Chapter 13 Livy #2
The words settle around me as I open my eyes slowly.
The fog in my head has lifted enough now that I can think clearly again, but instead of embarrassment or panic, something else begins to bloom quietly inside my chest.
Relief.
For so long my life has been about hiding pieces of myself just to survive. But sitting here now, with Sebastian kneeling beside the tub and looking at me like this…I feel like I’m something precious to him.
For the first time in longer than I can remember, I feel safe. My gaze lingers on his face longer than I intend, and Sebastian’s thumb brushes slowly across my lower lip. The reverent touch sends a small shiver down my spine.
“If you keep looking at me that way, baby,” he murmurs, his voice rougher now, deeper in a way that makes my heart stumble in my chest, “I’m not going to be able to be the gentleman you deserve right now.”
He stands abruptly before I can respond. I blink in surprise as he steps behind the bathtub. “What are you doing?” I ask, twisting slightly so I can see him, no longer worried about being exposed to him. I like the way he’s looking at me, I want more of it. If I’m honest, I want more of him.
My question fades when his fingers slide into my wet hair and I realize what he’s doing.
My eyes close automatically, and I lean into his touch.
Sebastian works the shampoo slowly through my hair, his strong fingers massaging gently against my scalp in slow, patient circles that immediately make my shoulders relax.
The sensation is so unexpectedly soothing that my entire body sinks deeper into the warm water. My head tips back slightly as he continues, his hands moving with careful attention that makes it feel like he has all the time in the world to spend worshiping me like this.
A quiet sound escapes me before I can stop it. “That feels amazing,” I murmur.
He doesn’t respond. He simply keeps going, rinsing the soap away before adding conditioner and repeating the process, his fingers moving through my hair with slow, deliberate strokes that send warm tingles down the back of my neck.
By the time he finishes, I feel lighter somehow.
Like the exhaustion that’s been pressing down on me all day has finally started to loosen its grip.
Sebastian moves back around to the side of the tub. He picks up the bottle of root beer again and holds it out to me. “Another drink,” he says quietly.
“Why are you doing this for me?”
The question slips out before I can stop it.
My head feels much clearer now that I’ve eaten and the steam from the bath has loosened the tension in my chest. A clear mind only makes the situation feel more surreal.
Sebastian Vale is still kneeling beside my bathtub like this is exactly where he belongs.
His green eyes lift to mine.
“Because I want to,” he says simply. The words come out clipped, like he’s restraining something much bigger behind them. “Because you’re important to me.”
My breath catches.
He reaches for me again, his large hand cradling my cheek as his thumb brushes slowly across my skin. His gaze moves across my face like he’s studying every feature, like he’s committing me to his memory.
“You’re exactly like I imagined,” he murmurs.
The words make my stomach flip.
“What does that—”
I don’t get to finish the question because Sebastian leans down, his mouth brushing softly against mine.
The contact is so gentle at first that for a second I think I might be imagining it. My lips part in surprise as warmth rushes through my chest.
He exhales against my mouth, a quiet groan slipping from him like the contact affects him just as much as it does me.
When he kisses me again, it’s deeper this time.
My heart begins pounding so hard that I feel it in my throat, and I wonder if he can feel it too. Instinct takes over before I can think about what I’m doing. My arms slide around his neck as I lean forward toward him, the warm water sloshing softly around me.
Sebastian’s hands slide up along my sides, steadying me as he pulls me closer. The kiss deepens slowly, unhurried but intense enough that my head spins.
I’ve never been kissed before.
Not like this.
Not at all.
A startled sound escapes me when our teeth bump slightly, and Sebastian stills instantly.
“I’m sorry,” I blurt out breathlessly. “Did I…did I mess that up? I’ve never…”
The words tangle together in my mouth, and I’m so frustrated that I want to scream at him to kiss me again. I want a do-over.
Sebastian presses his forehead gently against mine. “You didn’t mess up anything,” he says quietly. “You did everything perfect.”
His thumb brushes my cheek again before he huffs out a low breath. “That was my first kiss too,” he adds, his voice rough.
My eyes widen. “You’re joking.”
“I’m not.” He leans back slightly, running a hand through his dark hair as if he’s trying to regain some control over himself.
“I’m just glad I’m wearing dark jeans right now,” he says, and it takes my brain a second to process what he means.
Then heat floods my entire face. I pull back just enough to look at him properly, searching his expression to see if he’s teasing me, but Sebastian looks completely serious. Before I can even begin to respond, I hear the front door open and a loud voice echoes from somewhere out in the living room.
“Aww, Mom and Dad,” Jeremy calls teasingly. “Can’t we all just get along?”
I hear Juniper and Kalen bickering in lower voices, their words overlapping as they argue about something I can’t quite make out.
Sebastian rolls his eyes, and I can’t help but think how cute he looks when he’s annoyed.
Kalen’s voice cuts through the noise a moment later. “Jeremy, shut the fuck up.”
I can’t help laughing softly. “Juniper purposely pushes Kalen’s buttons, and honestly, I don’t think Kalen minds.” I tell Sebastian because the mood has been broken, and I’m feeling uneasy with the silence between us.
Sebastian leans down again, pressing one more slow kiss to my lips before pulling back. “Finish the grilled cheese,” he murmurs. His voice carries that same quiet authority from earlier. “I’ll know if you don’t.”
I pout automatically. “You don’t have to be so bossy.”
His expression changes instantly to one of indignation, like me not looking after myself is a personal attack on him. “You could have gotten seriously sick,” he says.
I blow out a small breath that turns into a quiet laugh. “Bossy and dramatic.”
Sebastian’s hand returns to my jaw, holding my face gently but firmly so I can’t look away from him.
“Just with you,” he says in a low voice. “So don’t make me come back in here tonight.” The rasp in his tone makes my stomach flip.
Part of me wants to argue.
Another part of me, one I barely recognize, wishes he would stay with me the entire night.
Sebastian stands slowly, unfolding to his full height beside the bathtub. I suddenly feel very aware of how big he is, how much space he fills just by being here.
“I need to leave,” he says, his voice tight now. “Before I do something you’re not ready for.”
Heat rushes up my neck at the implication.
Before stepping away, he pauses in the doorway and looks back at me. “I’m going to find out who sent that message,” he says quietly.
The sincerity in his voice makes something deep in my chest tighten. “I promise.”
Then he slips out of the bathroom.
A moment later I hear him in the living room. “Livy’s resting,” he says sharply. “Don’t go in there, or I’ll kill you.”
Jeremy snorts.
Kalen mutters something under his breath.
Then the front door of the apartment opens and shuts.
I sink deeper into the warm bathwater, pressing my fingertips gently against my lips where Sebastian kissed me.
And for the first time in a long time, a genuine smile spreads across my face.