39. Scarlet
Chapter 39
Scarlet
My back rests against the arm of the sofa as Matthias and I relax, watching a show. It’s been two weeks since Matthias and I first had sex. Two weeks of blissful honeymoon gooeyness that would have made past me vomit. He’s absentmindedly massaging my calves, kneading the muscles with deep strokes that have heat trailing between my legs. From the glint in his eyes, I have no doubt he knows exactly what he’s doing to me.
A slow, lascivious smile curls his lips, and he leans over me, kissing down my neck and over my collarbone. At some point last night, he changed me into one of his giant shirts, and he’s making quick work of lifting it above my waist.
He licks up my throat and gently bites my chin. “Let me lick it better.”
My head drops back, wetness already slicking between my legs. I’m pretty sure I’d let him do anything to me. I moan in the back of my throat when he sucks on my nipple through my shirt. It’s still tender from his touches last night, and I wiggle away from him. He catches my hips and places gentle kisses over my tip.
“I really lost control last night. Are you sure you’re okay?” His hands rest on my bare thighs, thumbs stroking back and forth less than an inch away from where my body’s begging for them.
“Keep going.”
He descends, kissing a path down my stomach until his head is buried between my thighs. He licks me once, sending shivers down my spine, when our phones ring simultaneously.
“Ignore it,” he says and licks me again, his hands squeezing my ass and raising me higher.
My phone rings again, and I push his head away. “I need to get that. It’ll be work.”
He growls, pressing his face against my core. “Quit.”
I raise one brow. “No.”
He responds, looking at me through his lashes, breath still hot on my clit. “Then answer it.”
“Are you crazy?”
Before I can do anything, he’s already answered the call and pressed the phone to my ear.
“Hello,” I rasp out.
“Just because you own the company doesn’t mean you can abandon your clients. We’re going to get sued.”
“I…I—” My breath hitches as Matthias runs his tongue from my back to my front.
“You don’t have an excuse?” she asks, and I can practically feel her disappointment.
“I’m so, so sorry.” I swallow hard, stumbling on my words when Matthias thrusts his tongue into my core.
Clearing my throat, I try to continue. “I have a family emergency. I should have done more to get a hold of you.”
“You’re lucky I know you sent out emails to all the clients recently and caught up on your work. Next time, you’ll find yourself without a mentor, owner of the company or not. I need someone I can depend on with me.”
I’m sure I’d feel bad if sparks weren’t traveling down my stomach and forming a knot against my clit.
“I understand. I’m all set. It won’t happen again.” I have to fight to get the words out and pray that she can’t hear how hard I’m breathing.
“When will I see you at the office?”
Matthias raises one brow and shakes his head no.
We will see about that, but for now, I just need to get off this call.
“Soon, I promise. Until then, I have my computer, and I’m all set to work from home.”
“Are you okay?” Her concern almost makes me feel bad, but Matthias’s teeth scrape my clit as he sucks it hard.
“Yes,” I gasp, barely breathing as my orgasm crashes over me again and again.
I’m shaking all over when Matthias holds the phone to me on speaker and mouths, “Say goodbye.”
“I have to go. See you soon,” I hurriedly tell my boss before my husband can do something I’ll regret.
He clicks the phone off before I can say anything else and places a light kiss against my mouth. He tastes like me.
He hums against my lips. “All better?”
“Asshole,” I say, but there’s no disdain in my tone. I’m loving this as much as he is.
A mischievous smirk takes over his face like a warning. “You’re right. I should have licked there too.”
I grip his hair, holding him in place before he can travel down any further. “I need to go into the office tomorrow.”
He’s already shaking his head no before I can finish what I’m saying.
“Scarlet, my brothers and I are trying to figure out just who’s coming after you. We don’t think your ex was motivated on his own. Then there’s the fact that someone tried to break into your house.”
I go to argue, but he holds up his hand.
“Please, don’t be stubborn about this.”
I cross my arms. “I have to go to work. It’s non-negotiable.”
He pulls out his phone, and his thumb flies across the screen. “Fine, I’ll clear my schedule.”
“What?” I shake my head no. “That’s totally unnecessary.”
“Either let me come with you, or don’t go at all.”
I roll my eyes. “Just don’t get in the way.”
“I’d never dream of it.”
“And don’t scare my clients,” I warn.
He laughs. “No promises.”
“I’m not kidding. If you’re coming to my office, you have to be good.”
“Don’t worry. I can be good. Plus, I have more important things on my mind than terrorizing your workplace.” He lowers onto his forearms and grazes his mouth against my stomach, placing delicate kisses over his shirt. “I’m hoping you have twins that look just like you.”
Heat flushes my cheeks. “Please be serious.”
“Look at me, Scarlet,” he commands, and I obey. “I’m dead fucking serious about this. We’ve wasted entirely too much time, and I’ve been waiting too long.” He runs his hand over my still-flat stomach, his gaze out of focus. “Soon.”
It’s his phone that breaks the moment this time, and he groans into my navel when he sees who it is.
“I forgot I’m supposed to meet up with my brothers. Will you be okay here by yourself?”
“I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time. You don’t need to watch me every second.”
He tilts his head to the side, then glances away. “Who says I wasn’t watching you then?”
I laugh and push against his shoulders. “Get out of here.”
He leans in and takes my lips in a sweet kiss that has my body melting beneath him. “I’ll be back early. Be good.”
“You really shouldn’t give me orders. You know it just makes me want to do the opposite.”
He huffs out a breath and sits on the side of the sofa. “If you can’t be good, at least promise me you’ll be safe.”
I nod. “Don’t worry. You heard my boss, I have to catch up on work.”
“You really can quit, you know. It’s not like you need the money.”
I could, but that’s always been an option for me. To sit back and live off my family’s dirty money. I’ve used it for the necessities of life, because even I’m not stubborn enough to let it go to waste, but when it comes to things like this, it has to be all me.
“It’s never been about the money. It’s always been about me standing on my own, by my own strength.”
Matthias surprises me when he smiles.
“I’m proud of you.” It takes him several seconds to finally stand, and even then, he doesn’t turn from me. “I’ll see you soon. No sneaking off.”
It’s only now that I can see the way his brows pull together and his fists clench at his sides. He can laugh it off, but there’s some part of him that’s worried I’ll disappear again.
I wrap my arms around his middle and rest my chin against his muscled stomach, looking up at him. “I’m craving Italian for dinner. Bring some home for me.”
He relaxes in my arms and runs his thumb along my cheekbone. “Anything for you.”
The afternoon air is crisp with the oncoming fall. I pull Matthias’s sweater closer around me. His smell combines with the scent of approaching rain. I’d found the oversized sweater in his closet and couldn’t stop myself from putting it on. Tea in one hand and a computer bag over my shoulder, I make my way to the porch swing that overlooks the front lawn.
Three guards stand rigorously, all eyeing me like I may bolt at any given second. I guess I can’t blame them. I nearly made it out of here, and I’m sure that didn’t go down well with my husband.
Husband.
The title fills me with a tingly warmth. He may have gone about it in the most asshole, overhanded, giant brute of a way, but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s mine. I should probably stop planning his murder for it. I sit on the swing, pulling the blanket already resting there over my lap, and sip my warm drink, giving the guards a little wave. Hopefully, they’ll be able to relax a bit once they realize I’m not about to disappear on them.
The swing is deep, big enough to fit a twin mattress. It’s filled with squishy down-filled pillows that form around my back when I relax into them. If I have to work, I can’t think of a better place to do it.
My hand grazes my stomach when I reach for my bag, and I freeze. There really could be a little Matthias in there. Deep brown hair and dark eyes, but I’ll never let them hold the same hurt he carries around. Instead, they’ll glow with warmth as I wrap them in my arms and promise to always protect them. Matthias deserves that. Another chance at happiness, and…so do I.