15. Scarlet
Chapter 15
Scarlet
Matthias: Good morning, Little Sparrow. Did you sleep well last night?
Freaking a-hole. I flip my phone over, leaving him on read as a small act of defiance. I polish off my third cup of chai tea and stare at my laptop screen. The words blur together until the lines are an unrecognizable sea of snakes. I’ve been at my office since 5:00 a.m. I figured if I’m going to be awake this early on a Saturday, I might as well distract myself with work.
There was absolutely no shot of getting any sleep last night. Not after… A shiver rolls down my spine as the memory of rough fingers sliding across my neck, a hot mouth pressing against mine, infiltrates my thoughts.
I’ve been at the office for hours in my futile attempt to think about literally anything other than what I did last night. I’m not even sure how it happened. One second, I was following those two creepy guys, and the next, I was pinned against a wall with Matthias’s hand covering my mouth.
My thighs press together as heat pools between my thighs at the memory of his fingers buried deep inside me.
Dammit. I drop my head to my desk, groaning. I haven’t lasted more than five minutes without thinking about him.
He’s supposed to be indifferent to me. At least all previous signs pointed to the fact that he was, but there was nothing in the way he touched me last night that said he didn’t want me. Instead, his touch was almost desperate in the way his hold tightened on me. His breath fanned over my neck as he forced my orgasm out of me, making me cry his name. Nothing could’ve prepared me for him finishing in his pants. The thrill that went through me at having some kind of power over him. Like I made him lose control just as much as he does me. A twisted part of myself knows I could get addicted to that. To that feeling of Matthias needing me.
My phone buzzes on the table beside me, pulling me out of my spiral.
Unknown: Hi! It’s Misty.
Unknown: Damon gave me your number. I hope that’s okay.
Me: Hi, of course no worries.
I try hard not to be awkward. I know how to deal with cold society women, but I’m not so sure how to process someone who’s genuinely nice, and I’d bet my last dollar that this girl is the real deal. I’m damn good at reading people, but even if I wasn’t, I’d know just by the way Damon Everette is simping after her. The guy is like a freaking puppy after his wife.
I quickly add Misty to my contact list, and a smirk curls my lips at the thought of the big bad Damon completely whipped.
Misty: I thought you might want to come by tonight. Damon’s out with his brothers and it could be a fun girls night.
Misty: Of course I understand if you’re busy…no pressure or anything.
I let out a breath and pull myself together. If there was ever a day I could use a drink, it’s today, and there’s the added perk that Misty just might have some information on what the hell has gotten into Matthias.
Me: I’m not sure Damon wants me there.
Misty: LOL. You should know I make up my own rules. Pissing my husband off is half the fun.
I knew I liked her for a reason.
Me: What do you want to drink?
I’m surprised when Oliver pulls off the highway into an older part of the city. I’d expect Damon’s place to be right downtown, but this is just a regular neighborhood. We stop in front of an older-looking brick building, and my curiosity is officially on full blast.
If it wasn’t for the security guard out front with the Everette Industries logo on his vest, I’d think Oliver followed some kind of weird Google map error. The kind that accidentally drives you off a cliff instead of your destination.
I get out before Oliver opens my door and ignore his raised brow. The gesture reminds me of the Everette brother who shall not be named.
One that I’m going to drink into silence tonight.
Misty comes bursting from the entry, lavender hair bouncing around her and a wide smile on her face.
“You’re not supposed to be out here, Mrs. Everette,” the guard says, eyes darting everywhere as if looking for some unlikely attacker.
There are rumors that something went down with the Everettes. Nothing was confirmed. There’s no way a family like that would let any sign of weakness come out.
“It’s fine. I’m not going anywhere,” Misty huffs seconds before wrapping me in a hug. She’s warm and soft, and suddenly, I understand exactly how she caught Damon. She’s a light in a world of darkness.
“Hi,” I breathe out, pushing the word out against her tight embrace.
“Oh, sorry!” She releases me, taking a step back, cheeks pink. “I know I can be a bit much. I’m working on it.”
“Please don’t do that,” I say, giving her my brightest smile. One I’ve hidden for years. “There’s no such thing as too much.” I hold the paper bag with two bottles of wine clinging together up toward her. “I think we’re going to be great friends.”
Misty leads me upstairs to her place, smiling as I step inside. Color fills my vision, and a smile grows across my face as I take in the cheerful decor that perfectly matches her.
“Cool, huh? Grab a seat, and I’ll grab the glasses.” Misty gestures toward the sofa, and I take a seat. I sink into the cushion, practically melting into the corner, where two large pillows support my back.
It takes a second, but in the sea of color, I notice small hints of the eldest Everette brother living here. Crystal liquor set, black jacket slung over the dining chair. Somehow, none of it feels out of place, like Damon’s stuff somehow makes the rest shine brighter.
“Your place is really nice.”
Misty hands me my wineglass, then sits on the other side of the sofa, pulling her feet up to tuck underneath herself. We look like a pair of college students getting ready to gossip.
I’ve heard a million different things about Misty and Damon, ranging from the mundane to the outright crazy. It would be rude to ask, right? I, of all people, know how fast false information spreads around here.
Misty’s keen eyes land on mine, a small smirk curling her lips.
I swallow hard, feeling like I was just caught sneaking notes in class. “What?”
“You can ask. I know you’re dying to.” She takes a sip of her wine. “I invited you here; it’s only fair that you get to ask first. Come on, I know you must be curious.”
I’m not going to bother pretending I don’t know exactly what she’s talking about. “I don’t believe rumors.”
She gives me a reassuring smile. “I believe you.”
“It’s just that…” I pull my legs onto the couch, happy I wore trousers to work, and face her. “Did he really throw you over his shoulder at the bar and drag you up to their private room?”
“Sure did.” She laughs, then leans in, her voice a mock whisper. “But that’s not the good stuff.”
“Good stuff?” There’s a giddiness filling my chest that I haven’t felt in years.
“There’s the whole marriage of convenience thing.”
“Convenience?” Shock ripples through me. There wasn’t a single thing in their interactions that ever gave me a hint that it wasn’t real.
“Oh no, don’t get me wrong. The marriage is real. It was like a weird trick he pulled to make me stay near him.”
“Why doesn’t that surprise me.” I take a long drink of my wine, the smooth taste coating my tongue and warming my body.
“He did stalk me for a bit. But don’t worry, I had him take the cameras out of here.”
“The what?” I choke on the wine, leaning over in an attempt to breathe. A small hand pounds on my back.
“Don’t look at me like that. I’m not the only one with an Everette brother obsessed with her. God only knows what Matthias is doing.”
Shock mixes with confusion. “I don’t have cameras in my place. I’ve checked.”
She smirks.
That’s a skill I didn’t realize I needed.
She looks toward the balcony. “It led to some fun times though.”
I flip through the last few times I’ve seen the Everettes out, and I can’t remember seeing any of them with a particular girl around. “Who’s the other person who has an Everette brother obsessed with her?”
“No need to deny it. I’m literally dying to know what’s happening between you and Matthias.”
“N…nothing.”
“Girl… Matthias could barely form words. He was so focused on you last night. Then there’s the whole you both disappearing at the same time thing.”
Heat crawls up my cheeks, and I finish my glass of red before asking,“Was it that obvious?”
“Only because we were already watching you. Do you think those boys would give up a chance to see Matthias act like that?”
“Like what exactly?”
“Like some kind of obsessed teenager whose crush just walked into prom.” She tilts her head, studying me. “You have to have noticed by now?
“I think I need something stronger to have this conversation.”
Misty laughs and gets up, walking to the kitchen. She comes back with two shot glasses and a chilled bottle of vodka.
I scrunch up my nose. “I don’t think I can drink that straight.”
“Don’t worry, this is some kind of smooth, rich Damon special that doesn’t burn.”
I’ve been rich my entire life, and I’m pretty sure all alcohol burns, but I throw the shot she hands me back, letting the cool liquid hit the back of my throat. It does burn, but in a different way, and I can see what she means.
She raises the bottle. “Another?”
I smirk. The vodka is already going to my head. “One more.”
I down the shot, chasing it with a sip of wine. “I’m not exactly sure what’s going on. He’s kinda driving me crazy.” A low, frustrated sound that I don’t dare call a growl leaves my chest. “Like why did he suddenly start acting this way?”
“That is cryptic.” Misty tops up a shot for each of us.
I lift it to my lips and grumble, “Annoying,” before tipping it back.“Was I just supposed to wait for him? Does he think I’ve been waiting this entire time?”
She tilts her head. “Have you been waiting?”
“No,” I rush out too fast to be believable.
“Not even a little?
I drop my head into my hands, the room swirling a little too much around us, and groan. “I have horrendous taste in men.”
Misty’s clear laugh fills the space. “You never know. He may surprise you?”
“He choked me once. Did you know that?” Of course, that happened when he thought I betrayed his brothers, and he couldn’t even go through with it. But it definitely doesn’t scream we’re meant to be together.
“Like in the good way?”
I cough, nearly spitting out my drink. “The what?”
“Never mind… Do you want me to tell Damon? Pretty sure I can convince him to kill him.”
Shaking my head no, I reply, “I deserved it.”
“I doubt that. I may not know you well, but Damon told me what you did for them.”
“There was a misunderstanding, and I may have let Matthias believe I betrayed him.” A flush of anger rolls over me. “Not that he’d let me explain.”
“Maybe...you know, have a conversation?”
“It’s not that. I’m positive he knows why I had to do what I did back then, but that just makes the last ten years piss me off even more.” I roll my neck and hug my wineglass to my chest. “Did you know, prior to this week, he hadn’t said a single word to me since we escaped my family’s place? Not a single one.”
She raises one brow, tilting her head to the side as she examines me. “I’ve seen him in a room with you.”
“What?” I’m starting to feel like Misty knows way more than I thought she did.
“Once I figured out his pattern, I knew that if I followed his gaze, I’d find you. I’ll admit it made you like a mystery.”
“It’s not much of a mystery. We kissed when we were teenagers, then he refused to see me. Actually, it sounds pretty run-of-the-mill teenage romance.”
She raises one brow. “Romance?”
“Whatever. You know what I mean.”
A smirk pulls at the corner of her lip. “So is there a chance you might be able to rekindle whatever’s going on between you two?”
I think through the kiss in my office, then the way he held me last night, and have to tamp down my body’s reaction. There’s still the underlying sting from when he rejected me. I haven’t spent the last decade making myself stronger just because a guy I used to like showed back up in my life.
“Am I just supposed to be grateful that he finally deigned to speak to me? Welcome him back with open arms?”
“Hell no. Making him squirm is half the fun. Plus, I’m looking forward to all the stuff he does trying to win you over.”
I take my shot before wiping my mouth on my sleeve. Not very ladylike. “He bought the company I work for.”
“Yeah, that sounds like something an Everette brother would do. Wait. Aren’t you loaded?”
Normally, that question would throw me off. More than a few people aren’t happy that I got to keep my family money, but I can’t help but be honest with her. “Yeah.”
A slow smile takes over her face. “I have an idea.”