Blended (Redemption #1)

by Sasha Brümmer

  “Would you like for me to say something?”

  The thought of her going out of her way to help me settles the war zone in my head a bit.

  “Not exactly. Isla contacted my lawyers, and they are working on it as we speak.”

  “Your lawyers? Would they have that kind of power?”

  “Money has as much power as the man who accepts it.”

  “I suppose,” she says as she looks toward the door when it opens again and Isla walks in.

  “How are you holding up, brass balls?”

  Hadley lets go of my hand and steps back, allowing Isla to lean over my torso and hug me. She brings her lips to my ear and whispers, “Does she know about the paraplegia?”

  “She does,” I tell her so that Hadley can hear me as well. Isla stands up and turns to my girl. I watch the two of them comfort each other because of my injury. My stupidity. If I hadn’t taken action and steered the boat into the rocks, I would be walking out of this hospital room with Hadley tucked under my arm.

  “Isla, what have my lawyers found out?”

  “Oh! That’s what I came here to tell you. I honestly didn’t expect that you would be awake at five in the morning, but I figured I’d come anyway.”

  I raise my eyebrows at her as anger heats my soul. “Tell me, Madden.”

  “Cool those balls off, would ya? They came to an agreement with the hospital and your doctor. They will be moving you to your hotel suite at nine this morning, where you will have an around-the-clock nurse. Dr. Heath will remain your primary doctor and be on call as well as be around to check on your progress once a day until he deems you fit enough for surgery.”

  I lean my head back on the pillow and shut my eyes, grateful for the team I have behind Brass Global. “Very well. I’ll need to arrange a web conference call when I’m back to finalize the properties in Sydney. Have Adriana arrange it. I may need you to fly her out if I’m going to be stuck in a fucking bed for two months.”

  “Right. I spoke to her this morning, and there have been multiple media outlets calling into the office, asking for an update on your situation. You’ve made international news after your accident, Brass.”

  “Nobody needs to know to what extent I’m injured. Have the lawyers draw up non-disclosure agreements in addition to the doctor- and patient-confidentiality agreements for all of the doctors and nurses who have worked with me during my stay here.”

  “Yes, boss,” she says sarcastically, “so much for our vacation, huh?”

  “You know where my credit card is, Madden. Don’t let me hold you back.”

  “I didn’t mean it like that, Brass. Look . . .” she sighs. “I’m sorry that came off in a negative way; I’m just as distraught as anyone else over this.”

  “I think I need two fingers of something spicy, clean, and going to burn,” Hadley says from her seat beside me.

  “I like your thinking. I’m sure that Isla can find something unique to Australia while she hits the stores.”

  “I sure can. Bourbon, rye, Tennessee, Canadian, Scotch, or Irish?” she asks, and it gets us all to laugh.

  “Something strong,” Hadley replies as I reach for her hand. She glances up at me and gives me her shy smile. It’s odd how my feelings for her have intensified since she left. Everything that she says and does is of extreme interest to me. For the first time, I don’t mind a woman being around me when it’s not just about sex. Hadley seems to accept me for who I am and doesn’t have this need to change me. Meeting her was fate and chasing her was ultimately my decision, but falling in love with her was entirely out of my control.

  This love, the emotion, and the passion that I feel deeply for her have made me temporarily insane. The desire I have to be with her at all times is overwhelming and all-consuming. I refuse to let this feeling burn away, regardless of my physical state. This may have all happened rather quickly, but I refuse to fight it because my accident made me realize just how quickly life can be taken from us.

  The next time I open my eyes, Hadley is running her hand through my hair in an attempt to wake me. The smile that she gives me when I blink and look up at her is ravishing. She may be wearing the same outfit that I saw her in a day ago, but her beauty doesn’t go unnoticed for a minute.

  “You’re like my personal shot of caffeine, Rye.”

  The blush that kisses her cheeks is beautiful, and it’s one of the reasons why I cannot seem to get my fill of her.

  “You’re my shot of whiskey,” she says against my lips as she offers me the breath she was holding, the very one that I needed to breathe. A feeling of peace comes over me as our souls breathe life into each other’s. The unpredictability of this kiss describes our relationship flawlessly. With this one kiss, I realize how every other one with every other woman meant nothing. We both seem to be communicating what neither of us is able to voice. I’m telling her the words that I haven’t said.

  To hell with my rules.

  Dr. Heath clears his throat, and Hadley pulls away from me suddenly. I realize that he must have been in here the entire time.

  “Mr. Brass, we are set to transfer you back to your suite.”

  “Good,” I tell him without breaking eye contact with Hadley.

  She purses her lips, her physical sign to me that she’s contemplating what just happened between us. I thrive with the knowledge that she felt it as well, that there was more behind that kiss than the mere physical act of all the others that we’ve shared before it.

  Four nurses walk into the room once I’ve signed my release papers and I’ve put my mother and Isla, as well as Hadley down as emergency contacts. The four of them transfer me from the uncomfortable hospital bed and into a wheelchair. They lift my feet and place them on the footrests before strapping them down. I’m assuming it’s to ensure that I don’t fall out of the chair rather than some sort of sexual bondage fantasy.

  “Mr. Brass, my name is Madelyn Elyse, and I will be your live-in nurse,” says a tall, attractive brunette, introducing herself to me. I shake her outstretched hand.

  “Thank you for agreeing to do this.”

  “It’s no problem whatsoever.”

  I wouldn’t assume that it would be a problem considering the paycheck that she will be receiving from me on a weekly basis.

  She moves behind my wheelchair and starts to push me toward the hallway. “Rye?” I ask because I can’t find her in the crowded room anymore.

  “I’m right here, Whiskey,” she says as Madelyn wheels me out into the hallway. I hadn’t even realized that she walked out of the room. When I take in her appearance, she looks utterly exhausted and spent from the jet lag and the hell that I put her through.

  “You need to rest.”

  “Are you insinuating that I look like complete shit, Waylon Brass?”

  “I’m insinuating that you look tired. I’ve put you through a lot since we left the States.”

  “I suppose that I’ll find some way to forgive your fancy-ass.”

  “I wouldn’t give you another choice,” I tell her as I’m wheeled to the rear entrance of the hospital where Jacobs is waiting. He insisted on using this door to exit because of the crowd of media and paparazzi that are camped out front.

  “Mr. Brass, I’m glad to see that you are well.”

  “It’s good to see you, Jacobs.”

  “Hi, Colin,” Hadley says, and she goes to hug him. He hesitates at first, but then he hugs her lightly in return. Envy sprints through my veins with the knowledge that I can no longer hold her like he is right now.

  He must sense my mood because he steps aside to assist the nurses who are transferring me from the chair and into the vehicle.

  Once Madelyn secures me, she walks around the vehicle and climbs into the seat beside me. I scowl at her before glancing at Hadley through the window. I watch as Jacobs opens the front passenger door for her and she climbs in.

  “Why are you up front, Rye?” I ask her as she’s fastening her seatbelt.

  “I
, uhm, I didn’t think that it would be appropriate to sit between the two of you.”

  “Bullshit.”

  I turn to face Madelyn. “From here on out, you will be seated in the front with my driver instead of next to me where my girlfriend belongs. Am I understood?”

  She flinches at my demand. “Yes, sir. I apologize. I was not aware.”

  “It’s fine, Madelyn,” Hadley interjects and offers her a sympathetic smile. “I’m Hadley. Thank you for volunteering to do this for him.”

  I raise my eyebrows at my whiskey in a teacup, daring her to overstep my authority. With an exhale, she undoes her seatbelt and climbs out of her seat before walking around to the backseat just as Madelyn gets out. I may be suffering through paralysis, but nothing will stop me from being able to touch her whenever I am able to.

  Instead of sitting on the other side of the vehicle, she scoots into the middle seat and buckles up.

  “Hi Whiskey,” she says as she splays her hand out on my thigh. My eyes drop to where she’s touching me, and I internally curse myself for not being able to feel that static electricity that hits my skin every time her body is near mine. “Is this better?”

  The calm and strength that her kiss provided for me earlier are now gone. I reach for her hand and intertwine my fingers with hers. “Barely.”

  Her smile falls, and she looks away from me. I silently curse myself.

  “I’m trying,” she whispers as Jacobs heads in the direction of the hotel.

  “I know, Rye. This is just . . . it’s a lot to take in.”

  I let go of her hand and move my arm around her shoulders. She leans back against my chest and gets as close to me as the seatbelt will allow.

  “I apologize.”

  She tilts her chin up and gives me a small smile. “Please don’t. I understand that all of this is new to you. You’re learning to rely on others instead of taking charge, and I can tell that it makes you uncomfortable. It’s simply a minor setback that you will recover from, and it’ll help you to take greater strides afterward.”

  “I’m a lucky son of a bitch to have you, you know that?”

  Jacobs pulls into the main entrance of the hotel and Madelyn has my door open before I can hear Hadley’s reply. Jacobs brings the wheelchair around as a horde of media crews jumps out of their vans.

  “Stay close to me, Rye.”

  “I swear it.”

  Jacobs and Madelyn get me out of the SUV without much trouble before the first camera is on us. Hadley steps out of the vehicle and starts pushing my chair into the hotel’s expansive lobby while Madelyn grabs her medical supplies from the trunk.

  Rye and I head up to the elevators, and she gets us onto one before Madelyn can catch up to us. Once it starts to ascend, she leans over to the panel and presses the red emergency stop button.

  “What’s the matter?”

  “Nothing. I just wanted a minute alone with you.”

  I chuckle and reach my arm out for her. She walks to me and locks my chair in place before taking a seat on my lap, “I’m not hurting you, am I?”

  “Not one bit, baby.”

  Her smile is contagious as she rings her arms around my neck and plants her lips on mine in a frantic kiss. A kiss that she needs. One in which I can tell her that I’ll recover from this bullshit without using the words. I think back to the first time I kissed her on the dock, and her lips met mine tentatively. As if she was protecting her foul and destructive soul from me, but she’s neither of those words. She’s come alive with me, and I believe that I’m on the verge of breaking her if I haven’t already. The affection she shows me is no longer linked to sex or a need for an orgasm. It’s a simple need to be with me, and the feeling is mutual.

  “Don’t you dare do anything so stupid again, do you hear me, Whiskey?” she states suddenly as she pulls away in the middle of our embrace.

  “Are you scolding me, Miss Rye?”

  “Absolutely! You were reckless, and you put your life at risk. I could have lost you completely,” she sobs and buries her head in the crook of my neck.

  “I know, but I survived, and you’re in my arms. I couldn’t ask for more.”

  She sniffles loudly and tightens her arms around my neck. “When I was on the plane to Los Angeles, I thought that I had lost your heart. When I was on the plane back to Sydney, I thought that I had lost mine. I thought that you were dead. I couldn’t breathe with the thought of never seeing you again.”

  The static sizzles in the negative space between us as she weeps in my arms. “Your heart is well and secure with me as mine is with you.”

  She jerks her head back and stares at me. “You swear it?”

  “I do. Do you not understand what I feel for you, Hadley?”

  She shrugs and wipes a tear off of her cheek.

  “I’m in love with you. I crave you in every form possible. Whether innocent or dirty, you’re the rye to my whiskey, Hads. Everything about you to me is fucking addictive.”

  She places her hands on either side of my face, and the confined space that we are in ceases to exist. “Tell me again?”

  “I confess that I am in love with you, Hadley Rye.”

  Her tears fall freely again. “There isn’t a single person in this world that I want more than I do you, Wade.”

  As she sits on my lap, I watch the final chink in her armor give way with my words. “There’s no running now, Hadley. I won’t allow it.”

  She nods as the elevator jerks. Someone must be controlling it remotely.

  “Holy shit,” she squeals and jumps off of my lap as we start to ascend again.

  I watch her as she calms herself down while holding a hand over her heart. The elevator door opens to a rather confused Madelyn.

  “We got stuck,” I tell her as Hadley unlocks the brakes and wheels me out and down the hallway to the suite doors. Madelyn uses her key card that Jacobs provided her to open the double doors for us.

  “Colin told me that there was an extra room in the suite. Would you mind directing me to it so I can set up my supplies?”

  “Down the hall, it’s the door on your right.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Brass. Once you’re ready, I’ll set up your seat in the shower stall, and we’ll get you cleaned up before bed.”

  “Very well.”

  First of all, this Madelyn bitch better stop giving Wade fuck-me eyes before I murder her. Second of all, Wade just told me that he’s in love with me. Hearing those words, especially from a man who I haven’t slept with, was . . . freeing. I’ve had multiple men tell me that they are in love with me after they’ve had their dirty way with me, but this is entirely different. I don’t have a single thing to compare it to.

  As much as I don’t believe in the notion of love, I can see it in the way he looks at me, and now, I can feel it. He says my name differently since the accident, and I know that I’m safe with him because I trust this man. I don’t know how he dug his way into my heart, but he’s taken it as his own just as I have captured his.

  It terrifies me knowing that I would do anything for him. The fact that I would lay my bare heart in his hands is beyond frightening, but he knows that. He understands my soul without my having to confess my fears. It’s taken me years to face my demons that live deep inside of me, but I believe that I can with his help.

  “Hadley?” his voice breaks me from my thoughts as I go through the clothing hung up in his closet for an outfit for each of us to wear. I walk toward his and Madelyn’s voices and find them in the bathroom. She has his shower seat set up, and he’s refusing to move.

  “I do not need, nor do I want your assistance in this.”

  “Mr. Brass, I’m only trying to do my job.”

  “What’s going on?” I ask.

  “Thank fuck,” he says through his gritted teeth. “I need you to be the one to do this, Hads. I cannot—”

  “Okay,” I tell him before he works himself up over a shower. “Madelyn, I’ll take it from here, but stay in the
room in case that I need you, please.”

  “Of course,” she says as she walks out of the bathroom and into the bedroom Wade and I shared before I left.

  “You’re lucky that I happen to love your stubborn ass,” I say as I go to pull his shirt up and off of him, but he doesn’t move.

  “What?” I ask as I take in his bewildered expression once I’ve gotten his shirt off.

  “Say it again, Hadley.”

  “Say what? That you’re stubborn?”

  He shakes his head and chuckles. “No, gorgeous. Do you even realize that you just said that you love me?”

  My hands still on his chest as I gaze into his eyes. “I did?”

  He nods and pulls me closer to him until I fall onto his lap.

  “Risk or regret. You chose risk whether it was an unconscious decision or not.”

  “I’m scared to love you,” I say honestly. “But I’m also terrified that you’ll leave.”

  “I have nowhere to go.” He gestures to the wheelchair that he’s currently seated in.

  “I like my odds right about now.”

  “I’m sure you do. And I hate to ask you to help me with this but I’d rather be ass-naked in front of the woman I’m with instead of another.”

  “You did it for me when I was ill, Wade. I don’t mind.”

  “This isn’t going to be a one-time thing, though, Hads.”

  “Then you’re lucky to be stuck with me.”

  I would much rather be the one to help him in the shower than have Madelyn accidentally choke on his cock. After a few minutes of struggling and trying to figure out how to get him undressed and seated in the shower, we finally manage to get it right.

  He’s naked in front of me, and he’s hard. Absolutely solid. His cock is just as gorgeous as I remembered it to be.

  “Can you tell that, uhm, that you’re hard?”

  “I can. By some miracle, I didn’t damage the nerves in my lower back.”

  I watch him as I strip out of my tent dress, bra and panties before turning the shower on. “I’m glad.”

  The water hits my back and his front, warming us in the glass-encased stall.