
    "A letter?" His breath brushes across my nipple.
    "When I was fourteen I wrote them a letter thanking them for their gift and promising them I'd take care of my heart." My voice cracks slightly.
    "That must have helped them." He wraps his arm around my waist.
    "I hope so." I sigh. "They lost someone they loved. I don't know how much comfort my letter gave them. I never heard back."
    "I'm sure it helped them after she died." He traces his finger back up my chest.
    "Or he," I say. "I never knew if it was a man or woman's heart."
    He only nods in response before he moves slightly to place his ear next to my chest.
    "I'm so grate..."
    "Shhh." His voice interrupts me. "This is a miracle."
    I close my eyes as I lie perfectly still knowing he's listening to my heartbeat.
    ***
    "I want to clarify something." His voice startles me and I realize I've dozed off.
    I look down. He's still resting his head against my chest. "What?" I ask sleepily.
    "It's about us seeing other people." He slides up my body so his head is resting against mine. "I don't want to see anyone else."
    "You don't have to do that," I offer. "We aren't going to define this, remember?"
    "Maybe I want to." He traces his finger across my chin. "Maybe I want to be Sadie Lockwood's steady boyfriend."
    I giggle at the suggestion. "You're not the relationship type, remember?"
    "People change." He pulls his head up and cocks an eyebrow. "Don't you want to be my girlfriend?"
    "You don't have to do this," I say the words even though my mind is racing at the thought of being in an actual relationship with him.
    "I want to do this." He brushes his lips against mine. "I don't want you doubting me. I don’t want anyone else. I just want you."
    "Hunter," I whisper as I scan his eyes for a clue about what he's really thinking. "What changed?"
    "I had no idea how special you were." He tenderly pushes a stray hair from my cheek. "I didn't know I could feel like this again. I can't let you go."
    The word again echoes through me. I can't get lost in that. Right now, right at this moment, he wants me. I want him. I can't say no.

Chapter 21
    "I'm flying out to San Francisco in the morning but I'll be back by the end of the week." He