Chapter 12 "Going Away" Gift
Sienna
“Thank the Goddess you found her, sir.” Jordan looked like he’d aged five years in the few hours I’d been gone. He was waiting at the entrance, practically jumping to open the door the second we pulled up.
“Prepare a hot bath for her. And hot chocolate,” Sev commanded, his voice back to that crisp, Alpha-in-charge tone. He glanced at me, his eyes unreadable. “Don’t ever do that again, Sienna. I’m responsible for your well-being.”
I looked down at my soaked boots, the guilt finally catching up to me. “I’m sorry.”
“What’s done is done.” He didn't even wait for a response before heading deeper into the mansion.
And just like that, the heat of the kiss was gone, replaced by a cold reality. He walked away like it was just another Sunday—like that moment in the rain meant absolutely nothing to him. To him, I wasn't a woman; I was a chore. A responsibility he’d promised his friend he’d look after.
“Shall we, Miss?” Jordan asked, gesturing for me to move inside.
“Thanks for worrying about me, Jordan. Really,” I said once we were up in my room.
I leaned against the closet door, watching him dig through the dresser for a thick blanket while the maids buzzed around the bathroom, getting the water ready.
He stopped what he was doing and looked at me, a small, knowing smile on his face. “It’s our job to make sure you’re okay. But I have to say, the Alpha was more worried than anyone else.”
I let out a dry, hollow laugh. “Of course he was. I’m his best friend’s sister. If I’d caught pneumonia on his watch, he’d never hear the end of it.”
Jordan gave me this meaningful look, the kind that makes you think he knows all your secrets. “I think it’s a little more than that, Sienna.”
I felt a flare of irritation—mostly at my own heart for actually wanting to believe him. “Don’t,” I snapped, giving him an angry look. “Don’t even start. Do not feed my delusions, Jordan. It’s not fair.”
“The bath is prepared, my lady,” one of the maids announced, saving me from having to hear whatever "meaningful" thing Jordan was going to say next.
“Thank you,” I muttered.
She nodded and excused herself, leaving me alone with Jordan, who was still stubbornly hunting for the perfect blanket like it was the most important task in the world.
“Enough with the teasing, Jordan. Just go get the hot chocolate,” I said, rolling my eyes as I nudged him toward the door.
“Of course, for the young miss,” he countered, making sure to put a little extra emphasis on that word just to annoy me. He flashed one last smirk before finally heading out.
Once the door clicked shut and I was finally alone, I stripped off my soaked, muddy clothes and stepped into the bathroom.
For a place that felt so cut off from the rest of the world, they definitely didn't skimp on the luxuries. The bathtub was huge, customized with sleek tiles and deep enough to drown all my problems in.
I sank into the steaming water, letting out a long, shaky breath as my muscles finally stopped cramping from the cold. I closed my eyes, but I couldn't stop my brain from spinning.
The root cause of everything—the frustration, the tears, the reckless walking—was Sev’s perception of me. He looked at me and saw a child. A "little sister." A liability.
That was the problem. So, I just had to change it.
An idea started forming in the back of my mind, the kind of idea that was objectively a disaster, but I was going to do it anyway.
If I wasn't his "type," I’d just have to make myself the exception. I was going to tempt him until he had no choice but to give in. I was going to force him to see me as a woman, one way or another.
A smirk tugged at my lips. I suddenly stood up, water cascading off me, as I remembered something hidden at the bottom of my luggage. It was a "going away" gift from my friends back home—the ones who lived for clubbing and bad decisions.
I scrambled out of the tub, not even bothering to dry off properly, and started rummaging through my bags. I tossed aside sweaters and jeans until I saw it: a small, lethal-looking scrap of red fabric.
It was a lace lingerie set—crimson, delicate, and dangerously sheer. The bra was barely there, and the thong was mostly just lace and attitude, complete with garter straps that clipped onto my thighs. It was the exact opposite of "little sister."
My heart did a nervous little flutter as I held it up. I wasn't sure if I was more excited or terrified at the thought of actually wearing this in front of him, but the decision was already made. I was doing this.
I swallowed hard, shoved the lace back into its hiding spot for later, and quickly threw on some decent clothes. I needed to find Jordan.
And there he was, standing in the middle of the kitchen hall, watching the steam rise from the stove as he waited for my hot chocolate.
“Absolutely not,” Jordan said the second I brought up the key to Sev’s "playground."
“Oh, come on. I already seen everything in there, and I had the key before, I just accidentally left it in the lock,” I lied through my teeth, trying to sound bored instead of desperate.
He gave me a look that told me he knew exactly where that key was.
“Cough it up, Jordan,” I demanded, crossing my arms over my chest and trying to look intimidating. It’s hard to do when you’re only five-foot-six and standing in front of a brick wall-like man.
“And what, exactly, do you plan on doing in that room?” he asked, his voice skeptical.
I shrugged, leaning in with a wicked little grin. “Maybe I want to borrow a sex toy.”
Jordan’s jaw practically hit the floor. He looked genuinely scandalized, which only made me want to mess with him more.
“I’m a grown woman with needs, Jordan. Don't be such a prude,” I teased, raising an eyebrow. “So? Are you giving it back or what?”
“Not a chance,” he said, turning on his heel.
“Pretty please!” I scrambled after him, reaching out and clinging to his arm to pull him to a stop. I was basically hanging off his elbow, using my best puppy-dog eyes. He let out a long, weary sigh, looking like he was moments away from giving in just to get me to stop.
“I really can’t, Sienna—”
“What is going on here?”
We both froze. I spun around, still gripping Jordan’s arm, only to see Sebastian standing a few feet away. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes immediately dropped to where my hands were wrapped around Jordan's bicep.