Page 28 of Vermilion Desire

“Let me worry about myself, baby. Please don’t do that again. I love you too much to watch you get hurt.”

I murmur, ears only picking up words without really knowing what they mean as my scrambled brain is currently under construction.

“I love you too, Mr. Wolf. So, so much.”

His hand jolts, twitching strongly and accidentally crushing my fingers. “I don’t think you understand what I mean, baby. I love you, I want to possess you, and that’s not a good thing.”

“You do?” Happiness trickles in my voice, the irritating doubts fading away with reluctance.

“I love you to the point of madness. I dream about ways of keeping you with me, and I’m a bad man—I don’t want other men to be near you.”

I bury my nose into his skin. “I only want Mr. Wolf. From the beginning; you already have me.”

“Sweetheart—” he chokes, grunting and slamming his weight on me as he hugs me to his chest. “You shouldn’t want me, baby. I’m not good for you. I think about doing vile things to you. I get angry when you show interest in other men—I wanted to kill Berkshire.”

I nuzzle his chest, purring softly and sighing in bliss. “He’s research, a disposable sample that would become uninteresting the moment he loses his purpose.”

“Am I the same?” he questions, a voice of doubt and insecurity. “Am I for research? A game for you to play? Please stop if it is. I can’t—”

“No. Mr. Wolf is the love of my life. I love you now and forever; nothing can tear me away from you.”

“God,” he whispers, shuddering with a heaving breath. “I love you, baby. I love you so much. I have wanted you in my arms for so long, and I don’t deserve you.”

“You deserve me,” I assure him. “I’m yours.”

He kisses the top of my head. “I’m yours, too, baby.”

Chapter Eight

Wolf

“No, absolutely not.” I stand my ground with Cal beside me as Scarletta peeks her head out from my side.

Her little hands are gripping my arm. She’s watching this whole thing go down as the annoying lawyer insists that we take this chance.

“Scarletta is not going anywhere with you,” Cal grunts, crossing his arms over his chest.

The layer sighs, unfazed and slightly irked. “This is the wish of Mr. Berkshire. He wishes to meet with Miss. Scarletta and asked me to pass this to you.”

I glance down at the yellow envelope; the content inside is unknown as it’s sealed tightly. The lawyer closes his briefcase, but he doesn’t lock it as he isn’t going to leave any time soon.

“However, this contains confidential information. I must be present for Miss. Scarletta to read it and return with the documents.”

Scarletta stays, and so do I; this lawyer is not going to pull a stunt on us by framing her for anything on the order of that vile family. I have never met Berkshire Senior before, and I have no reason to either other than to investigate the crime his son had done.

“Mr. Berkshire had offered you a choice to stay or leave, but he wishes for you to understand his condition too.”

Whatever that family is planning, I don’t trust anything they say. The younger Berkshire probably had his father do some shady stuff behind everyone’s back, and somehow, this meeting with the lawyer in my own home could be part of a bigger scheme.

“What shit are you planning with that little bastard?” Cal asks the question that I wanted to ask.

“Mr. Braxton does not know about this. Mr. Berkshire had ordered me to not connect Mr. Braxton with him, and I am his lawyer, so naturally, I am to listen to Mr. Berkshire and not Mr. Braxton.”

Cal snorts. “Senior’s paying your fees.”

“He is,” the lawyer confirms. “However, this is not with regard to the criminal case of Mr. Braxton.”

I am curious about what that old man wants with my Scarletta. Before all of this, no one truly knows the existence of my sweet girl, and now two powerful people know about her. It doesn’t sit well with me or the pacify Cal.

---