"He doesn't own me. Anyway, I don't see the harm in it."

"Only that you could potentially be meeting an ax murderer."

"Even if he does turn out to be an undesirable, I still have the credit card that's exclusively in Jared's name. I plan on using it to stay at the Waldorf Astoria. I'm meeting my hunk in the lobby, so we'll be on neutral ground. I'm not a complete airhead."

"Just be careful, okay? I hear so many bad things that could go wrong when you meet people online," Chast.i.ty cautioned.

Brenda laughed. "Don't be jealous, dear. Maybe you should look into internet dating. Some of the guys don't care what you look like."

Chast.i.ty was so used to those types of comments from her mother, that it didn't even faze her. Trying to talk sense into her mother was like trying to stop the sky from being blue. She sighed. "When exactly will you be here then?"

"This coming Friday. Well, I'd love to chat with you, but I have a date in an hour. Take care of yourself, honey." Brenda hung up before she could respond.

When Chast.i.ty replaced the phone on the hook, she slumped against the wall, feeling tired. Talking to her mother was always draining, but right now she felt positively weak.

Chapter Eleven.

Sebastian navigated his way through downtown Philly traffic, breathing a sigh of relief when he pulled into the parking lot outside of his firm. Court had been h.e.l.l this morning, waiting for a deliberation that could have gone either way. Fortunately the jury came back with the verdict he wanted.

He originally planned to go home and unwind, but the need to see Chast.i.ty drove him back to the office. Tonight he would take her out and wouldn't take no for an answer. Like his mother said, he'd have to force her hand and that's exactly what he intended to do. When he walked inside the building he nodded toward the receptionist.

"How are you today, Debbie?"

"Just great. How was court?"

"Grueling, but things turned out our way."

"Congratulations." She smiled at him before answering a call.

Sebastian walked past Chast.i.ty's desk on the way to his office only to find it empty. Maybe she was in the restroom. Shrugging, he went to his office to check messages. An hour later, he walked by her desk on the pretext of going to get a cup of coffee. She still wasn't there. Where the h.e.l.l was she?

Just then, the object of his query came into his line of vision-no, it was more like wobbled. Something wasn't right. Her face, bare of make-up, had gray undertones. Dark circles rested under glazed eyes, and Chast.i.ty looked like she'd pa.s.s out at any second.

Hurrying to where she stood, he grabbed her arm. "Chast.i.ty, are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

Sebastian touched her cheek. She was hot. "You're not fine. You're burning up."

"She's been coughing and sneezing all morning, spreading her germs," Pearl broke in, spraying a can of aerosol disinfectant around her desk. Sebastian ignored her, focusing his attention on Chast.i.ty, who obviously wasn't well.

"I'm fine. I just need to sit down so the room can stop spinning."

"That's it. I'm taking you home. You're in no condition to get behind the wheel of a car."

"No. I'll call a friend."

"Kevin?"

She looked up at him with feverish eyes, but didn't confirm or deny. He could already guess the answer to that question and he'd be d.a.m.ned if he'd allow lover boy to get his hands on her. Ignoring her feeble protests, he helped Chast.i.ty collect her things. It briefly crossed his mind how things may have looked to the other workers, but he couldn't very well allow her to go home alone as she was now.

"Have a seat and I'll be back. I just have to let my secretary know I'm heading out again." He sat her down and she nodded, head drooping. After talking to his secretary, he caught Jeremy walking down the hall.

"Hey, Seb. I thought you weren't coming back in today."

"I, uh, had a couple things I needed to take care of first, but now I'm on my way out. Chast.i.ty is sick, so I'm taking her home."

Jeremy frowned. "She's sick? I've been holed up in my office all day. Is it serious?"

"Apparently she's been coughing and sneezing all day. I also think she may have a fever. It could be the spring flu."

"Do you think it's wise for you to take her home? This is how gossip gets started."

"She's sick. Any fool can see that."

"I'm just making an observation. Coupled with her makeover and all the times you find excuses to go by her desk, people will start to put two and two together. Look, I know this is none of my business, but even if you don't care about your own reputation, you should think about Chast.i.ty's."

Sebastian's eyes narrowed. "You're right. This is none of your business." He left Jeremy standing in the hallway. He knew his friend meant well, but making what was going on between him and Chast.i.ty seem sordid bugged the s.h.i.t out of Sebastian.

He collected Chast.i.ty and led her to his car, under the watchful eyes of Pearl. He couldn't stand that woman. How anyone dealt with her was beyond him.

Chast.i.ty huddled close to the window, her head resting against the gla.s.s. "It's freezing in here," she whispered.

"Freezing? I don't have the air conditioner on." He reached over to touch her skin. She was still hot. Sebastian frowned. Chast.i.ty definitely needed to get some rest. "Do you have a lot of liquids at your house? You're going to need them, so you don't dehydrate."

"I haven't gone grocery shopping in a couple weeks. I meant to yesterday, but didn't feel up to it."

"That's it. We're going to my place."

She raised her head. "No, just take me home."

"Try to get some sleep."

"Sebastian, I'm serious. I'd like to go home to my own bed. Besides, I don't think I filled the cat dish for Monty and Fluffy this morning. They'll get hungry."

"I'm not going to take you home to an empty house and your cats don't count. Stop arguing and rest."

"But-"

"Chast.i.ty, I'm not going to continue this conversation. We're going to my house and that's that."

She gave him a resentful glare before leaning her head against the window again. "You always get what you want, don't you?"

"No. I don't actually."

She snorted with obvious disbelief, but didn't say anything else. Soon, her breathing became even as he drove to his Northeast Philly home. Not wanting to wake her when he pulled into his driveway, Sebastian carefully opened her door and lifted her out of the car.

His body tightened with awareness, the flowery scent of Chast.i.ty's perfume greeting his nostrils. It took some maneuvering for him to unlock his door and disarm the security system all while holding Chast.i.ty in his arms. To her credit, she didn't stir. When he laid her on the bed, his hands trembled, because he knew he'd need to undress her.

Rubbing his c.o.c.k to ease the tormenting ache, he tried to get a hold of himself. There would be other times when he'd partake in her delectably lush body, but for now he needed to take care of her.

The last time he'd taken care of someone like this was when he still lived at home. His little sister, who'd been two at the time, had chicken pox, and his mother worked nights.

Forcing himself to keep his mind on the task at hand, he undressed her until she wore only panties. Sebastian tried not to let his gaze linger overly long on her large b.r.e.a.s.t.s that he enjoyed suckling while he f.u.c.ked her. Unable to help himself, he gently ran his fingertip over one soft nipple, which instantly hardened.

Chast.i.ty moaned. He jerked his hand back, feeling like a pervert for touching her that way when she was too sick to do anything about it. He quickly tucked her underneath the covers. Just then, her eyes flickered open. "Sebastian," she whispered.

Sitting down next to her, he took her hand. "Yes, Chast.i.ty?"

"So cold."

"I know. Just snuggle under the blanket and get some rest. When you wake up, maybe you can try a little chicken broth."

"Not hungry."

"You're probably not hungry now, but maybe you will be when you wake up. How about trying to get some sleep?" He stroked her cheek, offering comfort the best way he knew how.

Her eyelids slowly drooped until she fell into a deep slumber. As he sat there watching her sleep, his heart thundered within his chest. The need to take care of her and just to be near her was stronger than he'd felt with anyone. When did this become more than just a wild affair to him? When did he start caring? How had she crept into his heart?

Was it when she revealed just how desirable she could be, or had it been before that, and he hadn't realized it? Whenever it was didn't matter. What did was finding out the extent of his feelings, and more importantly, Chast.i.ty's. Was this love? If he told her what was on his mind, would that push her away? Before her transformation, he would have been certain of her feelings for him, but sometimes she acted as though she didn't like him.

Chast.i.ty had him so confused. Sebastian didn't know how much longer his sanity would remain intact if things continued on as they were.

Chast.i.ty slowly opened her eyes with her head pounding, throat raw, and the need to throw up. A warm swish of fur brushed against the side of her face, and she turned her head to see Fluffy resting by her side. It had all been a dream, yet it seemed so real.

Sebastian hadn't brought her to his house after all. But how did she get home? Her last coherent thought was of being at work, listening to Pearl harp on the fact that she'd brought germs into the office. Chast.i.ty groaned, trying to move her body.

"Ah, so you're finally awake. How are you feeling?" The smooth sound of Sebastian's voice filled the room. What was he doing in her bedroom? The bed depressed under his weight.

"What are you doing here?" she croaked, flinching when he placed a palm on her forehead.

"I live here."

Chast.i.ty licked painfully dry lips, focusing on her surroundings more clearly. What the h.e.l.l? This wasn't her bed, nor was it her room. But what was Fluffy doing here? "I don't understand."

"You're sick, so I brought you home with me. While you've been sleeping, I went to your place and got some of your stuff. I even brought the wretched little fleabags you were so worried about."

"You brought Fluffy and Monty?" She knew he didn't care for her cats, so to hear that he'd done this for her was touching.

"Yes."

"But you hate them."

"And you love them. I didn't want to cause you unnecessary worry. And for my troubles, that d.a.m.ned Monty scratched me again."

Chast.i.ty would have laughed if she didn't ache. "It was nice of you to bring them here, but I'm quite capable of taking care of myself."

"If that were true, you wouldn't have gone to work in your current condition. And you'd have more in your refrigerator than a carton of Chinese food, milk and something in a container that's either spinach or the victim of an unfortunate experiment. Yeah, I've seen how well you take care of yourself."

"Why are you doing this, Sebastian?"

He gave her a long blank stare, but didn't answer. Instead, he switched the subject. "You're still really hot. Does your head hurt?"

Chast.i.ty wanted him to answer her question but was just too weak to pursue the topic. Maybe later. "Yes, it aches. I ache all over."

"I'll take you to the doctor in the morning to see if you can get some antibiotics. Are you up to eating a little something? I stopped by the grocery store and got a few things for you."

Just the thought of food made her stomach flip. "Ugh. No thanks. I'm just really tired. Maybe if I got a couple of aspirin for my head, I'll be fine. I don't want to be a bother."

"Lady, you have no idea what a bother you've been, but I've recently learned there's not a d.a.m.n thing I can do about it."

If she didn't feel so miserable, Chast.i.ty would have asked him what he meant by that. She closed her eyes against the intensity of his green gaze.

"I'll get you those aspirins," he said softly, almost sounding disappointed. But why? And how in the world would she be able to walk away from him now, when he was showing yet another side of himself that was actually caring and sweet?

Sebastian was only gone for a short period of time before he returned with some tablets and a cup. "Come on, sit up a little." He helped her up.

When the covers shifted Chast.i.ty realized she was naked except for her underwear. "Did...did you undress me?"

"Your cats most certainly didn't. Stop trying to play the vestal virgin. I know your body intimately."

He put one pill against her lips before she could reply. She found it difficult to swallow with a sore throat. "Here, take a sip of this. It's ginger ale and should soothe your stomach a bit."

Once the arduous task of taking the pills, which felt like razors going down her throat, was done, Sebastian lowered her back down on the bed gently. She felt exhausted.

"Would you rather wear a nightshirt?" he asked.

"I'm dizzy enough from sitting up the first time. Besides, I think if I move again, I'm going to hurl."

"You poor baby," he murmured, sliding beside her, his arm resting lightly over her waist.

"Sebastian, what are you doing?" She tried to squirm away, risking nausea. He held her firm.

"Shh, just relax, and go to sleep."

But how can I, when you're holding me like this? And despite the fact that I'm sick, you're wreaking havoc on all my senses? As tired as Chast.i.ty was, she just wouldn't allow herself to relax. "Sebastian?"