Page 33 of Covenant

I sigh. “What if we fall?”

“What if we don’t?” Wy raises an eyebrow challengingly. “Come on, Matt. You know you want to play with me. Don’t be a stick in the mud. I dare you.”

I roll my eyes, already knowing I’m going to agree. “If you get hurt I’m going to be so mad.”

“I’ll be fine.” He’s already scrambling up the tree. “Try to keep up.”

That’s Wy’s phrase.Try to keep up. I dare you.Sometimes I want to point out that’s all I do—try to keep up with him. Wy’s idea of fun is this endless competition between us. Who can run faster, swing higher, shout louder.

Turns out, it’s my idea of fun too. Wyatt is my favorite person to play with.

I smile as I move to the bottom of the tree. I don’t think about how high it is, I just think about Wyatt.

And keeping up with him.

9

WYATT

Not content with leaving things where they are, I take it a step further. I always have. I can’t help myself.

It’s how I managed to work my way up in my career. I never knew when to stop.

Maybe it’s a step too far, but given the fact he’s tricked me into marriage, I figure it’s warranted.

Some might argue that he didn’t trick me—The Firm did. But seeing as how they aren’t here and he is, it’s fair game to me.

After dinner, I move into the bedroom and take my time in the bathroom, opening up each of the glass bottles and inhaling deeply. I hate that all of it smells good, that it makes something inside of me twist.

With a flick of my wrist, I turn on the water, feeling how hot it gets. Without a second thought, I step underneath the spray, enjoying both the pressure and heat pounding onto my skin from the showerhead. This is something I’d gotten used to living without in the shithole I shared with Jackson. Fuck, I missed this.

I wash slowly, massaging my scalp with the finest shampoo and conditioner before sliding a bar of soap across my skin. It’s luxurious. Rich. I feel like I’m made of money.

When I finally rinse, my skin is pink, my fingers like prunes. The towel is soft and yet it doesn’t shed lint on my skin. Of course he’d find ones that manage to do that. I wrap it around my waist and move to the closet, noticing my things have been put away. Who did that? I know Matthias threatened that it would be done, but good fuck. What poor person found themselves organizing my shit? I pity them.

With a shake of my head, I find my tightest pair of briefs. Pulling them on, I stride to the bed and stare at it. Matthias isn’t here, the muddy footprint pillow staring back at me. I grin as I ogle it before the smile falls from my face and nerves appear.

I have no fucking clue where Matthias is. I haven’t seen him since dinner, but hell if I’m going to let him control my life and take up that much space. Without further hesitation, I crawl onto the mattress, sprawling across the bed, taking up far more than my share of it.

Damn, these are nice sheets. Soft and cool. Probably so fucking expensive too.

Not that I blame him. When I had money, I bought the same sheets the King of England had. It was the main selling point.

I didn’t think they were half bad. The King has good taste in sheets.

I turn my gaze toward the door to the bedroom and put my arms behind my head. I used to have a six-pack when I had a gym membership and enough money to splurge on protein. But now, I’m sadly thin and I could look better.

But I saw how he reacted to me earlier. He probably doesn’t care that I look less than. Fuck, well, now I’m second-guessing myself. I just need to wait for Matthias to see me and decide from there. I’m not expecting much from him, to be honest, but I would like to see his eyes when he sees me all sprawled out.

What I am hoping though is that it’ll show him how ridiculous this “no sex outside marriage” rule is. It doesn’t take a genius to realize what a stupid idea it is. I mean, before Matthias, I wasn’t even interested in finding a hookup. I never have been a one-and-done kinda guy. Deep down, I’m a monogamous man, happiest when in a relationship. One-night stands have never appealed. But now that he’s telling me I can’t have one…

Suddenly I can’t focus on anything else.

I want to fuck everyone I can find. I want to stick my dick in all the holes.

Logically, I know this is me trying to take back control in a situation where I don’t have any.

What I really want is to piss off Matthias.

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