The door was cold against my palm when I reached out for it. The moment I began to push it open, the lights behind me came on. Turning around, I found Sebastian standing on the bottom step of the stairs.
“Do you have anywhere to go?”
I stared at him, debating how pathetic I wanted to appear. Finally, I moved past my pride. I felt the girl inside me crumble as the words left my mouth. “No.”
His dark eyes moved from my head to my toes, and then he huffed in annoyance. “There’s an extra room upstairs with a bed in it. You’re welcome to crash here tonight.” He turned and went back up the stairs without waiting for my response.
I followed behind him. I had no other option.
The room he gave me was huge—a large bed centered the room. I stepped through the door, closing it behind me and took in the space. To the right was a fully equipped bathroom. I wasted no time peeling my clothes off and getting into the shower.
I washed away the criminal grime and wrapped myself in a plush robe that was hanging on the back of the door. Steam poured out when I stepped from the bathroom and made my way to bed.
I wasn’t going to sleep, not without knowing where my brother was, but at least I could lie somewhere comfortable without worrying about someone breaking into my car and killing me. I didn’t have anything to worry about here. At least I hoped I didn’t.
I couldn’t stop thinking about my brother and how I’d let him down. I’d never been away from him overnight. I didn’t know if he was safe. I didn’t know if he was warm, or if he was comfortable. These were just some of the things moving through my head.
I stared at the ceiling until the night sky turned pink. And then I finally fell asleep and slipped into one horrible nightmare after another.
I woke at noon with sounds coming from outside my door. Wrapping the robe tighter around my waist, I tip-toed down the hallway. A heavenly smell filled me and I followed it with my nose, like I was in one of those cheesy cartoons.
I hadn’t eaten anything decent in forever and as soon as I stepped foot into the high-tech kitchen, my stomach growled loudly. It was then a half-naked Sebastian Black turned around from the stove and met my stare.
From the waist down he wore hip-hugging jeans that rode low, but from the waist up he was all muscle and dark skin. Muscles I didn’t even know were possible rippled across his chest when he turned with a spatula in hand.
I felt my mouth hanging open and without realizing it, I gawked at every piece of his flesh my eyes could touch. His face split into a knowing grin.
“Like what you see?” he asked with a cocky smirk.
His hair was a sexy slept-on mess. I wanted to get my fingers stuck in its tangles. I averted my gaze and walked into the kitchen. Choosing a seat at a tiny table that was pushed up against a window, I looked out over the street in front of the club.
“By the sound of your stomach, I’m assuming you’re starving. I’ve heard many noises from women’s bodies in my time, but nothing quite like that.”
I felt my face heat up as a blush took over.
Soon, a plate was set in front of me, full of bacon, eggs, and a side of fresh strawberries. My stomach growled again and he chuckled softly above me.
“Thank you,” I whispered in humiliation.
He leaned down from behind, lips skimming the side of my neck, and the soft prickle of his stubble brushed against my skin. “For you, anything.”
A shiver worked its way up my back and ran into my hair line. I was positive my hair grew an extra inch in that moment.
I dug into my eggs like the starved woman I was, not even realizing when he sat in front of me with a plate of his own.
He didn’t waste any time and got straight to the questions. “Where’s your brother?”
My fork full of eggs paused, suspended in the air. A fireball of guilt ignited in my stomach. I was in such a luxurious place, eating bacon and eggs, while he was stuck in some children’s home. Swallowing hard, I answered. “They took him.”
Throat clenching, tears rushed to my eyes.
“Who?” he asked.
I choked down my feelings. “Child protective services.” I looked up just in time to see his tan face pale.
“Why didn’t you say something sooner?” His chair scraped across the floor as he stood and went to his phone. Picking it up, he dialed a number and left the room.
I sat there confused, until finally he came back into the kitchen.
“Vick’s on her way to pick up your brother.” He sat back in his seat and began to eat again, acting as if he hadn’t just turned my world right side up again, leaving me dizzy in the process.
I gawked at him. My eyes landed on his lips and I was taken aback by how full they looked. “What?” I asked breathlessly. No way did he fix everything for me with a single phone call.