Free Crash: A Bad Boy MMA Romance by Haylee Delane Page A

alluring.
    Out in the cool night air, I could see stars poke through the smog of the Los Angeles sky.
    It reminded me of that night in Brazil, as Crash held me in his arms. When he was deep inside me, and everything was all pleasure and promise. The whole world could have disappeared in that moment. It had felt so right.
    Now, everything just felt wrong. The one thing that had once been my source of pride was now a source of stress. I wasn’t keeping up with my classmates because of my personal issues. How easy it was to fall from grace.
    I climbed into my car and made the short drive to Don’s house. The exterior lights were on, illuminating the driveway.
    I parked my car and climbed out, feeling bone tired and fragile as hell. Up in my bedroom, I peeled out of my clothes and climbed under the warm, soft blankets on that giant, luxurious bed.
    The mattress conformed to my back, and every muscle in my body relaxed. I let out a heavy sigh and closed my eyes.
    Even if my life was going to hell, at least it would go there sleeping in this insanely comfortable bed.
     
     

Chapter Ten
    I woke up to diffused sunlight streaming through my bedroom windows. I groaned and pulled myself out of my bed. Lifting my cell phone from the bedside table, I checked the time. It was still fairly early in the day. For that, I was grateful.
    I was getting used to the fatigue of long hours at the hospital, but there was nothing worse than sleeping until right before I had to go back. It just made it that much worse. I trudged to the bathroom and turned on the water in the magnificent standup shower.
    Slipping out of my bra and panties, I stepped in under the stream of warm water. I let out a sigh of pleasure. The shower faucet sprayed water down over my hair and skin. It felt so damn good.
    There were high end shampoos, conditioners, and body washes already stocked in the shower. I used the ones that seemed like they would work best for me, lingering in the shower longer than I usually would have. Hot water never seemed to run out.
    When I stepped out of the shower, I pulled a fluffy white bathrobe off the hook on the wall beside the shower and wrapped it around my shoulders. The towels stocked in the bathroom were no less luxurious than anything else. I dried my hair and walked out into the bedroom. My mom had already had my things brought over from my old house, and they had been hung in the closet and folded into the dresser.
    I found some comfortable clothing and hastily got dressed. Then I finished my hair and makeup and slipped into a pair of tennis shoes. Out in the hallway, I could smell the faint scent of bacon and toast. I followed it to the dining room where a buffet of breakfast and coffee was set out against the wall opposite the windows.
    My mother and Don were sitting at the table. Don was reading a newspaper and my mother was reading an iPad. They seemed so content and comfortable with each other, sitting in silence as they individually read the news or social media.
    My mother looked up at me and smiled. “Good morning, Harper. I wasn’t sure if you would make it to breakfast or not. Selena said she heard you come in late last night.”
    “I got in at three in the morning,” I said, picking up a plate from the buffet.
    I scooped up scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast along with some mixed fruit. It was all expertly prepared by Gloria, the cook, no doubt. I poured a glass of orange juice and brought my things to the table to sit opposite my mother with my back to the view of the ocean.
    “Thank you for your help yesterday at the hospital,” Don said.
    “It wasn’t a problem,” I said. I didn’t want to admit that it was a huge problem. It was the biggest problem I’d ever had in my entire life. Not only was the man who I’d slept with in Brazil going to be my stepbrother, he was also going to be the father of my child.
    A wave of panic hit me suddenly, and my hand began to shake as I held my fork. What was I going to do?