Page 44 of Covenant

“You aren’t pretending to be my husband, youaremy husband.”

I glower up at him. “That’s not what I signed up for and you know it.”

“Really?” He arches a brow, hands deep in his suit pants pockets. “Because I’ve got a piece of paper in my office that proves otherwise. I made sure they printed it too. So we could see it.”

He wants me to bite. I can see it in the gleam of his eye. He almost gets me too, but at the last second, I pull back. I roll my eyes and shrug. “Call it what you want, we both know what this is at the end of the day.”

He smirks as though he knows something I don’t. “Indeed. Anyway, why are you out here grubbing around in the dirt? We have someone for that, you know?”

“Yeah, I know, and it’s called gardening,” I say flatly, gathering my tools. Thanks to the money in my account and online shopping, I’ve built up quite the collection. And it helps that Corbin set the seeds and bulbs out the other day, delivering on his promise. He and Jules are in competition for my favorite person in this mausoleum. Matthias isn’t even in the race as far as I’m concerned. “It’s something people do when they don’t mind getting their hands dirty.”

I stand up, not realizing how close it puts me to Matthias. I’m practically on top of him, our breath mingling in the frigid air. “I’m quite fond of getting my hands dirty.”

There’s no missing the innuendo in his words. I still don’t bite. I refuse to let him get the upper hand in this fucked up game we are playing. “I couldn’t care less what you do with your hands.”

I can almost hear them crack as he continues to stand there, staring at me.

“Is that so?” he asks, his eyes glinting.

I step even closer to him, my hands fisting at my sides. “I. Don’t. Care, Matthias. We aren’t in public right now, so leave me alone. Corbin’s given me plenty to handle and he’s much better company than you.”

Matthias’s jaw clicks, and I see it. The jealousy. It’s barely noticeable, but I fucking see it.

“Do I need to remind you about the fidelity clause in the contract?”

Yep. He is jealous. “Do I need to remindyouthat I’m straight?”

Matthias smirks, his eyes dropping to my mouth. I remember suddenly how close we are, once again. It would take nothing to bring our lips together. A stiff breeze could do it. “Are you really? For a straight guy, you sure like getting up in my space.”

“Yes,” I hiss, flushing as I step back. Raking a hand through my hair, I try to assess what it is about Matthias that’s making me feel this way. “It’s my anger toward you. That’s what’s getting me all fucking heated up. Nothing more.”

He takes a step, erasing the one I took. His hands are still in his pockets, only the flashing in his eyes giving away his ire. “Why are you angry at me, Wy?”

“Why do you think?” I laugh bitterly. “I’ve hated you for so fucking long, and now I’m stuck with you.”

“Because of a request you made,” Matthias’s voice drops low. “Don’t forget that. Your actions put you here. You went into that graveyard knowing fully well there would be consequences.”

“I didn’t know I’d be married toyou.”

His hands come out of his pockets, but he doesn’t touch me. “Is it really that bad?”

“Of course it is!” My words come out as a shout. “You’ve taken over my whole life, Matthias. Everything has fucking changed, because of you.”

“You’re damned right it has,” his voice doesn’t rise to meet mine. If anything, it gets quieter, more threatening. “Before you were sleeping on a block with one of the highest crime statistics in the city. You had minimal heating. You weren’t eating, if the weight on you is anything to go by. Now you sleep in a safe location, in a warm bed. You have a cook at your disposal, and a gym, if you decide you want to use it.”

“That’s thanks to The Firm, not you.”

“No, it’s thanks tome,” his eyes are blazing now. “The Firm took care of Jackson and filled your accounts. Everything that’s happened since is because you’re married to me.”

“I would’ve been fine without you.”

“Would you?” His brows rise questioningly. “Because I’ve watched you. The only thing you’ve done for yourself in the past decade was push yourself through law school. And even that wasn’t because you wanted it. No, what you wanted was a way to escape the world you grew up in.”

“That’s not true,” I whisper.

“Isn’t it?” He doesn’t back down, flinging truths at me that I wish I could ignore. “Tell me why you chose a high-rise apartment when you’ve always dreamed of a big yard where you can grow vegetables? Why did you give up your entire fucking life when Jackson got into his accident?”

“Because that’s what you do when you love someone,” I search his face, confused. “I don’t look at those things as bad, they were necessary to keep those I loved happy. Safe. Cared for.”

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