Unbreakable Stories: Snow (Unbreakable Bonds 2.5)

House Hunting with Anna

“Good morning!”

Jude stared at his mother’s smiling face on the other side of his open front door. He blinked a few times, completely disoriented. “What time is it?”

“Seven.” She bustled past him in a thick, yellow coat, carrying a box of doughnuts. She stopped, eyeing him up and down, her red cheeks chapped from the wind. “You two aren’t ready? Why aren’t you ready?”

“Ready?” he repeated stupidly, shivering as cold air swept up the stairwell with an ominous whistle. He shut the door and watched her set down the box and pull out a stack of papers. A thick stack. He looked down at his loose sweats and black T-shirt. “Ready?” Sleep still graveled his voice as he struggled to get a few of the wheels turning in his brain.

“We’re house hunting today, remember?” She walked into the kitchenette and sniffed. “You don’t have coffee going? Thought I taught you better than that. Where’s the magical one-cup machine?”

“I like brewed better, so we don’t have one.”

She sighed and began unwrapping heavy layers of clothes, tossing her yellow scarf and coat over one of the small dining chairs.

He closed his eyes and rubbed them, wishing the fog would finally clear from his brain. He felt like he was two steps behind his mother and that was never a good place to be. “Mana, I know you’re excited about this, but none of the open houses will be open yet. It’s the crack-ass of dawn on a Sunday. I thought you’d come after church.”

“I skipped it today. God will understand that my boys are ready to start their lives together.” She winked at him before grabbing the coffeepot and filling it with water. “I found some wonderful homes. I printed them, so I thought we could go over each one this morning and see if you two want to rule any out. But I already made a map of the best route we can take to see them all.” She added coffee grounds and flipped on the machine as she snorted and muttered under her breath. “Crack-ass backwards.”

As the last tendrils of sleep cleared from his mind, Jude realized he hadn’t even heard Snow come in. He liked to be awake when he did, liked to revel in the fact that the man had a key to his place. And actually used it.

Anna cocked her head and pointed at the bathroom door. “He’s in the shower?”

Jude didn’t have the heart to tell his mother that Snow had probably just arrived after his shift, which meant he’d been up all night. He’d switched with another doctor and had more than likely forgotten about the house hunting. Jude sure as shit had. His hope of a lazy day in bed with his general fled. He’d been pulling long hours himself and they’d barely seen each other all week.

He sighed. “I’ll go warn him you’re here.”

She plopped her hands on her hips. “Warn?”

He grimaced, rubbing his eyes again. “Sorry. Still half-asleep. I meant let him know.” He shook his head as he walked into the bathroom. He’d meant warn because Snow usually paraded around the small apartment naked before crawling into bed.

Life is good.

Steam filled the small room. He shut the door behind him and eyed the tired man leaning with both hands braced on the wall. Water poured over his bent head, darkening his hair and trailing down the tense muscles of his back. Seemed he hadn’t had enough time to wind down. Jude wanted to take his clothes off, step under that water, and force him to relax in the way they did best. Snow tilted his head and let the water pour over his face as he rolled his shoulders. Lean muscles rippled along his spine. Jude’s breath caught in his throat.

Damn, had it really been a week with no sex?

Light blue eyes flashed as Snow spotted him and turned. His smile was brittle with exhaustion at the edges, but still full of heat and welcome. Jude wished his mother was anywhere but in the other room.

“Come here,” Snow murmured, his eyes narrowing, his hands moving slower over his wet skin.

Since he’d fallen for Snow, heat stayed at a low boil at all times in Jude’s gut. It flared out of control with the least amount of provocation. He shut his eyes against the temptation, only to grunt when he was suddenly grabbed and pulled under the water, clothes and all. His hot, wet boyfriend immediately plastered his body to Jude’s and cupped the sides of his head to tilt it back.

“You planned to take all that off anyway, right?” Snow slanted his mouth over Jude’s as his hand slid down his back and into the loose, now sopping wet, waist of his sweatpants. Snow gripped his ass and rubbed his body against him.