Page 88 of Covenant

After some negotiating, and paying with my credit card over the phone, the man on the other end of the line assures me that the car will be there by the evening. We order our drinks and an appetizer and drink and eat languidly as we let ourselves unwind. Our legs touch under the table, and our hands brush a few times as well. But nothing more than that.

And when we’re done, we stroll around the town, walking into stores to look around, and buying a few trinkets and shirts for Jackson before heading down to the beach. We nestle into the sand and watch the sunset, before wandering to a nearby restaurant and ordering dinner. All the while, I’m caught by how easy this is. How the conversation ebbs and flows like it once used to. How right it feels to brush his shoulder or squeeze his waist. How his smile punches me in the solar plexus every time.

It’s exactly as it used to be, only better. Better because now I know how it feels to touch him. To feel him sink into my kiss. To flirt with him until he flushes red.

It’s late by the time we call a cab home, our feet ache and we’re both ready for a shower.

Thankfully the slightly dented car is sitting in the driveway when we arrive.

“Thank you for arranging that,” Matthias says.

“I am your husband after all.”

“A good one too,” he says as we walk inside and set our bags on the kitchen table. It’s cooled down now that the sun has gone down. I shiver as I walk toward the bathroom.

“I’m going to shower. Wanna join me?” I ask, but Matthias says nothing as he follows.

I peer over my shoulder at him and see his gaze hitting the oversized tub. There’s even a step leading into it. It’s that big. It can fit two people easily.

“Oh, or we could have a bath, I guess.”

His eyes flash to mine and I don’t bother asking if he’d like to join me. I can read him like a book. Just like all those years ago. So I turn the tap on, plug the tub, and pour some bubble bath liquid under the stream of water. Bubbles explode across the top of the pooling water as I turn and meet Matthias’s stare.

“It will be ready in a few minutes. This thing is huge.”

He doesn’t make the first move, so I pull my shirt off and toss it aside, moving to the sink to grab my toothbrush. As I scrub my teeth, he moves up beside me and does the same, eyeing me as I bend over and spit out the frothy paste. When I rinse my mouth and turn back to the bathtub, I kick off my shorts and underwear before stepping inside.

I groan as I sink into the warm water, turning my gaze over my shoulder to Matthias, who is watching me intently.

“It’s not full yet, but you could join me.”

“Yeah. I—I’ll be right there,” he says, clearing his throat and disappearing from the bathroom. What the fuck? I have no clue what that was about, but by the time the water is nearly pouring from the rim of the tub, bubbles up to my chin, he’s still not back.

Where the fuck is he?

Is he running away again?

My jaw tightens as I envision it. Him packing up and leaving. Him on a plane without me. Leaving me. Stranding me. Alone. Afraid… I’m about to step out of the tub when he appears, a towel wrapped around his waist, his cheeks slightly pink.

“Where the fuck have you been?” I ask, my voice angrier than I expected it to be.

Matthias doesn’t answer, just moves toward me, dropping the towel and stepping into the warm water.

“You going to ignore me?”

“Leave it, Wy,” he murmurs as I purse my lips in frustration.

“Why? What are you hiding?”

He peers over at me and then picks up a handful of bubbles.

“Why do you want to know?”

“I just—I do. I thought you were running.”

“I wasn’t. I was…” he clears his throat and sighs. “I was making sure I was clean. For you.”

“Clean?” my voice breaks slightly. Oh.Ohhhh.

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