Page 100 of Unbroken

I look around us as I follow him to the room. Back in the safe house, Rafail had apologized for putting the two of us in a room together.

Would they now? Will they be scandalized if we sleep in the same bed?

Does it matter?

We’re in a bedroom on the first floor, probably so we can be close to Luka, and I don’t have to use the stairs with thisdamn boot. Vadka takes our bags and opens the door for us. It’s quiet and well-furnished, with a sturdy king-sized bed, simple but elegant furniture, and thick blinds to block out the light. The walls hum with stillness. A pause. A breath.

The bedding is a stunning navy-blue-and-white pattern, heavy and welcoming. That bed looks like heaven after a long day like today.

While he puts our bags away, I walk to the bathroom and wash up for bed. I come back and find him stripped to his boxers.Squeee.I feel like I get a sleepover with my boy crush. The sight of his bare chest, those smoldering eyes, his strong, well-trained body…He pats the bed beside him. “Bed, baby.”

I stand awkwardly near the edge of the bed, my fingers working the buttons on my shirt. My hands shake more than I expected. Vadka watches from the bed, propped up on an elbow.

“You’re still limping.”

“I’m fine.”

He doesn’t answer but pushes off the bed and walks over to me. My fingers falter. One button left.

He brushes my hands aside. Wordless. Efficient. He undoes the last button and eases the fabric off my shoulder like he’s done this a thousand times in his mind.

I don’t breathe.

His hands are rough and scarred but precise. He doesn’t linger when he shouldn’t, at least not this time.

But I feel everything.

He reaches for the hem of my shirt next. Pauses.

I nod… barely.

He lifts it gently, tugging it over my head and discarding it. Then he kneels and undoes the straps of my ankle brace with care that has no place in this brutal world. Then he slides off my jeans, one leg at a time.

I would say there’s nothing sexual about him undressing me, that he’s taking care of me, that we’re tired and ready to sleep. But I would be lying. Every interaction with him is sexual. Every breath he takes turns me on. The back of his hand on my thigh as he has me slide one foot out of the jeans at a time has memolten.

But I’m so damn tired, and so is he; I can see it in the lines of his face and weariness in his movement.

I should feel vulnerable standing in front of him like this. I don’t. I feel…seen.

He pulls back the covers and motions for me to lie down. And when I climb in beside him, all warm and protective beside me, he tucks the blanket around me like I’m something precious.

Like I’m his.

“Sleep, baby,” he says softly, bending to give me a chaste kiss. “We need rest.”

Wordlessly, I lay my head on his chest. His arms encircle me, and I listen to the steady beating of his heart. I let myself relax under the reassuring weight of his arm around me. I sigh, close my eyes, and drift off to sleep.

I wake the next day to Vadka leavingthe bed.

“Up and at ’em, Ruthie,” he says with a grim smile. “We’re training today.”

“Training?”

“Training. We need to prepare.”

Chapter 21

RUTHIE