Page 16 of Covenant

I force a breath in my nose and out my mouth, trying to slow my pulse. “Fine. It’s been months since I’ve had sex anyway. I can go another year.”

His lips curl almost tauntingly, like he’s silently calling bullshit.

I’ll show him. Even if I were interested in men like that, Matthias would be the last fucking person I’d sleep with.

I’m searching for any other reason why we shouldn’t do this. “What will your family think when you suddenly turn up with me as your husband?”

I hadn’t known Matthias’s brothers well, nor his father. My friendship with him when we were young had been just that—a friendship withhim.No one else. I’d never met them, but he would sometimes talk about his brothers.

The reality is, Matthias has always been possessive of his things. Looking back, I can see how possessive of me he was. He wanted all my attention, always. He didn’t want to share.

I didn’t see it as a red flag back then. How could I, when I’d thrived under his attention? His care? Our friendship had once been the most important thing in my life.

Making it all the more painful when he betrayed me.

“They won’t be surprised,” Matthias says. “Given our history together, none of them will question it.”

There’s a ringing in my ears, a high-pitched noise I can’t escape. My fingers tense against the underside of the table as I struggle to control myself. “You told them?”

“Not everything.” He doesn’t look repentant, nor surprised by the barely controlled rage in my words. “Obviously.”

Obviously.Meaning they don’tknow the truth. Fucking typical.

Matthias goes to speak again, but something he said earlier resurfaces in my mind. Suddenly, my sex life is the least of my worries. “Wait, what did you mean when you said ‘four walls of our home’?”

For the first time, he seems puzzled. “Well, you’ll be living with me for the duration of the contract, of course.”

“No.” I’m on my feet before I’ve finished speaking. “Absolutely fucking not.”

The corner of his lips twitch, like he’s fighting a smile. “Really? Do you have a particular attachment to the shithole you currently occupy with your brother?”

How the fuck does he know where I live?I push that aside, latching on to the one thing that might save me. “I’m not leaving Jackson alone. That’s a deal breaker. I’m his caretaker, Matthias. I can’t leave him.”

His dark brows draw together. “I’m not asking you to. That’s why I spoke with Mr. Flanders before he left. He informed me that The Firm has arranged for twelve weeks of in-patient rehab for Jackson.”

They have?

“I was sorry to hear about his accident,” Matthias’s tone softens. “Jackson was always so full of life.”

“He still is,” I say harshly. “Losing his leg hasn’t changed who he is as a person.”

Matthias holds up his hands in a peace offering. “Of course. I’m sorry, Wy. I didn’t mean to imply otherwise. I’ll be more careful with how I speak when he moves in with us.”

“When he what?”

“After his rehab,” Matthias says. “Don’t worry, I have plenty of space. Jackson can have a whole suite of rooms if he likes.”

My mind is reeling, trying to keep up. “Will I have that too?”

A glimmer of amusement flashes in his eyes. Or is that heat? “Oh no, Wy. You’ll be sharing a room with me.”

“Fuck off.”

“And a bed.”

My face pales and I run a hand down my cold skin.

“You can’t be fucking serious. Why do we need to share a bed? It’s not like anyone is going to know?”

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