Page 82 of Lost & Found

As if she could read my internal thoughts, Victoria spoke. “Come on, it’s not like he’s never seen a nip before.”

“Yeah, not mine,” I muttered, knocking my head against the door. I would not be stupid and cry. That was Kinsley’s thing. Not me. I breathed through it.

“Well, it could be worse,” Tori said.

“Yeah, I doubt that.”

“He saw mine at the auction house.” A pause and gasp followed. “Oh, God!” A mortified groan greeted me from Tori.

“What?” I asked, sitting up.

“I just realized he’s seen me totally nude. How could I have forgotten that?”

“He’s seen me, too,” Kinsley added. “But it’s no biggie. It’s just Pasha. He’s harmless.”

“She’s right,” Tori said. “And it could be so much worse, honestly. You could have sent the image to the family chat. You could have sent it to Marcus. I accidentally flashed him a nip once.”

“You dirty girl!” Kinsley exclaimed.

“I said accidentally. I’m sure he’s seen more of you than me.”

“Ha. If we were betting you’d be wrong and forking over a hundred dollars. Although he did see me squirt that one time, but I was clothed. The Reaper was all jelly—”

“You are not helping, Swan,” I groaned.

“Luv, deep breaths in. You’re acting like you just flashed a priest at Sunday morning mass.” Victoria laughed. “You’re stunning, Bella. Once accidental nip is not going to end the world.”

“That’s not the point,” I argued weakly. “It’s about preserving my dignity.”

“Your dignity will survive, trust me on this one. Pasha is tactful if nothing else. Tell me something. Did he look horrified.”

“No.”

“Disgusted?”

“Nope,” I mumbled.

“Then what’s the problem? What did he look like?”

I hesitated. Hungry. He looked hungry.

“Never mind. You are both right, I’m over-reacting.”

I wasn’t about to tell Tori what he looked like. A knock sounded on the bathroom door. I rose. “One minute,” I called out.

“We’ll let you go,” Victoria said. “Call us later.”

I ended the call and rushed to use the restroom so I could give him the space. As I washed my hands, I stared at my reflection. My cheeks were flushed, and my eyes were bright. I looked a little undone. Nothing to be ashamed of. My girls were right.

It was a small slip-up, nothing to make such a big deal about. You’ve got this.

I straightened, smoothed my top down properly, ensuring I was covered, and brushed my teeth. With one last mumbled pep-talk to the girl in the mirror, I opened the door. He was standing there, arms crossed over his chest.

Thankfully, his eyes were on my face. His smirk said it all, though, and my cheeks burned. Scratch my earlier thoughts. There was no salvaging what remained of my dignity.

“You okay?” he asked, amusement lingering.

“I am,” I lied. “It was a minor wardrobe malfunction.”