Page 30 of Sebastian's Secret
“But you didn’t?” he probed, sensing what a sensitive subject this was.
“Couldn’t.” Shooting him a pointed look, she sniffed, glancing to the window. “Daddy doesn’t like initiative.”
“Your father wouldn’t let you move out?” It scarcely made sense to Sebastian. His father, Michael, had ensured each of his sons had their own place by their twenties. He insisted the independence was imperative.
“No.”
Sebastian detested her bitter tone, resolving to do something to ease some of the tension she was obviously carrying.
“Jonas Monroe is a fucking control freak.”
Monroe. The name jarred a memory in his head, a notion that he’d seen it, heard it, or perhaps read it somewhere before, but he disregarded it. Whoever the asshole was, he wasn’t important. What mattered to Sebastian was soothing some of the damage the man had caused.
“I’m sorry.” Squeezing her fingers, his hand returned to the wheel. “I promise to take your mind off him for a while.”
“Deal.” Twisting in his direction, she reached for his thigh. “What did you have in mind?”
Sebastian sniggered at her thinly-veiled proposition. “I have a place not far from here.” He glanced her way, assessing her responses. “If you’d like to go there.”
“Your own place, huh?”
He noticed the way she ran her tongue over her teeth as she considered the idea.
“And what would we do there, Sebastian?”
“Well, we never did finish our conversation about physicality, did we?” His cock roused at the memory. They’d been so close to telling each other what they liked before those losers had completely obliterated the moment.
“No,” she purred. “That’s true, care to continue it now?”
“I’d love to.” The evening was looking better already, so much so that Sebastian was willing to take a chance. “But first, I’m going to have to address your behavior.”
“My b-behavior?” Evidently, she hadn’t expected that response. His dick swelled with excitement at her stunned expression.
“That’s right.” Looking straight at the road, he suppressed the urge to grin. “Walking alone in the dark when I asked you to wait for me. It’s not safe for a woman to be on her own—even in a plush neighborhood like yours—surely, you know that?”
“But… I had no choice.” Her tone was caught somewhere between outrage and self-pity. “I had to get out of the house.”
Sebastian glanced her way. “Were you in danger?” Adrenaline flooded his system at the thought. Whoever this Jonas Monroe was, he had better not have hurt Rebecca.
“I don’t know.” Her voice faltered. “Maybe. My father gets angry, and I wasn’t sticking around to see the consequences. Not this time.”
Shit. Fury furled in his chest, snaking its way around his bloodstream. What sort of a father would use violence against his family? Who would even threaten it, or make them think it was a possibility? Michael Vaughn had not been perfect, but he’d never so much as laid a hand on them. It had been their mother who’d instilled most of the discipline.
“Has he hurt you before?” Sebastian gripped the wheel tighter. He swore the air in the vehicle dried up as he waited for her answer.
“Sebastian.” She squeaked his name, shaking her head. “I don’t want to talk about it now.”
That’s a yes, then. His jaw clenched at the stab of hurt the inference caused. “Okay.” He forced out the word, knowing whatever had happened wasn’t Rebecca’s fault.
“Sebastian.”
“Yes.” Looking her way, his foot eased off the accelerator. “I didn’t mean to push you. I’m sorry—”
“It’s not that,” she interrupted. “I hope I can tell you about that stuff one day, but not…” her voice trailed away.
“Not tonight.” He concluded. “Tell me what you need tonight.”
“More of where you were headed before you mentioned him.” Her nose wrinkled at the mere suggestion of her father and deep down, Sebastian dreaded to think what the bastard had done to her.