Page 53 of A Twisted Arrangement

“Matthias?” I say, shock rolling through me.

He trails his thumb over my lips, then pushes it into my mouth. “You’re mine.”

“This isn’t funny, Matthias.” I jerk on my wrist until the steel cuts into my skin. “Let me go.”

“Never.” He shakes his head.

“What?”

The room starts to swirl around me. My eyes grow heavy. I’m too stunned to stop him from kissing my temple and whispering in my ear.

“Happy birthday, Little Sparrow.”

Chapter 26

Matthias

“Areyou sure you know what you’re doing?” Damon asks as he slides a crystal glass filled with aged whiskey across the table that seats eight. It looks empty, with only the two of us.

I swallow the amber liquid, welcoming the burn at the back of my throat, and drag my hand over my eyes. The look of betrayal she’d given me right before she passed out will stay with me forever. “She’s the one for me, Damon.”

My older brother huffs out a breath and pinches the bridge of his nose. “I’m not sure drugging her was the right way to show her that.”

“She might not immediately appreciate it, but I know what she needs.” I glance toward the closed bedroom door where I laid a sleeping Scarlet down. Even in her drugged state, she’d clung to me. She might not understand what she’s feeling, but I can help her with that. I have no problem showing her she’s meant for me. I will keep her here for as long as it takes her to see we are already bound together. That there’s never been anywhere else for her than with me.

Damon’s phone vibrates on the table, and he flips it over, a slow grin pulling at his lips. His obsession with Misty is the only thing that rivals how I feel about Scarlet.

“Get home to your wife. Just don’t forget to be here tomorrow.”

He’s already standing before I get the words out. Impatience practically radiates off him as he makes his way through the house. He turns in the doorway, and his brows pull together. “I haven’t seen you this content in years. I can’t say I really understand your strategy…” He chuckles under his breath. “But God knows I wasn’t able to stay away from Misty. You’ve waited a long time for the girl you love. You should have told us.”

“I couldn’t talk about it. It was all I could do to not think about her. How the fuck do you think I survived all these years? Now, get out of here before your wife gets pissed off at you, and in return, you get pissed at me.”

He steps out onto the veranda that wraps around the house. “I’ll be back tomorrow.”

“Come alone. I don’t need anyone feeling bad for her and breaking her out. That includes your soft-hearted wife. I know what I’m doing.”

“I’m not lying to my wife, Matthias.” A muscle ticks in Damon’s jaw, and his fists clench at his sides, reminding me just who I’m dealing with.

My left brow raises. “Then just don’t tell her where we live.”

He gets into his black SUV, slowly pulling out of the long gravel driveway.

Our bedroom’s dark when I walk in. Only a small light on the nightstand illuminates the space and casts Scarlet’s face in a gentle, warm glow. I’m soaking it up, knowing full well she’s going to wake up full of rage, and this is likely the last opportunity I have to see her like this for a while. Pulling myself away, I enter the en suite, stripping down my clothes, and step under the water, not caring that it’s still cold. My hands clench, remembering her smooth skin under my touch, the small wanton sounds she made, and the way she moved against me.

She can lie to herself all she wants, but her body’s too honest.

My dick’s already hard just thinking about her. I grab the black cloth from the shelf and cover it in her body wash, the scent taking me under. She smelled so good with my face buried between her thighs as they tremble while pressed against my ears. She’d given herself to me, taking my cock like the good girl she is. I hate myself for betraying that trust, but it’s my turn to do what’s right for her.

I dry off, throwing on a pair of black boxer briefs before crawling into the bed behind her, propping myself onto my elbows. Her brows are pulled together, making them crease in the middle, and I run my thumb along the seam until it flattens. I suck in a breath when she turns into my touch, humming. I can’t help myself from pulling her into my arms until her head rests on my chest, and I tug her leg so it wraps around my thigh and rests between my legs. She shifts against me, breathing deeply.

“Matthias.” She murmurs my name, fingers curling into my chest, and it’s nearly my undoing.

I’m about to say fuck it and take her here, but it’s her next words that stop me. “I hate you.”

My fingers stroke the length of her back until her body goes limp.

“I’m going to make you change your mind. Even if it takes another ten years.” I kiss her forehead and promise, “I’ll always wait for you.”

---