Chapter 15 Bash
BASH
Ilet myself into Livingston’s dorm a little after two in the morning.
The lock clicks softly as I turn the key and push the door open, stepping inside without bothering to turn on the light. A real stalker would probably pick the lock, but I had a key made instead.
For a second I just stand there in the living room, letting my eyes adjust to the dim glow coming from the T.V.
I knew Kalen was headed here to see Juniper.
I’d called to tell him about the note and broken monitors, but I didn’t expect to find him groping his stepsister in his sleep when I got here.
He’s too fucking big to be sleeping on that couch, but he’s stretched out across it.
He’s half on top of Juniper almost like he collapsed there mid-conversation.
One of his arms is wrapped under the back of her neck, his face buried in the crook of it, his mouth parted slightly like he was pressing a kiss there before sleep knocked him out.
He must be exhausted because he couldn’t have been here that long.
His other hand has disappeared beneath the hem of her shirt, cupping her breast possessively.
Kalen is completely out, like dead asleep, which is so unusual for him.
Juniper, I realize, is very much awake.
She’s lying there beneath him like she’s accepted her captivity without putting up a fight. One of her hands is slowly combing through his messy dark hair while she watches him with an expression that almost makes me pause.
It’s soft.
Almost tender?
I don’t know what the fuck is happening considering the two of them spend most of their time together snapping at each other like feral cats.
Juniper’s eyes lift when she notices me standing in the doorway. I think she’s going to lecture me about letting myself in when she knows Livy is in her room asleep. Instead, she tilts her head slightly toward the sleeping idiot on top of her.
“Don’t give him shit for this tomorrow,” she murmurs quietly. “He’s having a rough time.”
I lift a hand in response, palm out in a silent gesture telling her if she doesn’t give me shit about breaking and entering I won’t bring shit up to Kalen.
The last thing on my mind right now is teasing Kalen for passing out on his stepsister. My attention is already on if I’m going to tell Livy about what happened tonight. I don’t want to scare her, but I want her to be safe also.
If whoever left that message was actually searching for Livy, they wouldn’t have wasted time tearing apart my surveillance equipment. They clearly knew where she was.
They could have come here instead.
That thought has been circling my head since the initial shock wore off.
But the more I think about it, the more my instincts push me back there.
Something about this doesn’t line up. My gut is telling me this isn’t the same person who texted my girl. Why was it only one text? That’s not typical behavior of someone who is obsessed to the point of being driven mad.
I texted her a billion times today because it’s addicting.
And somehow knowing that whoever texted her and whoever broke in to my room probably isn’t the same person who was asking for her info somehow makes the whole situation worse to me.
I push the thought aside as I move quietly toward Livy’s door.
It doesn’t matter right now. None of it matters. Because the decision has already been made. She isn’t spending another night without me.
I slide the spare key into her door, but before I can turn it, the front door suddenly bursts open behind me.
Whoever it is is fucking loud, and I already know what’s happening before the very animated Miranda stumbles inside, dragging Ronan behind her by the wrist. She laughs breathlessly, already pulling him down the hallway toward her bedroom not bothering to say anything to Juniper or Kalen who have now scrambled apart.
The guy barely has time to kick the door shut before she’s hauling him past the living room.
I shake my head slightly and let myself into Livy’s bedroom.
I don’t want to deal with the two of them tonight, but it only solidifies for me that Livy is going to move to my place because I don’t want that asshole this close to her.
I wouldn’t be surprised if he was using Miranda to gain access to Livy.
The room is dim, illuminated only by the warm glow of the green twinkle lights strung along the wall above her bed.
My chest tightens the moment I realize she’s turned the main light off. Livy only sleeps with the lights off when she feels safe.
I step inside and close and lock the door behind me.
For a moment I just stand there, taking in how beautiful even if I can tell she’s not fully rested.
Livy is curled beneath the covers exactly the way she was on the camera earlier, one arm tucked beneath her pillow while the other rests loosely across the mattress beside her.
Her breathing is slow and uneven, the faint crease between her brows telling me she never fully settled into sleep.
Someone wants to hurt this beautiful girl, and she’s lying here completely vulnerable. That alone is enough to send something protective and violent curling low in my chest.
I step closer to the bed and gently pull the blankets back.
The sight that greets me makes my breath catch.
Even with all the camera angles, I hadn’t realized she changed her clothes from when she was working at her desk earlier in the night.
She’s now wearing one of those little tank tops she sleeps in sometimes, the thin fabric hugging her soft curves and giving me such a good view of her full breasts.
She’s paired it with tiny sleep shorts that ride up slightly where she’s curled on her side, leaving the globe of her cheeks exposed just for me.
Thank fuck she was under the covers when my room was broken into, because I’d have to stop what I’m doing right now, hunt them down and pluck their fucking eyeballs out.
Out of everything, it’s the socks that really make my brain short circuit.
Tall white knitted socks that climb high above her knees, hugging the soft meat of her thighs in a way that makes my mouth go dry. Tiny heart patterns run through the knit, and at the top of each one a little mint-green bow sits against her skin.
Jesus Christ.
They’re innocent.
Sweet.
And somehow the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.
A low groan slips out of me before I can stop it as I imagine peeling them slowly down her legs, inch by inch, until her soft skin is bare beneath my hands.
Before my brain has time to catch up with my body, I’m already moving.
I reach down and lift her leg slightly, tugging one of the socks down just enough to reveal more of her thigh.
That’s when I see it.
Her lip liner is sitting on the nightstand next to some other contents that have been clearly dumped out of her bag
It’s not the same type that was used to write the note in my room, and I wonder if the missing lipstick is what she was looking for when she dumped everything out.
Something dark flickers through my chest as I reach for it. The cap pops off with a soft click, and before I can second-guess myself, I lean down and press the tip to the soft skin of her upper thigh.
MINE.
The word stands out against her skin in messy mauve letters.
Livy shifts slightly in her sleep, letting out a soft little sound as her head turns on the pillow.
“Sebastian…please.”
The sleepy mumble of my name sends a sharp pulse of heat straight through my body. My cock strains painfully against the denim of my jeans as the realization sinks in.
My girl is dreaming about me.
Something darkly possessive squeezes around my heart.
“That’s my good girl,” I murmur softly as my gaze drifts upward instinctively right to the hidden camera in the corner of the room.
A slow smile spreads across my face as an idea settles into place.
This…
This is a memory I’m going to want. I have to review all the fucking video anyway because of the break-in. Unfortunately, I didn’t set cameras up in my bedroom, and there’s so many people who come in and out of the Ruck House, I’m not sure how fruitful that endeavor will be.
I reach into the front pocket of my hoodie and pull out my mask. When I look down at it, I realize I’ve had her scrunchie on my wrist. Yes. This is definitely a photo opportunity.
The fabric slides over my face easily, and I tilt my head slightly toward the camera. I move both of her legs over my shoulders and grip the top of one of the socks like I’m going to rip the fabric from her body. I really fucking want to.
I pose for the camera and make a mental note of the timestamp because I already know I’m going to want to print this and hang it above my bed.
Hundreds of them.
Maybe thousands.
One in every room of the house I’m going to buy my girl.
Livy stirs again, her eyes flutter open suddenly, and she gasps softly when she sees me standing over her.
But she doesn’t pull away.
“I didn’t think you were coming,” she murmurs sleepily, her eyes drifting shut again almost immediately. She’s still exhausted from years of terrible sleeping habits. She’s fighting what she so desperately needs. I know that feeling, and I think tonight it’s time we both give in.
While she’s distracted, I slip the scrunchie back into my pocket because I don’t really want to have the discussion right now about who I am and why I’ve been hiding that from her.
My boots hit the floor a second later, and then I’m climbing onto the bed beside her.
I push the mask up slightly so she can see my mouth when she opens her eyes.
“We’re not going to spend another night apart, baby.” I tell her. “I promise you’ll never have to sleep alone again.”