Chapter 229

Sebastian's pov I watched her for a long moment, my expression flat despite the war going on just beneath the surface. “My arm 's getting tired,” I said, tone even. “No, it 's not,” she murmured, eyes half-lidded. “The water 's cold now.” “Nope,” she insisted softly, her head lolling against the edge of the tub like she was royalty and I was her long-suffering servant. Her drunken pout was softening my resolve by the second. But the moment passed. Duty beat desire—this time. I lifted her out of the cooling bath and wrapped her in a thick towel, drying her off with brisk, practiced movements. She scowled, clearly not a fan of the change. Then she leaned in, wrinkled her nose, and made a face like she 'd just smelled a dead fish. “You stink.” The irony wasn 't lost on me, considering she 'd used my shirt as a personal vomit canvas less than an hour ago. “Yeah,” I said dryly. “Hard to stay fresh after being personally baptized by you.” She gave a half-smile, already drifting off again, an