Page 71 of Covenant

I shake that thought away as I finally pull myself together, wiping at my face with the sheet. When it drops away, Matthias is watching me closely, his eyes soft, his lips lifted in a wistful smile.

“What?”

He shakes his head a little. “It’s been a long time since I’ve heard you laugh like that.”

“It’s been a long time for me too.”

“I’ve missed it.”

For some reason, I offer him a tiny part of myself, a sliver of what I’ve hidden from him. From everyone. “I’ve missed it too.”

The air between us catches and pulls tight. Not with lust or need.

With something far more dangerous. Something I don’t let myself think about.

I clear my throat. “How about we move this to the shower?”

Matthias bites his lower lip. “You still want to…?”

I get out of the bed, completely comfortable in my nudity. More than comfortable. I want Matthias’s eyes on me.

Me, and no one else.

For the next several months at least.

“Well, it is our honeymoon after all,” I drawl, crossing until I’m before him. “And you want this to be real, right?”

His skin pales, and I run over my words again, cursing when I realize what I said. “I mean, to appear real. What could be more real than fucking around on our honeymoon?”

“But it’s not real.” His voice lifts at the end, almost as though he’s checking.

I huff. “Is that what you’re worried about? If so, don’t. I’m not going to catch feelings for you. I might want to mess around, but you’re still the fucker who betrayed and abandoned me. We can have as much sex as we want, but we both know this ends with us going our separate ways.”

“That’s not—” he catches himself, clearing his throat. “Yeah. That’s what we agreed.”

“Exactly,” I dust my fingers over his chest. I seek out his nipple, circling my finger until it pebbles. “We’re stuck in this together, so why not make the most of it?”

“And, just like that, you’re accepting you’re not straight?”

“Why fight it when I have proof that I’m most likely not?” I grab his jaw firmly between my thumb and forefinger. “Why are you overthinking this? Are you going to stand there and tell me you don’t want me? Because if you are, I’m gonna call you a fucking liar.”

“I do want you.” He tugs at his hair, and I frown. Why is he so frustrating? Am I not offering him all he wants on a fucking platter? “But…I need a minute to breathe.”

I try and pretend the rejection doesn’t punch me in the gut. “All right, I guess I’ll?—”

“Not like that,” his hand wraps around my wrist before I can take a step back. His throat bobs as our eyes meet. “I do want you, Wy. I do. Later though. Right now, why don’t we go explore the island?”

“Seriously? I offer you my dick and you want to go explore?”

“I mean…god.” He groans and then his shoulders sag. “You’re fucking impossible. But really, we should explore for a bit. It’s not like either of us is tired, and there’s still plenty of daylight left.”

“So, no sex right now?”

“No. Not yet,” he says as he adjusts himself slightly.

I step toward him, trying to entice him to stay, my hand dragging over the wet spot on his boxers.

He groans and takes a step back. “Come on. Don’t tempt me too much. I might break.”

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