Chapter 26: Chapter Twenty-Six

Instead of scrambling to her feet, thus waking up her companion and alerting him to the fact that she was awake, like many girls would have done if they were to find themselves in her shoes, Saffron laid still on the bed, trying to recall what had happened the night before and why she was naked in a stranger’s bed.

Even as panic flooded through her system, she didn’t let the gasp which threatened to spill out to escape from her lips. She swallowed hard against it, her chest rising and falling steadily just like her companion’s.

His hand was like a steel brand against her naked skin, curved around her torso and pulling her up against him.

And from the way they were snuggled up into each other’s bodies, Saffron knew that it was only a matter of time before he woke up and realized that she was awake.

Again, she tried to recall how she had ended up naked in bed with a guy, but her memories were not forthcoming.

The last thing she remembered was being chased into the forest by one of the Alpha’s men after she had witnessed a carnal scene between her mystery guy and an unknown woman on the island.

The rest of her memories after then were too hazy. And trying to remember only made her head hurt, badly.

Her body ached all over, and there was this dull ache around her throat, and a slight prodding by invisible pricks and needles that made her think about it being crushed.

But it wasn’t possible right?

If her throat had indeed been crushed, then she should not have been alive right now.

If she hadn’t died, then she should be in severe pain at the very least.

But she wasn’t.

What the hell had happened the night before? And why couldn’t she remember a single thing?

Who the hell was her bed companion?

Her body froze as she thought about who she could possibly be in bed with.

Not Ivan!

Please, let it not be Ivan!

The man was a pervert, a monster, and he creeped the hell out of her.

If it was him, then whatever had happened between them had not been consensual.

The thought sent a roil of unease through her. And without meaning to, a sharp gasp escaped from her lips as she scrambled off the bed like her body had been set on fire.

Though her body screamed protests at her, the aches in her joints letting themselves known to her once again, she shoved the pain into the back of her mind, along with all the other emotions that threatened to pull her under.

She had no time for them. Letting her emotions show would only cloud her decision-making. And right now, she needed to make reasonable decisions instead of the questionable decisions that had led her to this moment here, today.

The room was blanketed in darkness, and it was hard for her to make out who she had slept next to, but one thing was sure, from the bulk of his muscled arms and the lack of hair there, he most definitely was not Ivan.

Instant relief washed through her, but it was quickly replaced with apprehension, as she was once again left with figuring out who the man was.

Even if the room hadn’t been cloaked in darkness, it would have been difficult for her to see his face clearly because it was turned away from her direction and half-obscured with what looked to be her underwear.

Her bra?

Panties?

What the hell had happened?

Her head was swimming, the whole room tilting off its axis, bile threatening to rise from her throat as she took the first step away from the bed.

Groaning, she blindly reached for something to grip onto to keep her steady on her feet when her hand met with a wall.

A wall made of flesh.

A human wall.

Suddenly, the room became flooded with light, and she was forced to snap her eyelids closed, as it assaulted her retinas.

“Wha…” she began to say but closed her mouth on impulse when she came face to face with the man.

It was mystery guy.

But how?

Why?

They were also both gloriously naked.

He began to say something, but she couldn’t make out his words. Her ears were ringing, and if he hadn’t been holding her, she knew that she would have been kissing the floor right that moment.

He scooped his strong arms underneath her, lifting her off the floor in one smooth motion, thoughts of their naked situation flying out of her mind, as her face pressed into his neck.

At the sharp inhale of his scent, everything inside her seemed to calm down.

A groan escaped her lips when his hand pressed into a tender spot around her thigh, but he didn’t let her down.

Instead, she felt his body shake with his anger, his hands tightening over her body before loosening, as if he was trying to hold himself back.

But why? What the hell had happened between them the night before? She repeated the questions inside her head but got no answer.

She would get them from him though. Later, when her whole world didn’t feel like it had been tilted off its axis.

“Let me down,” she moaned, when he began to walk, his strides making her stomach lurch dangerously. “I think I’m going to be sick, let me down.”

He didn’t though. Instead, he held her even tighter as he kicked open the door that led to the bathroom, carrying her in and depositing her gently onto the marble floor, just in time for her stomach contents to lurch up and empty themselves into the toilet bowl.

She gripped the edges of the toilet seat as she emptied every last content of her stomach while the mystery guy held up her hair away from her face.

After she ran out of anything to throw up, she collapsed back onto the floor, the coolness of the tile biting into her butt.

She didn’t stand up, though. Instead, she collected the wet washcloth he handed her and cleaned her face with it before letting it drop next to her as she rinsed her mouth with the water he offered her.

She accepted his hand as he helped her rise to her feet and steer her towards the tub of water, which was bellowing with steam.

Wordlessly, she allowed him to scoop her up and into the beckoning warmth of the water, feeling slightly lethargic due to her vomiting.

It felt like every last bit of energy had been sucked out of her body when she had thrown up.

Briefly, she let her eyelids close as he began to wash her.

And when she opened her eyes next, she found herself back on his bed—fully clothed this time around, thankfully—his blazing chocolate brown eyes fully concentrated on her.

“Now tell me,” she began, licking her dry lips as she sat up, “What the hell happened last night. Why am I in your bed?”