Page 113 of Please Hate Me

He let go of my hands and smirked. Before I could even react, he’d whirled around and tossed himself into my lap. Instantly, I tensed. Heedless to my discomfort, Sebastian sunk his shoulders into the crook of my arm. He writhed a bit as he pulled his phone out of his pocket, coming dangerously close to rubbing his ass on my cock. I fought to keep my breathing steady—under no circumstances was I about to let my body react to this scumbag. Finally, he stopped weaseling around and pulled up his photos.

Nearly all of his pictures from the last few months were of Mason or the baby. He skipped past those, scrolling quickly backward in time until he found what he was looking for: a picture of him next to a man with short black hair. Sebastian’s arm was draped over the man, and their fingers were intertwined. They looked happy.

Something in my gut told me to look at the date displayed just over the picture. Last night, he told me how long he’d been dating Mason. Twenty-one weeks, four days, and... six hours, I believe he’d said. That was several hours ago, but after some mental gymnastics, I was able to figure out the exact amount of time between the timestamp on the photo and the start of his relationship with Mason.

It was less than a day.

“Meet Alex Hensle.” Sebastian started, the photo moving as he caressed the screen. “We dated for almost three years. During that time, he... came dangerously close to taking my virginity. But I never lost sight of the person I was saving myself for.”

My stomach churned as I realized he was talking about Mason.

Sebastian haphazardly tossed the device toward the bed, showing no concern when it bounced off the mattress and clattered on the hardwood floor. Instead, he slowly shifted in my lap, placing a hand on my cheek. I wanted to shrink away from his touch, but I knew that was exactly the reaction he was after. A cold sweat broke out on my back as my muscles went so tense I feared they’d snap.

His face was blank as he tried a new tactic to get under my skin:

“I named your daughter. Does that upset you?”

It didn’t upset me, it pissed me off. Once everything was said and done, Mason and I would have a long talk about changing it, and I wouldn’t take no for an answer. But none of that was any of Sebastian’s business.

“This is no fun if you don’t talk to me,” he pouted.

I shook my head. “You need to get off’a me.”

“Awe, so soon? But I’m just getting to know you.”

Goosebumps rose on my arms as he ran his finger along my jaw and down my neck.

“Get. Off.” I repeated through my teeth.

But Sebastian didn’t listen. Instead, he inched closer.

“I think we should share secrets.”

I closed my eyes and started counting to ten. But before I even reached five, Sebastian was moving against me. His breath warmed my face as his lips grazed my ear.

“I have a feeling that you’re somehow linked to theSons of Christ.”

My stomach turned sour, and I thought for sure I’d throw up on him. Last time I heard an outsider speak that name, I was a much different man. I didn’t want to open my eyes. If I did, I’d risk seeing the joy Sebastian got from tormenting me.

“Your pulse is elevated… breath shaky… poor thing, you’reterrified, aren’t you?”

Shut the fuck up already, you creepy bastard.

“It’s okay, I won’t hurt you…” A velvety-smooth chuckle stole the end of Sebastian’s sentence.

“... Not yet anyway.”

A jolt of panic filled my stomach as I remembered my conversation with Sophia. She had told me Seb wasn’t a cop, that he made too much money. Honestly, I didn’t believe her at the time—not fully, anyway. I assumed he was some kind of CIA hotshot, overpaid for his massive ego.

But now, as he sat on my lap, I wasn’t so sure. There was something dangerous about Sebastian, something that made me believe he really would hurt me.

Sebastian shifted on my lap, his callused hands finding my cheeks. Slowly, I opened my eyes to see him staring at me, a Cheshire-cat-like grin sprawled across his face. This motherfucker needed to get off me, or I was gonna break him in half.

I tried to calm myself by searching his face for the features he shared with Lucian. Sebastian’s skin was so light you’d never guess the two were brothers, but as I examined him, I started to see the similarities. Same strong jaw, full lips, and a nose that’d look right at home on a Greek statue. He even had the same dimples. But the eyes were strikingly different. Besides the icy blue color, Sebastian’s eyes were deeper set than Lucian’s, and his lashes were thinner.

His breath cascaded down my cheeks as we sat balanced in the rocking chair, completely unmoving.

I finally broke the silence:

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