Page 86 of Strings
His eyes are dark and he’s doing that smoldering thing. I always thought he did it on purpose, but the more I get to know him, the more I think he smolders without even trying. No wonder all the girls want him.
The air between us changes. He pushes a stray hair away from my eyes and I can’t help but look at him with longing.
There’s a knock on my door and both our heads turn toward the sound.
He stands and I reach out to stop him. “Please don’t. I really don’t want to talk to anyone right now.”
“Go get in the bath. I’ll take care of it.”
“Really?”
He smiles.
I make a bee-line for the bathroom and immediately start the water. I’ve never had anyone take care of anything for me. I don’t know who’s at my door and why, but as long as it’s not the police, then I don’t care.
I listen for a moment over the sound of the water. I hear Sebastian’s deep voice and then I hear the door close. It’s quiet again. It couldn’t have been that important if they’re gone now. I undress and slide into the tub, letting the hot water pour over me. I glance over to the door and realize I didn’t lock it. For the first time ever, even when I’ve been home alone, I didn’t lock the door.
I ponder the reason for a moment. Is it maybe that I secretly hope Sebastian will join me? The thought of him seeing me in the bathtub causes a wave of desire to course through me. I reach down in the tub and stroke myself, imagining my fingers are his. His long, strong fingers…Oh my gosh!What’s wrong with me? No, no, no.This isn’t real. This thing with us is a game. That’s it. He moves his checkers and I move mine. We’re just trying to get through our workday. That’s all it is. He’s probably only here because he feels like he neglected to do his job today. He probably feels guilty that Mercer was able to get to me after I’ve protected him from Bella so many times.
I convince myself this is exactly what’s going on and close my eyes. After thirty minutes, my stomach starts to growl. The water is getting cooler and I remember I left Sebastian in the other room. I drain the tub and dry myself off. I apply my lotion and wrap a towel around myself.
The minute I open the bathroom door, my stomach growls again. What is that smell? Without thinking about the fact that I’m only wearing a towel, I follow the smell to my kitchen. Sebastian is flipping a grilled cheese sandwich in my pan.
His sleeves are rolled up his forearms and his back is to me. I can’t help but stare at him. He’s wearing black dress slacks that fit him like a glove. His waist is narrow and his shoulders are broad and muscular. He’s… fine. He’s… holy shit. He’s hot.
He turns to get a plate and stops when he sees me, doing a double-take at me from head to toe. The ends of my wet hair drip down my shoulders. Our eyes meet.
“I smelled something yummy.”
He smirks. “Well, I don’t know if it’s yummy, but it’s grilled cheese. You didn’t give me much to work with. Your fridge is empty.”
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“Well, you drank a lot on an empty stomach and to be honest, I’m a little hungry myself. I thought about ordering Chinese or a pizza, but I didn’t know what you liked.”
I lean against the counter and watch as he flips the sandwich one more time. It’s golden brown and singing to me. “This is seriously perfect.”
He places the sandwich on a plate, cuts it in half diagonally, and hands it to me. “Why not cut it straight up and down?” I ask as I take a bite and moan lightly.
“I don’t know. Diagonal seems fancier.”
I smile. “Thank you. It’s amazing.” I offer him the other half of the sandwich. “Here, take this.”
He waves me off with the spatula. “That’s all yours. I’m making mine now.”
I feel my towel start to slip, so I place my plate on the counter and grab it just in time. “I’d better get dressed before I embarrass myself.”
He opens his mouth to say something, thinks better of it, and nods, turning back toward the stove.
My smile fades quickly and I gaze at the ground as I walk toward my bedroom. “Okay then,” I mumble as I close my door. “Why don’t you just tell me I’m hideous. Oh wait. You don’t need to. Your eyes said it all.”
I open my drawer and push past my lace thongs and go for the boy short underwear instead. No point in trying to look pretty. He’s clearly not interested.
I toss on an old t-shirt and some shorts and return to the kitchen.
Sebastian is leaning forward with his head hung low. He’s white-knuckling the counter. “Everything okay?” I ask, slightly worried.
“Yeah. Fine,” he says, straightening his posture and resuming his cooking.
