Haven Bound

28. Chelsea

28

Chelsea

Of all the times I’ve imagined living with Austin Anders, I never imagined it would be at his family’s hotel. And it certainly wasn’t because he felt like my life was in so much danger that I couldn’t be left alone.

The penthouse level of the Elysian is so much more than I’d ever imagined. Hailey and I have been friends for years. I thought that I had already seen everything that the hotel had to offer. Apparently, I was wrong. The room—I feel weird even calling it a room when the damn thing takes up the entire top floor of the hotel—is decorated in various shades of creams and blues, complimented by warm mahogany vinyl flooring. Floor-to-ceiling windows span the entire side of the suite with gauzy soft cream curtains offering an unnecessary sense of privacy. It’s not like anyone would be able to see us this high up.

The main living space has a sectional couch that faces a large television mounted over an electric fireplace. The windows behind it overlook the bay and the stretch of beach designated for hotel guests only. It was already dark outside by the time we made it back here. The various lights reflecting off of the water are a gorgeous view, but I can’t wait to see the sky painted in shades of pink and orange when the sun rises and sets.

The kitchen space consists of a white marble island with a built-in refrigerator for drinks and a separate counter space with a kitchen sink and microwave. The cabinets are all a deep navy blue that contrasts well with the mahogany flooring. I didn’t realize that two of the large cabinet doors were actually doors to a full-size refrigerator until I watched Austin open them, revealing a fully stocked fridge.

“Do we really need all of this? I don’t think we’ll be staying here that long,” I say, stepping up behind him to peek over his shoulder. I reach around him to grab a bottle of peach tea, smiling at the fact that he made sure I have my favorite drinks.

“We’ll be staying here until I know it’s safe for you to go home. I wanted to make sure that you had everything you’d need.” He closes the doors and turns to face me, grabbing my waist in his hands. “If there’s something you want that isn’t here, just tell me. I’ll make sure to get it for you.”

I’ve had to be a caretaker for others most of my life. It feels incredible to finally be the one being taken care of. Even if it was a bad circumstance that brought us together. “How many rooms are there?” I clear my throat and step back from his hold, twisting off the cap and taking a drink of the fruity tea.

“Just one.” He steps forward and takes the drink from my hands, leaning in to brush his lips along the shell of my ear. “One bedroom with a bed that I can’t wait to get you in,” he says softly, his warm breath sending heat straight to my core. I swear I can feel my pussy pulse from the mere idea of being filled with him.

“You’re insatiable,” I tease, placing a hand on his chest and pushing him away from me. I give him a playful smile over my shoulder, grazing my teeth over my bottom lip and then heading down the hallway in search of the bedroom.

A king-size bed sits against the wall with floor-to-ceiling windows running along the side. The wall the bed sits against is covered in navy blue wallpaper with a wave-like design, the rest painted a neutral tone.

Austin walks in behind me and sets our bags on top of the dresser. “The bathroom is just through there,” he says, gesturing towards a door I hadn’t yet noticed. “Why don’t you get settled, and I’ll run you a bath.” He presses a kiss to my cheek and steps around me, disappearing into the bathroom that I’m sure is just as beautiful as the rest of the suite.

It doesn’t take long to unpack my clothing into the dresser and closet space, making sure to leave room for Austin’s things. The sound of water running invades the comfortable silence, and I find myself wondering what it would be like to live together under different circumstances.

What would it be like to pick out a home together? Would we stay close to the beach, or would we move toward the mountains, settling in Rivercrest or Sutton Ridge? I’m suddenly imagining hosting friends and family and spending the holidays together in a home that we share. The visions stir a warmth deep in my chest.

When I turn toward the bathroom with a clean pair of pajamas and my toiletries in hand, I find Austin blocking the entrance. “It’s ready for you,” he says, his arms crossing over his chest as he leans against the doorframe.

A laugh escapes me when I try to step around him, his body shifting so that he’s still blocking the bathroom. “Are you actually going to let me take a bath, or were you just planning on teasing me with the idea of hot water?”

“I’m just waiting for an invitation,” he says, the corner of his lips tugging into a smile. His tone is light and teasing, but there’s an undercurrent of desire that tells me he would love nothing more than to join me in the bath. My tongue glides over my bottom lip, teeth grazing it as heat rises to my cheeks. Austin closes the distance between us and cups my jaw in his palm, his thumb gently running over my lip to pull it free.

Our gazes collide and my breath catches in my throat, his deep blue lust-filled eyes stealing the air from my lungs as his tongue darts out to wet his lips. The way he looks at me has fire licking over my skin.

Holding his gaze, I slip past his hard body and into the steam-filled bathroom behind him. The room smells faintly of mint and eucalyptus, the fragrant combination already easing the tension from my limbs. I can feel the heat of his gaze soaking me in as my eyes flick back and forth between the hot water that’s calling my name and the dangerously handsome man who can’t seem to peel his focus away from me.

“Austin…” My voice quivers, eyes locked on the bath that I want so badly to sink into. Part of me wants to ask him to join me, to share this new level of intimacy with him. But the other part of me isn’t ready to completely bare myself to him. I couldn’t even bring myself to remove my shirt when his tongue was buried inside of me.

How can I possibly do it now when the heat of the moment has passed?

“Enjoy your bath, Sunflower. I’ll be out here if you need anything,” he says with a soft smile as though he somehow read my mind. He leans down to press a kiss to my temple and then steps away to close the door behind him.

Taking a hot bath was exactly what I needed to erase the lingering remnants of stress from my body. I took the time to moisturize and get changed into pajamas, opting for a pair of comfortable black biker shorts—that are really too short to even be considered "shorts"—and one of Austin’s t-shirts. The same shirt he gave to me to sleep in after Club Obsidian.

As I step out of the bathroom, I find Austin lying on the bed. A smirk tugs at the corner of my lips as I lean against the doorframe, taking a moment to admire his body. He’s sitting shirtless with his back propped against the headboard. My gaze follows the defined muscles of his abdomen down to where his lower body is covered in a pair of gray sweatpants, the sheets folded back toward the end of the bed as he lays atop them.

“Feeling better?” he asks, his attention turning to me as I saunter towards the bed, crawling in beside him. He wraps his arm around my shoulder and pulls me in close, giving me a glimpse of the dark ink that reaches his upper arms.

“Much better,” I reply, soaking in the warmth of his body as I settle in against him. We sit in silence for a while watching reruns of Friends . There’s no pressure to fill the space with unnecessary small talk. The soothing rhythmic motion of his fingertips tracing down my arm and toying with the ends of my hair threatens to lull me to sleep, but I’m desperate to stay here in this moment with him.

As the voices of my favorite sitcom fill the room, my mind drifts to the ink stretched across his back. I’ve only managed to see bits and pieces of it, not nearly enough to know what exactly it is .

“Austin?” I ask softly, sitting up and causing his arm to slide from my shoulder.

“What’s wrong, baby?” He grabs the television remote, lowering the volume as he meets my gaze.

“Can I see your tattoo?” His brows raise at the question. He answers without words, shifting his body to lay on his stomach, his arms folded beneath his head. His deep blue eyes flick to me as he tilts his head and gazes at me, a light smile tugging at his lips. I crawl over to him and swing a leg over his lower back, straddling him as I brace my hands against his shoulders to get myself situated, careful to keep my full weight off of him.

A growl rumbles from his chest as he reaches back with one arm and gives my thigh a squeeze. "Sit down, Sunflower," he demands.

"I don't want to hurt you," I murmur, biting at the inside of my bottom lip.

His grip on my thigh tightens, another growl emanating from his chest. "You're not going to fucking hurt me. Sit. Down."

I relax my body and allow myself to fully sit as my eyes dance over the dark ink on his back.

The light from the television is just enough to allow me to see the stunning tattoo that permanently decorates his skin. Two large wings begin between his shoulder blades and stretch across his back. One of the wings is made up of light and airy feathers resembling an angel wing. The other looks to be dark and leathery with a visible bone structure, almost like a bat’s wing. Like the way I’d imagine a demon’s wing to look. My breath catches at the sight of them.

“What does it mean?” I whisper as my fingertips trace over the intricate design. This isn’t the type of tattoo that someone gets on impulse. A design like this takes planning and time to find the right artist. From the little bit that I’ve learned from Ethan over the years, it likely also took several sessions to complete due to its size.

“It’s…” He starts to speak but then allows his voice to trail off, his eyes falling shut as he takes in a steady breath. “It’s a reminder. A representation of the good man that I long to be, and the terrible person I’m forced to become to do what I do.”

Oh, Austin.

“You aren’t a terrible person. I already told you, I think you’re the best person there is. You are a good man, Austin,” I soothe, running my hands up his back and to his shoulders, massaging and kneading the muscles there. He’s been so focused on me and making sure I was taken care of. Who takes care of him?

A deep groan releases from his chest as I work to ease the tension from his body until I feel him relax beneath me. Something tells me that, while he’s devoted his life to saving and taking care of people, nobody has been making sure that he is taken care of as well. He may only be home because of an assignment but while he’s here, I intend to do just that.