Page 128 of Please Open Me
His face drained of color like I’d asked him to suck it off my fingers. “Jesus Christ, Sophia, don’t just saythatout loud.”
“What, that I’m covered in a stranger's blood?”
“Yes,that you’re covered in a stranger's blood!” His voice cracked as he stomped toward me. “Do you want Lucian to hear you?”
I blinked at him, confused. “It’s just blood.”
Sebastian seized my wrist before dragging me to the hallway.
“Bathroom.Now,” he ordered.
“Uh, no.” I stopped and tried to tug myself free. “Also—I don’t like when men tell me what to do.”
I hated men.
“Shut up.” His grip tightened as he hauled me into the bathroom and flipped on the overhead light. “You’re not walking around with blood under your nails. The last thing we need is for Mason to finally forgive us, come home, and see that youstillkill people.”
“I feel likepeopleis a strong word.” I killed misbehaving agents, and by that point, they were little more than animals with rights.
So it was like hunting, except I didn’t have to wear camo.
“Oh, my God. You have to be my divine punishment for everything bad I’ve done,” he groaned, twisting the faucet.
My eyes narrowed to slits.
Hot water filled the sink as he ducked down and grabbed a bristle brush and a bar of yellow soap from the cabinet.
“Give me your hand.” He gestured for me to do as such.
And despite mestillnot liking that he bossed me around… I did as he said because he was right. If Mason saw blood under my nails, she’d get sad, and I’d have to look into legal kidnapping. But I wanted her to love me for me, and not because I’d locked her in my basement.
I gave him my hand, and his thumb braced my wrist as he worked the brush into the nail beds with brisk, practiced strokes. The bristles bit at the sensitive skin, making me hiss.
“Hold still,” he murmured.
I winced as he continued to scrub. He then took a deep breath and continued more gently than before.
It was almost cute.
“Aw, Sebby. If you keep that up, I might think you like me,” I teased, using my free hand to pinch his cheek.
He huffed but didn’t react further than that.
When he rinsed the soap away, the blood was gone. My nails were completely spotless, and I felt a little loved from the gesture.
I wiggled my fingers and grinned, holding them up so he could see how good of a job he did. “Best. Boyfriend. Ever.”
“I’m not your boyfriend,” he grumbled.
“Not yet!”
Sebastian didn’t dignify me with a response, and he also turned the lights off and shut the door, effectively locking me in the bathroom. Which wasrude.
But, luckily for him, I didn’t mind, and I had fresh evidence to prove to Momma that Sebastian wasn’t a danger to anyone or anything.
Usually, our meetings happened over video call, the way all meetings should. But since I was in town, I figured I’d stop by and visit both of my moms.
Just as I expected, when I stepped into my childhood home, Mom immediately told me Momma was in her office and that I should go say hi.
