Chapter 13 Livy
LIVY
The bath has worked its quiet magic on my aching body, the heat of the water soaking deep into my muscles.
The tightness that’s been living in my shoulders for days finally begins to loosen.
Steam curls lazily through the small bathroom, fogging the mirror and softening the edges of everything around me until the outside world feels far away and really unimportant.
The bubbles float high against my chest, the scent of lavender soap warm and comforting as I sink deeper into the tub and rest my head against the smooth porcelain edge covered by a pink fluffy towel.
For the first time since that anonymous text message lit up my phone, my body begins to relax.
My thoughts grow foggy.
Everything feels heavy, and sleep presses gently at the edges of my mind, and I let my eyes drift closed, letting the heat cradle me for a few quiet seconds.
That’s when there is a quick knock, and after a few beats the bathroom door opens just enough for Sebastian to slip inside.
My eyelids lift slowly, my brain still moving through that strange in-between space of being asleep and awake. Everything feels a little unreal right now.
Sebastian steps back into the room. He’s wearing a navy blue hoodie with the hood pulled loosely over his head. The word Knights stretches boldly across the front of his chest, the thick fabric making his already broad shoulders look even wider than before.
Little tufts of his dark hair curl out from beneath the hood at his forehead, slightly damp from the rain outside. I wonder where he went, and for a moment I’m distracted by how good he looks standing there in the doorway.
Then I notice what he’s carrying. In one hand, he’s balancing a plate stacked with grilled cheese sandwiches. My absolute favorite. I haven’t had one in so long, and I swear my stomach growls just from seeing them. Tucked carefully beneath his arm…no…he didn’t.
My eyes widen so quickly it almost hurts.
“Where did you find that?” The question bursts out of me before I can stop it, and it definitely sounds more like an accusation.
I sit up so abruptly that the water sloshes against the sides of the tub, bubbles sliding down my chest as I stare at the glass bottle in his hand like it might disappear if I blink.
Root beer.
Not just any root beer.
The exact brand I grew up drinking back home.
The dark glass bottle glistens beneath the bathroom lights, condensation forming along the sides in slow, perfect droplets that tell me it’s been sitting in ice.
Cold.
Exactly the way I used to love it when I was little.
The movement I made to sit up sends another small wave across the water, and suddenly a horrifying realization crashes over me.
I’m naked.
Completely naked.
A sharp gasp escapes my mouth as I scramble to fold my arms over my chest, instinctively trying to cover myself even though the bubbles already hide most of me.
My mind spins for a second.
All these years trying to protect yourself.
All these years never trusting anyone.
And here you are willingly sitting naked in front of someone who admits to stalking you.
The thought should terrify me, but it really doesn’t, which might be even more alarming.
Sebastian clears his throat softly.
The sound pulls my attention back to him just as he sets the plate of grilled cheese carefully on the bathroom counter, followed by the bottle of root beer. The cold glass makes a quiet clink against the marble surface as he places it down.
My eyes drift back to the bottle again.
“How did you know?” I ask quietly, and I swear my voice sounds softer now, the earlier shock fading into something closer to curiosity as I lean forward slightly and rest my cheek against the edge of the tub.
From here I can watch him move around the bathroom like he’s done this a hundred times before. Sebastian’s movements are calm and deliberate as he pulls one of the sandwiches apart and begins cutting it into small bite-sized pieces with the edge of a butter knife.
“I have my ways,” he says casually.
His eyes flick up toward mine in the mirror for just a moment, and the look he gives me sends an unexpected ripple of warmth through my chest.
“Where did you even find those that quickly?” I start to ask, but the question trails off halfway through as another wave of exhaustion rolls through me.
My eyelids flutter.
“It’s amazing what freshman rugby boys can pull together if they think I’ll kick their ass if they don’t get me what I want,” he replies.
The image that immediately forms in my head is ridiculous enough that I can’t stop the small snort of laughter that escapes me.
A group of terrified freshman rugby players sprinting across campus in search of grilled cheese and American root beer because Sebastian Vale told them to.
“I didn’t realize I was in the presence of a man with such grand connections,” I say, putting on a dramatically exaggerated Irish accent that I’ve picked up from Juniper.
I like when she tries to imitate my American accent, because it always starts out spot on and then morphs into a cross between Paris Hilton and the cast of Mean Girls.
My eyes flutter shut for a moment as exhaustion sweeps over me. When I open my eyes again, it’s just in time to see Sebastian looking directly at me through the mirror.
And then he winks.
The simple gesture makes something warm unfurl slowly inside my chest.
He walks over toward the tub, the plate and bottle balanced easily in one hand as he lowers himself down beside me, kneeling so we’re suddenly much closer than we were before.
Close enough that I can see the faint shadow of stubble along his jaw.
“Less impressions,” he says calmly. Then he lifts a piece of grilled cheese toward my mouth. “And more eating.”
I must be staring at him like I’ve completely lost my mind, because the slow grin spreading across Sebastian’s face tells me he’s amused.
I can’t seem to help it though. My brain keeps circling the same impossible question while I sit here half submerged in warm bathwater watching this enormous rugby player kneel beside my tub like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
Why is he being so nice to me?
Out of everyone on this campus. Out of every girl who walks through the ivy-covered courtyards of St. Killian. Why is Sebastian Vale kneeling beside my bathtub, cutting a grilled cheese into neat little pieces and feeding them to me like I’m someone who is very important to him?
“I washed my hands,” he says suddenly, lifting one broad shoulder in an exaggerated shrug like that somehow explains everything. The comment is so unexpected that a laugh escapes me before I can stop it. The sound feels strange in my throat, like I haven’t laughed this easily in a long time.
I lean forward slightly to accept the bite he’s holding out to me. The sandwich is warm and buttery, the melted cheese stretching just a little as I pull away, and for a moment I focus entirely on chewing because it’s easier than thinking about the way Sebastian is watching me.
Then my stomach growls loud enough that the sound echoes in the small bathroom. Heat rushes straight into my cheeks.
Oh my God, this is so embarrassing.
Sebastian’s expression changes instantly. The teasing softness disappears, replaced by a stern look that makes something deep in my stomach twist in a way that has nothing to do with hunger.
“If you weren’t so exhausted right now,” he says slowly, his voice low but unmistakably serious, “I’d spank you for not taking care of yourself.”
The words are playful, but the look on his face isn’t. My traitorous imagination immediately paints the picture before I can stop it.
Sebastian pulling me over his knee. His large hand coming down against the bare skin of my ass cheek.
My breath catches as warmth spreads across my chest, my nipples tightening beneath the warm bathwater while a slow heat pools low in my belly.
No one has ever had this effect on me before. No one has ever even come close. But the way my body reacts to the idea of him spanking me makes me wonder something. With sudden and slightly alarming curiosity, I’m unsure if I wouldn’t let him if he asked.
He offers another piece of grilled cheese, holding it patiently near my lips like he already knows I’m going to accept it. “I won’t ever let this happen again,” he says quietly. “I’ll make sure you eat and drink enough, and I don’t care if that’s annoying to you. This isn’t good for you.”
Something about the certainty in his voice makes it hard for me to breathe. The words are simple, almost casual, but they settle somewhere deep inside me in a way I don’t expect them to.
I take the bite and chew slowly, realizing suddenly that I’m actually starving. By the time I swallow, some of the dizzy fog in my head has started to lift.
After I’ve eaten about half the sandwich, Sebastian twists the cap off the bottle of root beer and holds it out to me.
The cold glass presses against my lips, condensation sliding down onto my fingers as I take a long drink.
The taste hits me instantly.
Sweet.
Sharp.
So achingly familiar that for a moment it feels like I’m ten years old again, sitting at the kitchen table back home.
When he pulls the bottle away, I instinctively push myself upward for another sip.
The movement sends the bathwater sloshing softly around me.
Sebastian groans, a sound that is now familiar to me. I know exactly what it means. The sound freezes me mid-motion. Then I realize what caused it.
The bubbles that had been covering my chest have slipped away.
My breasts are completely visible above the water. A startled gasp escapes me as I quickly duck back down, turning my face away from him while I try to hide beneath the foam again.
Sebastian sets the food and drink aside before reaching for me.
His hands slide gently along my jaw, cupping my face and guiding it back toward him before I can keep hiding. “You are perfect,” he says softly. “There is absolutely no reason for you to hide any part of yourself from me.”