Every cell in my body glitters as he gives me a sample of my wish.He steps in front of me, filling my vision with his gigantic frame, and aims bottomless brown orbs into my soul.
“You look sad,” he murmurs.
I close my eyes.He cups the sides of my head in his hands—avoiding the scar near the base—and brushes his thumbs over my cheeks.
“My security system can wait until tomorrow if you want to plunder the fridge for leftovers then borrow the guest room for the night.”
I use the constant discomfort from my scars and the dampness in my panties to refuse his offer.
“No, I’d rather mess with the security system first,” I say.
“Whatever you say, sweet pea.”
He plants a kiss on my forehead, gives me an abbreviated tour, and points me to the control panel before heading into the kitchen.
After flipping through the menu, I study the specifics and make a mental list of things to check before turning away.
Before I can ask for my laptop, I find it set up at the dining room table with a mouse and keyboard I’ve never seen before, a sticky note with his log in information to the security website on the screen, a brand of soda I haven’t had in years to the right, and a homemade muffin on a white saucer with blue designs to the left.
I plop into the seat, not realizing how shaky my legs are until I take the weight off them, and pop open the can of soda.The fizz and caffeine work their magic, and I power on my laptop with renewed vigor.A nibble on the muffin reveals a cinnamon and apple combination, and I finish the entire thing before I even log in to the website.
When the consumer side of the site proves too limiting, I open a new tab and access the employee side through less than legal means.After solving several simple issues, I dig a little deeper and roll my eyes at the overly complicated setup.
Deciding not to provide a service they won’t pay me for, I bypass the stupid and focus only on what will improve Sebastian’s experience.
When I finish, I close all tabs and lean back.
Exhaustion adds a thousand pounds to my head.I sigh and lift the can of soda to my lips.
“Is it that terrible?”Sebastian asks from behind me.
I startle and choke.
A dissonant chime sounds from my laptop.
Panic rips through me as a bubble pops up with a bright red warning label and a preview of my hater’s email.
Still choking, I spill the rest of the soda down my front and into my lap as I scramble to close the pop up.Sebastian reaches into my lap and grabs the soda can.His head blocks my view of my screen, but I click the mouse over and over in hopes of hitting the little x in the corner.
When he wraps thick fingers around my wrist, my stomach sinks with dread.
“Someone’s threatening you?”he growls.
Fiddlesticks.
“It’s anonymous and completely harmless.I’m just gathering evidence to send to the cops if it escalates,” I lie.
He swivels his head and meets my eyes.Bent at the waist with the empty can in one hand and my wrist in the other, he’s so close I could count the hairs in his eyebrows if I weren’t so mesmerized by the intensity of his chocolatey irises.
“I may be an idiot when it comes to technology, but I’m not illiterate.His location is pinned in the bottom left corner.You’re tracking him.”
“Why do you assume it’s a man?It could be a woman.”
“You have him labeled asjerkface hater dude.”
I internally curse my own stupidity and search for a plausible excuse, but my brain refuses.After a moment, Sebastian sighs and rises to his full height.I squeak when he pulls me up by my wrist and tugs me along after him.He doesn’t give me a chance to say no, but he also shortens his stride and keeps his grip on my forearm loose.
I gnaw on the inside of my lip as he tosses the can in the trash, rips a few paper towels off the roll, and turns on the sink.
