Page 32 of Bonded By Christmas

“I need to take the bag of clothes down to the garage, but I also have to run to my room and grab something to sleep in.” He smiles, tucking my damp hair behind my ear. “Why don’t you use the bathroom? I’ll meet you in bed as soon as I’m done.”

A freaking shiver runs down my spine, and I have to bite my cheek to keep from saying,“Yes, Daddy,”or something equally as sassy.

Is that weird?

I never knew my dad, so the word means nothing to me.

Jeez.

It would be really nice if my body would chill.

I’m under the covers with the blanket wrapped around my chest when Wilder walks into the room. He has a bottle of water and something else that I can’t make out.

My eyes wander down his chest, and I almost groan.

The man is in dark gray sweatpants, and based on the outline of his dick, I’m going to guess he didn’t bother with anything underneath. Seeing his bare feet as he strides across the room is surreal.

Maybe Grim never actually saved me, and I died in that alley? Shit. That would suck, but it would make more sense than what’s happened since.

Wilder comes to a stop at the edge of the bed and sets down the jar I couldn’t make out.

Extending the water, he asks, “Would you like a sip?”

I shake my head, and he nods, dropping the water on the nightstand. Once he’s done with that, he reaches into his pocket, pulls his cell phone free, and puts it down too.

“Scoot down and roll over for me,” he says. “Tuck the blanket around your hips and lift the shirt until it’s up around your shoulders.”

“Why?”

“You mentioned being sore. I found massage cream. I’m going to give you a rub down to try to help prevent any stiffness tomorrow.”

Yeah.

I’m ninety-seven-percent sure I died in that alleyway.

Is this Heaven?

If so, I’m not going to turn down a massage from the guy I’ve had a crush on since I was seventeen.

“It’ll also help you relax,” he says, like I need to be convinced.

I scoot down, roll over, and follow the rest of his instructions.

I’m not expecting Wilder to climb onto my thighs, but he legit kneels over me. He collects my hair, twirling it together and tucking it over my shoulder on the opposite side from where I’m facing. He stretches over to the nightstand, and I’m guessing he opens the jar of lotion.

Once he’s back in place, he rubs his hands together. It jostles my entire body, but I rest my face against my forearm and grimace at the tinge of pain. It’s not unbearable, by any means. I just forgot about the scrapes.

A flash of the way the man grabbed my hair, tugging me along like I weighed nothing, plays through my mind.

I exhale heavily and focus on Grim’s scent, which is just above my head from his pillow.

“It’s just me.” Wilder gently runs his hands over my shoulders and down the column of my spine. I jolt, but despite having him on top of me, it’s easy to differentiate him from the men earlier. “No one is going to hurt you from here on out. I give you my word.”

“I’m okay,” I whisper, but a tremor rolls through my body. Maybe it’s hearing how sincere he sounds, or it could be knowing how lucky I got. Tonight could have been the end of the road for me.

“Still too cold?”

“It’s perfect.”