45. Matthias
Chapter 45
Matthias
Scarlet leans toward her monitor, pen perched in her fingers as she rolls the cap along her lips in thought. She’s been at it for days, never distracted from whatever she’s working on. I tried talking to her the first day she came back to the office, but she only lifted a brow and said firmly, “I said you could come. Not that you could distract me.”
God, she’s hot when she’s in full lawyer mode. My eyes follow the thin chain of her necklace to where it forms a V above her top button. I gave it to her her first day back, the blue sapphire reminding me of her eyes.
I’ve spent the last several days sitting at her small round table, ignoring my own work while I take her in. From my observation, as a new member of the company, she takes on a lot of the smaller, menial tasks her coworkers don’t want to do. Every time someone asks her to complete a task, she jumps at it like it’s an opportunity rather than a chore.
There’s a soft knock on the door, and a woman in her mid-thirties peeks in, a wide smile on her face. I recognize her from the several other occasions she’s appeared. S…Samantha? Stephanie? Synthia? Whatever her name is, I’m getting the distinct impression, by the way her attention is focused on me, that she’s been coming up with new reasons to drop work on Scarlet.
Scarlet lets out a small groan, and I smirk as my wife narrows her eyes on her unsuspecting coworker. There’s a flush to her cheeks, and her finger taps aggressively on the table as she watches her coworker approach me. She’s giving me some warped imitation of a sexy look that has my stomach turning. With each approaching step, Scarlet’s brows pull closer together, and I swear she sneers behind closed lips.
“How can I help you, Rebecca?” Scarlet asks, her tone clipped.
Rebecca? I wasn’t even close.
The woman startles and looks back at my wife, who’s now leaning back in her chair with her arms crossed. In the days we’ve been here, she’s been nothing but happy to take on more work, so the sight of her glaring through her lashes has my head tilting to the side. My girl’s getting possessive, and I fucking love it.
“I…I’m here with some work I need you to do.” The woman hands some papers over that Scarlet immediately scans before handing them back.
“Scott gave these to me yesterday. Just like Julie gave me the work you brought in this morning.” My wife’s smile is sharp when she says, “Please check with the others before coming to see me. I’m terribly busy, and the constant interruption for things I’ve already handled is distracting.”
Scarlet types on her computer for a second before glancing up. “I’ve just sent you the completed files. Hope that’s all for today.”
Rebecca is a red that rivals my wife’s name as she looms over the desk. “I’m a partner at this firm.”
Scarlet stands, placing her hands on the desk and leaning in. “And I’m the owner. If you keep looking at my husband like that, you won’t be anything here.”
Fuck me, that’s hot.
Scarlet snaps back into her professional tone like nothing happened and sits down, speaking to the woman, whose mouth is still wide open in shock.
“If that’s all, you can go.”
It’s completely silent as the woman walks through the office until the door clicks behind her.
“You’re jealous?” I ask, tone playful as I take in my wife. Somehow in the last five minutes, her hair’s come undone around her nape, and wisps around her ears give her a bit of an untamed appearance that goes perfectly with the vibes she’s throwing off.
Her head cocks to the side, eyeing me like an eagle. “Should I be jealous?”
“Never. I just think it’s adorable.”
It’s her turn to blush, and she glances back at her screen. “I just didn’t like the way she was looking at you.”
I fight back my smile.
“Thank you for not smiling back.” She mumbles her words.
My smile breaks free. “Of course.”
If she keeps this up much longer, I’ll be locking the door, pushing her skirt above her hips, and fucking her against the desk.
My phone vibrates on the table, breaking me free from the thoughts.
Damon: You’ve been MIA. You need to come to the meeting. I can’t cover for you.
Me: I’m busy.
Damon: Staring at your wife doesn’t count as busy.
Me: You’re one to talk.
Damon: Get over here, and I’ll distract our brothers so you can get home early.
Me: Fine.
I slide my unused laptop into my bag. “I have to take you home.”
Scarlet’s head whips up to mine. “What? I’m about to meet my client.”
She doesn’t flinch while she stares me down. There’s a hint of disappointment behind her eyes that has me caving. I never want her to think I don’t respect her. That doesn’t mean I can leave her unprotected.
“I’m going to kill Damon for this.” I rub my palm over my face. I don’t like the idea of anyone but me staying with her.
“Bring in Oliver,” Scarlet says, like she’s unaware of the wrath that creates within me.
“Hell will freeze over first.”
She stands, walking around her desk, and places her hands on my chest. I suck in a breath of her vanilla scent and let it out slowly.
She gives me a small smile. “You trusted him to be my guard for years. You know he’s capable.”
My teeth squeak with the force in which I grind them together. I thought he was fucking capable all the way up until the point he tried to steal my girl.
“He’s loyal to me, Matthias. That’s what matters.” Scarlet lifts onto her toes and places a kiss on my chin.
I grumble under my breath, but she’s not wrong. The little asshole betrayed me, but he did it for her. I may hate him, but at least I know he’ll put her first. “I’ll kill him if he even thinks about taking you away.”
She smirks, knowing she’s won. “He won’t. It’s not what I want anymore.”
It takes a half hour for Oliver to pull up and another five minutes for him to get out of his car. He’s slow to approach me, muscles coiled to the point his veins are visible in his neck.
“I’m surprised I’m still alive.”
So am I.
He’s lucky I wouldn’t risk my wife being upset over him. “The only reason you’re not on a missing poster is because you were doing it for her . Any other reason and I’d have spent my time cutting you into little pieces.”
The guard I’d entrusted with Scarlet years ago visibly shudders, but he doesn’t cower when he says, “You may be my boss, but I’ll never be completely loyal to you. If she wants to run again, I’ll help her.”
I smirk, knowing that’s never going to be a problem, then slam my fist into his gut, causing him to double over.
He chokes on air, struggling to breathe as I lean in close and say, “My Little Sparrow knows she’s mine now. She’s not going anywhere. Not without me.”