Housebound with the Blackridge Heirs novel Chapter 69

Chapter 69

Maya

Waking up felt different.

Something settled under my ribs and pulsed softly with every breath I took.

The bond.

It was fully there now, woven through my veins like a second heartbeat. I felt Caden before I even opened my eyes. I felt the echo of every emotion he pushed down, the strained calm, the tenderness he tried to bury, and the quiet fear hiding

underneath it.

I shifted slightly, and the movement made a rush of memories hit me all at once.

His hands… his mouth. His voice breaking against my skin.

The way he held on to me like he might lose me if he blinked too long.

My chest tightened sharply and I opened my eyes.

He was lying beside me, one arm draped over his forehead, breathing steady but too controlled to be asleep. The morning light painted his skin gold, and for a moment, I almost melted again.

Almost.

Because behind everything warm, a sting kept pulsing in my chest.

He had been angry.

He had kissed me because he was angry. He had touched me because he was angry. And he had made me his because he was

angry.

That part hurt more than the soreness between my thighs and more than any fear I had last night.

I sat up slowly, pulling the sheet around me. His eyes opened the moment I moved, blue and sharp and watchful.

“Maya,” he said softly, as if the word itself was fragile in his mouth.

I swallowed the knot rising in my throat.

“Morning.”

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He pushed himself up, leaning on one elbow, looking at me with an expression caught between concern and uncertainty.

“Are you hurting?” he asked.

Physically, yes I was a bit sore. Emotionally, even more,

“I’m fine,” I said, which was almost true.

His hand lifted like he wanted to touch my cheek, then lowered again when he hesitated.

“Maya.” His voice was gentle now. “Talk to me.”

I wrapped the sheet tighter around me, staring at the wall because it was easier than looking at him.

“Last night,” I said quietly, “you were angry.”

He exhaled slowly. “Yes.”

“And you slept with me because of it.”

His jaw clenched. He sat up fully, pulling the blanket to his waist.

“That is not why.”

I shot him a look because it felt like he was lying to himself more than lying to me.

He rubbed his face with both hands as shoulders tensed.

“I was angry,” he said in a low voice, “but I didn’t touch you because of anger. I touched you because I’ve wanted you for so long it physically hurts. I touched you because you wanted me to, not only because I wanted to. Because my self control snapped the moment you said yes.”

My breath hitched slightly.

“But you were angry,” I whispered again.

He nodded. “I was,” he admitted. “I still am. But not at you.”

I frowned. “Then at who?”

“At myself. At Tylon. At the rogues. At every damn thing that keeps trying to take you from me.” He dragged a hand through his hair, looking tortured. “Last night scared the hell out of me. And when you walked into that hallway… when I saw your eyes go to him before they came to me, something in me broke.”

The words struck me so hard I forgot how to breathe.

“I looked at him because you were terrifying. I was kinda worried for him,” I said softly with a hint of humor.

His head snapped toward me. “I never meant to scare you.”

“You didn’t,” I said quickly, shaking my head. “Not like that. You were just… a lot.”

He stared at me for a long moment, his breath uneven.

“Come here,” he said quietly.

I hesitated.

“Maya. Please.” The plea in his voice broke my resolve.

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I crawled closer on my knees until I sat in front of him. He cupped my face with both hands, thumbs brushing my cheekbones as if I were something precious he couldn’t quite believe he was allowed to hold.

“Last night was not about anger,” he said. “It was about losing control because I love you.”

The words punched the air out of me.

“You… love me?”

He didn’t look away.

“I love you,” he repeated. “More than is probably healthy. More than I know how to admit half the time. And when you touched me last night, there was no anger left. There was only you.”

I blinked hard because tears were suddenly burning the backs of my eyes. I remember wanting to tell him this some time ago.

I remember wanting to tell him, then came home and found him gone. Now he did, and something in me felt complete.

“I love you too, Caden,” I said as my eyes stung. “I’ve loved you for so long now.”

That smile… the smile that won me over the day I stumbled through those doors on day one, graced his beautiful face again. And the Caden I knew was looking back at me.

“You do?” he asked in the cutest way, like a toddler asking for clarification on whether the storm will hurt them or not. “You love me?”

I nodded with a smile. “I do, Caden. Only you.” Something ugly twisted in me at those last two words. ‘Only you.’ But I ignored it. This moment was too beautiful to ruin it now.

“But no more blocking me out, Caden. We’re fully mated now. For my sake or not, please. It hurts,” I whispered.

He dropped his forehead to mine.

“You’re right,” he said. “I shouldn’t have done that. I was trying to protect you, but I did it wrong. I’m sorry.”

My chest loosened at the apology.

“And I shouldn’t have pushed you,” I admitted softly. “Or tried to prove anything.”

He brushed a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

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“You don’t need to prove anything,” he said. “You are mine because you choose me. Not because of the bond. Not because of last night. Only because you choose me.”

I let out a shaky breath.

He pulled me into his lap gently, careful with every movement. His arms wrapped around me from behind, warm and solid as his lips brushed the top of my shoulder.

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