Attached At Heart (Wildflower #3)

25. Delaney

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

delaney

I COULDN’T REMEMBER THE last time I slept so soundly.

And I also couldn’t remember the last time I woke with such a profound ache between my legs.

An ache for Blake and an ache from Blake.

I winced when I turned over, looking for the man responsible. But I found Blake standing at the foot of the bed, a slight smirk skewed on his handsome face as though he knew why I was wincing, and he liked that it was because of him.

I liked it, too.

“Good morning,” he said, his voice deep and husky—toe-curling in how attractive it was. His brown eyes flicked from me to the belt he was adjusting around his waist, already wearing his black slacks and a crisp, white shirt. He moved slowly, like he knew I was watching him.

He reinforced that idea when he lifted a brow at me.

I cleared my throat before responding. “Good morning.”

It was definitely a good morning.

Blake’s lips curved in a knowing grin as he slotted his belt into place. And I continued to watch, eating up every moment of my morning show. I certainly wouldn’t mind waking up to see this every day.

“I have to leave soon,” he said, sounding regretful. “I have a few early appointments scheduled this morning.”

“Okay, Dr. London.” I smiled as I stretched my arms over my head, luxuriating in the feel of his sheets against my bare skin. The covers shifted as I moved, slipping down my body and exposing my breasts. Blake’s gaze darkened, wandering over me, while the rest of his body stilled. He took an unsteady breath.

“Delaney.” He said my name like a warning. But then he walked to the side of the bed, leaned over it, and pressed a kiss to my cheek. “Go back to sleep, sweetheart. You were the smart one between the two of us and took today off.”

I hadn’t really wanted to take an extra day, but I’d wanted even less to show up to my new position and not be on my A game. So I’d planned an extra day to recover from jet lag and our travels. Of course, I’d had no idea that I’d also need today to recover from Blake .

I turned my head so our lips brushed and whispered, “But I was appreciating you.”

Blake dragged his lips across mine, a reverent sort of kiss before he swore beneath his breath and pulled away, walking with stiff movements back across the room.

“Lane, I—” He shook his head, struggling to figure out what to say. Instead, he focused on grabbing a tie, throwing it around his neck.

I just grinned, happy to sit back and observe. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew I should be freaking out. Blake and I had slept together. We’d redrawn a line that was impossible to erase.

The minute we walked into that club in Amsterdam, I knew that something was changing, and it would never be the same between us again. And now, here we were. That should terrify me, considering there was just so much on the line—on the very line we’d redrawn. But I’d never felt lighter.

“It’s only fair,” I reminded him. “That I should get to appreciate you, too.” My smile grew as Blake glanced over at me again, only to dart his gaze away like he could only handle tiny glimpses of me naked in his bed. “You know, I didn’t realize that getting married would come with so many perks. Maybe we should have done it a long time ago.”

“Perks, huh?” Blake’s lips quirked, and then something tensed in his jaw. “Is that what last night was?”

Hearing him repeat that back to me made something feel off. Wrong. Phrasing last night as though it was some kind of simple benefit of marriage cheapened the reality of what happened. But I couldn’t really explain why.

“You tell me,” I said after a minute.

Was that what last night was?

But Blake refused to answer, shaking his head again. “I don’t think I can.”

I frowned, and Blake seemed to catch my reaction out of the corner of his eye. After a quick, final adjustment of his tie, he swooped back to my side, sitting on the edge of the bed. My name came out of his lips on a sigh I didn’t quite understand.

“I just—” I started before pausing. The words we shared this morning were important, and I didn’t have any prepared. “What happens now?”

Blake answered me with another kiss, pressing his lips to mine. And as much as I liked this newfound freedom we had to kiss each other for no other reason except that we wanted to, this kiss confused me.

“Are you trying to distract me?” I breathed against his lips—his soft, warm lips that were, admittedly, very easy to get distracted by.

Blake released a husky chuckle. “No, I’m just showing you what I’d like to happen.”

“Blake,” I groaned. Because as much as that was an answer to my question, it was also a way to avoid giving more of one.

“Delaney.” He dropped his forehead to mine, and I breathed in his musky, perfect Blake-ness. He cupped my cheek, his hand so tender but so firm. Sure. “I like kissing you. And I’d really like to keep kissing you now that we’re home.”

“Okay.” I could get on board with that. “I hadn’t been sure if we were just getting each other out of our systems the last few days, or…”

The hand that had been cupping my cheek fell down my body, his fingertips grazing over my bare skin—from the slope of my neck to the dip of my collarbone to the curve of my breasts. I arched into his touch, my body tingling with longing.

“Does it feel like I’m out of your system, Lane?” he asked, voice gruff.

“I don’t…think so.” I didn’t think so at all, but I wanted to know what he was thinking. “What does it feel like for you?”

Blake sat back on the edge of the bed, looking surprised. His touch vanished from my body, making me feel adrift. “Me?”

“Yeah.” Gripping the edge of the covers, I pulled them up to my chin. “It’s just that last night when I said it was the best sex of my life, you didn’t…” I wrinkled my nose before shaking my head and casting my eyes to the side, wishing I hadn’t started that sentence. “Never mind.”

He stared, seemingly dumbfounded by what I’d just said. But I couldn’t imagine why.

“Delaney.” His finger slipped beneath my chin and turned it toward him. Brown eyes met mine, ones that were usually so calm but were wild in this moment. “Lane, I…” He broke off with a humorless laugh. “That was the best sex of my life. When you straddled me and I told you that it was the most erotic experience I’ve ever had, I wasn’t lying. It was incredible. You are not out of my system. I don’t know how to get you out of my system. If I did, I’d—” He bit down on his words before restarting. “If anything, you’re embedded deeper into me than ever before.”

It was my turn to stare, his words spinning in my mind like gears.

“I didn’t say anything last night because I just figured you knew,” he added with a touch of regret. “And I was too busy celebrating the fact that it was the same for you as it was for me. I never imagined…” He shook his head and then abruptly stood, walking to the other side of the room where his suitcase was open on the ground. He bent down, rummaging in it for a few seconds until he came back, holding two things in his hands.

“You’re not out of my system, Delaney,” he said with more finality, handing me a small cardboard box with a picture of tulips on the front. I took it, staring down at the top, where the words 500 pieces stood out in bold lettering. “But I understand if maybe you’re not as sure as me.”

He took a deep breath, and I tore my gaze away from the puzzle to look up at him. “Your old puzzle has seen better days, and I thought maybe…” He drifted off, rubbing the back of his neck. “Maybe you need some time with a puzzle today. Maybe it would help you to…piece things together. About everything that’s happened.”

I went back to studying the box in my hands, speechless. The scenery was a little different from my other puzzle, but it still had rows of tulips and a few windmills scattered in the background. It was so pretty, even prettier now that I knew it really looked that amazing in person. More amazing.

“I’m not going to shy away from the things that happened the last two nights,” Blake continued. “But it was a lot, Lane. And I know sometimes when you have a lot to process, it helps to put something together that makes sense.”

That got my attention.

“Do you think last night didn’t make sense?”

“I didn’t say that.” He shook his head, looking at me with an earnest expression. “I might be struggling to believe it was real, but if I’m being honest, I think it was the most sensical thing we’ve ever done. But that’s just what I think. And I know…” He pursed his lips back together, seeming to debate if he wanted to go on.

I swallowed, waiting to hear if he would say more. He didn’t. But he did hold out his other hand, presenting me with carefully wrapped ceramic flowers.

“I also found these when you’d gone off to the bathroom at one of the stores,” he said. “I wanted to add a little color to the apartment. Figured you might like that.”

I stared at them. Then stared at him, realizing that I was also struggling to believe this was real. That he was real. Even though I’d known him for more than a decade of my life, it felt in some ways that I was meeting Blake London for the very first time.

“You found your blue tulips,” I whispered.

“Yeah.” He looked from the tulips to me. “I guess they do exist.”

My lips curved in a small smile. “I’m glad you found your favorite color.”

He studied the cornflower-blue ceramic flowers for a second before shrugging.

“I actually prefer a blue that’s a little bit darker, but this is close.”

“A bit darker?”

“A bit darker.” His eyes met mine, boring into them like he was trying to communicate something. But when I didn’t seem to get whatever it was, he cleared his throat. “Besides, I didn’t give you a ‘something blue’ for the wedding. I know it’s a little late, but?—”

“You gave me something blue,” I countered. “You gave me the ring.”

Blake’s gaze dropped to my hand, where my wedding ring was firmly in place on my ring finger. I barely ever took it off.

“I like that you’re wearing it even though…” he started but didn’t finish.

More thoughts unfinished.

But I understood this one.

Even though I wouldn’t have to.

Because there was no one around right now, no one to see us faking it. But I still had it on.

“It’s a really pretty ring,” I said by way of explanation.

“For a really pretty bride,” Blake murmured, his eyes still locked on my hand.

He shook out of his trance a moment later, taking a few slow steps backward, like he wasn’t sure he should be so close to me even though last night he’d been inside me.

“Take today to think about things, Delaney,” he said, clearing his throat. “The last forty-eight hours have been…”

A lot. A lot of change and a lot that we should probably think about. But Blake seemed confident that we could be friends who were married and also kissed sometimes, and maybe that was as complicated as we needed to make it. Maybe it was just as simple as that.

All I knew was that I didn’t want to go backward. I didn’t want to give up the moments we’d shared in the last few days or the possibility that there could be more of them.

So after Blake left for work, I looked at the puzzle. I studied the picture. I smiled at the sentiment.

But I didn’t put it together.

Because I just didn’t think I needed to.

I stood inside at Boston Medical, waiting for Blake. The cardiology wing sat to my left, so I hoped that my calculations were correct and the doors I’d planted myself by would be the ones he’d make his way to as soon as he was done for the day.

I took in my surroundings while I waited, making comparisons in my head between Boston Medical and SCMC and all the other facilities I’d worked in. Obviously, it was hard to come to many conclusions just from this preliminary glimpse, but still.

More than anything, I liked that it gave me a picture of where Blake spent his days. I liked imagining him walking these hallways, living the dream that we’d both worked so hard to reach. I liked knowing what his new home away from home looked like.

About an hour passed as I waited, and when early evening hit, I started to worry. But as soon as I pulled out my phone, contemplating if I should call him, footsteps echoed in the hospital hallway.

It was ridiculous that I should be able to recognize someone by their footsteps, but I immediately knew it was Blake. He had a purposeful, confident walk. Especially in hospital hallways.

The steps faltered when they got closer.

“Lane?”

I smiled to myself, pleased that I’d been right.

“Hi,” I said, looking up to find my husband a few paces from me, his brow furrowed and hair slightly mussed from a long day at work.

“What are you doing here?” His eyes swept over me, looking for something wrong. “Is everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine,” I assured him. “Can’t I come see where my husband works?” I stood and made my way over to his side. Around us, the hospital’s soft symphony kept playing—beeping machines and murmured conversations and ringing phones. But Blake broke the setting’s mold, giving me a grin as I approached him. It wasn’t Dr. London’s usual look. It was m y grin. My smile.

“Of course you can,” he said. “But you should have told me you were coming.”

I shrugged. “It was kind of an impromptu thing. I had something I wanted to tell you and thought it would be a good time to check out your new digs.”

“Yeah?” His grin was cheeky now. I could tell he couldn’t decide between asking what I wanted to tell him and asking what I thought about the facility. But he settled on, “And what does my wife want to tell me that couldn’t wait?”

“It’s about the puzzle.”

I reached into the canvas tote I brought with me and pulled out the puzzle from Blake.

His smile faltered, his expression wiping blank. He was steeling himself, and that made my stomach drop.

“I love it,” I rushed to say, wanting him to know that above everything else. I loved his thoughtfulness, and I cherished his friendship more than anything.

“I’m so glad,” he said carefully.

I nodded before adding, “But I just don’t think…” Blake tensed. “I didn’t do it. The puzzle. Not today.”

Blake cocked his head to the side. “No?”

“No,” I confirmed. “I think all the pieces sort of fell into place last night.”

Literally. We slid together, we fit together like we were…like it was all the confirmation I really needed.

“Last night,” Blake repeated, taking a step closer.

“Yeah.” I wet my lips, realizing how dry they felt. “It told me everything I needed to know, Blake. I didn’t need to do the puzzle today. You’re not out of my system, and I like kissing you, too. Wouldn’t mind if we kept doing it, either.”

Blake took another step. “Just kisses, Lane? Or do you want more of last night?”

“More of last night,” I said, struggling to breathe because Blake was consuming me now, and his proximity made me think of the things we did the last time he was this close.

“We can do that,” he husked. “On one condition.”

“What’s that?”

“Remember when I said you could see anyone you want when we’re married?”

I nodded slowly.

He dropped his voice to a pitch that I wasn’t sure I’d truly heard before. “If we’re going to continue this, I’m taking that the fuck back.”

I couldn’t help a grin from creeping onto my face. “That’s fine. You’ve made it pretty clear you don’t share, Blake.”

He leaned down, his lips finding my ear as he spoke at a gritty volume only I could hear. “No, I don’t. Not when it’s my ring on your finger and my cock in your pussy, baby.”

My lips parted as I felt a flush work up my neck from his words, and when Blake pulled away, a smirk painted his lips.

But a second later, it fell, along with his gaze.

And I immediately knew why.

I’d seen it, too, when I looked in the mirror just before leaving home. I hadn’t noticed it this morning, which meant that Blake probably didn’t, either. It must have darkened as the day went on.

“Holy shit, Lane,” Blake choked, and I lifted my hand to the curve of my neck, tracing where I remembered the purplish bruise to be. Blake watched my finger, his jaw unhinged, his expression horrified.

“Oh, this?” I said with a shrug and a tilt of my lips. “I think this is just what happens when Blake London finally loses a little bit of control.”

“I—” Words escaped Blake as he continued to stare at the mark on my skin. His gaze was dark and unreadable. “Does it hurt?” he finally breathed, stepping closer to take over, grazing his thumb over the mark, caressing my skin in small circles.

I shook my head, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

“Are you sure?” he checked.

“I’m sure.”

It didn’t hurt, and I didn’t mind. It felt like…evidence. That I hadn’t fabricated the moment when this happened, when Blake had finally unleashed a side of him that I’d never seen before. A side I couldn’t wait to meet again.

“I’m fucking sorry, Lane,” Blake murmured, still seeming transfixed by my neck. By the mark that he’d made on it.

“No, you’re not,” I said with a raised brow, knowing that there was more in his gaze than he was letting on. I knew enough by now to understand that.

“No,” he admitted hoarsely as he leaned down and pressed his lips to my skin, right where the shape of his mouth was already imprinted. “I’m not.”

When he pulled back, I studied him for a moment before musing, “I think I know one of your kinks now.”

“Is it a kink if it only applies to you?” he muttered, eyes shining bright. “You’re the only person I want to mark as mine, Delaney.”

“I don’t know enough about it.” My voice was slow, coated with a thick new wave of want. “But I will say I had no idea you’d become so possessive if I married you.”

Not that I was really complaining.

“And now that you’ve seen this side of me, do you regret it?” he asked, clearly eager for my answer. “Regret letting me slide that ring on your finger?”

He lifted his gaze to mine, and I met it straight on. Because once I decided to go for something, I didn’t often back down.

“Not at all.”