Free Blended (Redemption #1) by Sasha Brümmer Page B

gloss. There is a row of windows that wrap around the room in a half circle, which are now covered with storm shutters. His bed sits against the only flat wall next to the double doors we came through, and there’s a seating area on the other side of the room. It’s such a warm and inviting space. I’m surprised it’s not decorated in all whites with straight lines and an overuse of odd shaped objects . . . it’s just . . . normal. Pricey and elegant, yet normal. He comes back into the large bedroom with a pair of sweatpants and a shirt.
    “You can wear these since your clothes are soaked through, but I think that you should take a shower to warm up first. I would hate to be the reason you catch a cold or possibly something worse.”
    He sets the clothes on his bed before walking through another door. I slip my shoes off in his bedroom before following behind him. When I get to the bathroom, he’s already removed his shirt, and I stare at his bare muscular back that, to my surprise, is covered with an intricate black and gray tattoo. When he reaches into the shower to turn it on, I use the brief movement to study it; the tattoo hugs his shoulders and moves down across his back as if it’s going to disappear underneath the hem of his boxers, but it stops right at it. The tattoo is of a detailed forest. I’ve not seen so much detail in a single tattoo before: it’s stunning. It’s dark, wild, and sexy as hell. I’m transfixed watching his muscles move underneath his marked skin when he turns around and freezes, bringing my attention back to him instead of his body. His eyes pause at my breasts, and I glance down, wondering what the hell has caught his attention as much as his tattoo caught mine.
    My nipples are hard from the cold, but they harden even further from his gaze. My lacy white crop top has left absolutely nothing to the imagination since I didn’t bother with a bra today.
    “Jesus,” he says under his breath before breathing hard through his nose.
    I close the distance between us and press my chest against his before I lift up on my toes to kiss him again. His lips are addictive, and if it’s all that he’s willing to give me tonight, then I’ll take it.
    His arms weave around my waist again as his lips work against mine before I feel his smile against mine. I slowly open my eyes and gaze up at him as if I’m in his trance.
    “I broke my rules for you, Hadley. Please, don’t make me do it again.”
    “Breaking them worked in your favor, though, didn’t it?” I try to make a point, which I doubt he’ll go for.
    “You’re right, it did, but if I fuck you right now, then you won’t come back to me.”
    I pause because he’s got me pinned. He’s exactly right, regardless of what I try to convince myself of—so much so that I’m at a loss for words. He takes my silence as my acknowledgment of his statement because he lets go of me and presses his lips to the top of my head before walking out of the bathroom and shutting the door behind him.

    Twenty minutes later, I emerge from the bathroom. We’ve hit some rough water, and I’m feeling rather queasy. Wade knocks on the door before cracking it open and allowing himself in. He takes in the view of me in his clothing before frowning, “You’re too pale. Are you okay?”
    I shrug as I finish rolling his sweatpants around my waist to ensure that they don’t fall off and take a seat on the cream-colored couch. “Not entirely. I’m feeling ill.”
    He quickly strides over to me, and it’s now that I notice that he’s showered and dressed in dry clothing. “Is it from the rough water?”
    I nod. “I think so.”
    “I’m sorry,” he says as he walks back to the double doors where he turns the lights off in the bedroom so we’re nestled in pure darkness. I jump when I feel the couch dip next to me, not expecting him to join me.
    “It’s me. Try and relax, okay?”
    “I’m trying,” I say weakly as he pulls me onto his lap. I rest