The Breeding Deal: Brother-in-law's Forbidden Offer - Chapter 81

Chapter 81: Heat

Christine woke in the middle of the night from the heat.

She’d never imagined a man’s body could be so hot – like a dancing flame that threatened to ignite through her thin nightgown.

She was completely trapped in Adrian’s embrace. Their height difference made it easy for him to envelop her entirely. His strong arm wrapped around her chest, his torso pressed against her back, and his gentle breaths surrounding her.

Even their legs were intertwined. Under the thin blanket, his calf was wrapped around hers. The sensation of skin against skin was so intense that Christine thought several times she must be sweating in her sleep.

It was too hot.

Christine opened her confused eyes to look at the air conditioner, the only light in the darkness. Despite the low temperature setting, his body was like a heat source burning in an arctic winter, holding her tight, sparks making her skin burn.

Why was he so hot?

Christine almost thought Adrian had a fever. After a few seconds of consideration, she carefully turned in his arms while reaching out to feel his face in the dark.

She moved cautiously, afraid of waking him. Her fingers traced upward, from his sharp jawline to his nose, feeling his breath, finally resting gently on his forehead to check his temperature.

Thankfully, his skin wasn’t warmer than her hand – should not be a fever.

What Christine didn’t know was that the moment she turned, Adrian had opened his eyes, silently watching her in the darkness.

His gray eyes were narrowed, blending with the dark bedroom as he quietly observed her movements. Her long, soft fingers caressed his face until they reached his forehead. After a few seconds, she let out a barely audible sigh.

As if relieved.

After confirming that Adrian didn’t have a fever, Christine withdrew her hand, turned back around, and shifted slightly away from him, pushing the blanket aside a bit.

Christine slept restlessly that night, too many thoughts swirling in her mind.

When she woke up at noon, she’d called her mother Pat. Her voice had been too hoarse to say much, so she’d blamed it on a minor cold and mostly just listened to her mother’s tearful account of her brother Oliver’s difficult situation.

Pat said her sister and brother-in-law – Christine’s aunt and uncle – worked at the city prosecutor’s office and should have had some professional connections, at least enough to inquire about Oliver’s case progress. But after Pat called to explain the situation, they were so frightened they immediately blocked her number and cut off all contact.

When Pat and Christine’s father tried to visit them, they weren’t even allowed inside.

She said she never imagined years of sisterly bonds and family ties could be destroyed so completely by her son’s situation – she understood they feared getting involved, feared being implicated in Oliver’s case.

But was this really human nature, hiding behind the thin veil of blood relations?

Pat added that she didn’t dare call Rebecca. Their family was already far below the Blackwoods in social status – Christine’s marriage had been fortunate enough, and Ethan had been so generous to disregard their social differences and cherish her.

How could Pat possibly approach Rebecca and Adrian? She worried that not only would Rebecca look down on her, but with Ethan bedridden and their family in such a mess, Rebecca and Adrian might get upset and throw Christine out.

Christine listened silently to her mother’s laments, her throat too sore to speak, only managing occasional sounds of acknowledgment. That evening, when Adrian told her to shower, she was still worried and called her mother again.

This time, Pat’s words made something click in her mind.

Why would Adrian help her?

She’d explained to Pat that Adrian was helping for Ethan’s sake.

But Christine knew in her heart that wasn’t true.

She remembered his cold face and ruthless words from that day:

“You said you’d give me whatever I want.”

“Then from today on, you’ll take everything I give you.”

“…Until I say stop.”

He actually… wanted her.

That’s why he would help her with this enormous favor that he shouldn’t have granted.

Christine’s thoughts grew more chaotic in the darkness. Her racing mind made her body feel even hotter, so she shifted away, trying to distance herself from Adrian’s heat as she closed her eyes.

But just seconds after closing them, the strong hand behind her shot out. With irresistible force, he pulled her back into his embrace.

That heat was like a roaring fire, crackling like burning wood in a winter storm, growing more intense by the moment.

After trying to move away twice, Christine gave up and surrendered herself to the burning flames, closing her eyes.

Though she’d thought sleep would be impossible, she ended up sleeping until dawn in Adrian’s arms.

She woke around six.

The sounds from the bathroom roused her – Adrian had already left the bed and was likely showering. The scorching heat behind her was gone, though his side of the bed remained warm.

Christine shifted under the covers, touching the spot where Adrian had slept, still radiating warmth. She could faintly hear James and Daniel’s voices outside, speaking softly as if trying not to wake her.

A while later, Adrian finished his shower and came out.

James was waiting at the door with a fresh suit for work. Adrian changed into his suit, adjusted his tie, preparing to head to the office.

Before leaving, he stood by the bed, looking down silently at Christine’s seemingly sleeping form. After a few seconds, he turned and left.

Once his footsteps faded completely, Christine opened her eyes and got out of bed immediately.

In the bathroom mirror, she saw her drowsy reflection, looking unrested, with notably swollen, glistening lips.

Indeed, Adrian hadn’t taken her last night, but she hazily remembered him turning her face towards his several times, kissing her fiercely and possessively, refusing to release her tongue and lips until she was breathless and limp.

It wasn’t a dream – the soreness in her lips and mouth proved that.

And her waist ached – all night long, Adrian had been hard, holding her tightly against him, his rigid, burning length pressing against her lower back like an iron rod ready to strike, keeping her afraid to move. Now there was even a red mark where it had pressed against her.

Christine awkwardly rubbed her waist in surprise, wondering how long he must have been hard to leave such a mark.

After finishing in the bathroom, her fatigue from the hot night finally began to fade. That’s when she got a call from her mother Pat.

“Chrissy, Chrissy, Oliver’s out!”

Pat’s voice came through immediately, choked with joyful tears.

Only halfway dressed, Christine froze before she could even put her sleeve on, her voice trembling at the sudden good news: “Really? What happened?”

Pat explained that Oliver had just returned from the drug enforcement bureau’s detention center – Adrian’s driver had brought him home.

She spoke frantically, repeatedly thanking Adrian. Oliver had told her that Adrian had started making connections the day after his arrest, using his friend, someone called Harrison Astor’s connections. Lawyers, mayor’s office officials, prosecution leaders, drug enforcement chiefs… somehow that fascinating Harrison had managed to get all these powerful figures to back Oliver, eventually securing his release.

The whole operation must have cost millions to grease all the necessary wheels.

Of course, what mattered most was that Oliver was truly innocent, and Pat had always believed in her son’s innocence – without that, even God intervention wouldn’t have helped. She said she needed to thank Adrian in person, saying their family would forever be indebted to the Blackwoods.

“…Mom, wait.”

Christine caught something crucial in Pat’s scattered narrative: “You’re saying Adrian started helping the day after Oliver’s arrest?”

“Yes,” Pat confirmed. “Thank goodness he acted so quickly – that’s why everything got resolved so fast! And without any leaks too. Oliver says they’re already tracking down whoever framed him.”

Christine froze in the bathroom and worked out the timeline.

The day after Oliver’s arrest… that was the day she went to Adrian’s office begging for help, when he’d mockingly called her a charitable prostitute.

So he’d already started pulling strings to save Oliver that very morning?!

Christine was instantly furious.

First, she was angry that Adrian hadn’t told her he was already helping.

Second, she regretted not waiting two more days to approach Adrian. If she’d known Oliver would be out in two days, she wouldn’t have been so impatient and done what she did.

They could have repaid Adrian by mortgaging their house – there had been no need for her to…

After the joy of Oliver’s rescue faded, Christine felt increasingly uneasy.

…Had she been played?

What was his real motive?

She glanced back at the bedroom, flashing back to how roughly he’d taken her there, and shuddered all over. After getting dressed, she grabbed her bag and left without looking back.

Never, absolutely never coming back here again.