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“What brought this on?” I wrap my arm around his shoulders and pull him against me. His pheromones are nearly gone again now that his heat is almost over, but I can still sense them enough to want to take in as much of them as possible.
“Vera. She wants to go to college. So, Timothy is making her take some tests to see if she needs tutoring before she can start.” His eyes are shining, full of excitement and… is that pride?
Well, that explains Vera at the large table with her hands in her hair and Timothy sitting at her side, walking her through something on the paper in front of her.
They look very focused and as I watch them for a few moments, I notice how serious Vera is taking it, how much she seems to want it.
I guess I understand why Mathew is so excited, her focus and drive are contagious.
It doesn’t explain Caleb and Derrick on the other side of the room, papers piled all around them.
“What about them?” I nod to Caleb and Derrick.
Mathew’s face falls. “Caleb is taking this whole ‘bodyguard’ thing a bit too seriously.”
“And that upsets you, why?” Because it’s good that he takes it seriously. Right?
Mathew’s eyes shoot to Vera, before he turns us so she can’t see his face. “Because he knows about the Suits Syndicate. He knows what my tattoo means, the crowned heart one.”
My stomach drops as I eye Caleb.
There’s knowing about the Suits Syndicate in general terms, and then there’s knowing about the Suits Syndicate and being aware of how they mark their victims. If he knows about the tattoos, he’s already in deep.
“Did he confront you about it?”
Mathew nods, not meeting my eyes. “In a way. He asked me how much danger I was in, and then made it clear he meant from the Suits. The papers around them are everything we have about the syndicate.”
“It’s good that he wants to protect you, right?” I struggle to understand why he’s so upset about it.
Caleb already knows about the Suits, that means he’d be an asset to Mathew and his teams. He could help them out. All of that is good. So, why is he upset?
Mathew sighs, frowning deep, and tugs on one of his lip rings with his teeth.
“Well?”
“I don’t want him to put himself in danger. Not any more than he’s already in because he’s my mate,” he grumbles, glaring at his feet, clearly aware he’s being unreasonable and still saying it anyway.
I can’t hide my smile and run my fingers down his neck, following his blush. “To see you make that face and say those words. That’s fucking cute.”
He glowers at me, swatting my hand away. “Fuck off.”
“I mean it. It’s a nice change to see you worry about someone that much.” I glance in Caleb’s direction, understanding where Mathew’s worry is coming from. “But, if he already knew these things before meeting you, then he isn’t in any more danger now than he’s always been in.”
“Of course,you’dsay that.” Mathew shakes his head, somehow getting even more frustrated. “You’re just like him.”
I grin, leaning closer, nipping at his jaw. “I guess that means you’ve got a type.”
“Yeah. My type is bastards who refuse to stay out of danger,” he mutters, shooting me another glare, but not moving out of my grasp.
“Or who care enough about others to want to do the right thing.” I tighten my arm around his shoulders a moment before I let go. “And we’re not letting you fight those fuckers on your own. You know that.”
I saunter over to Caleb and Derrick, eyeing the papers next to them.
“Anything interesting going on here? I heard you’ve got experience with our ‘friends’ over in the syndicate?” I pull a chair closer, sitting next to Caleb.
“Do you want to hear how I know about them? Because it involves someone you told me I wasn’t allowed to talk about.” Caleb grins, leaning back, somehow appearing relaxed, though his pheromones aren’t.
I swallow down the growl in my chest. Great… Just who I wanted to think about right after these last few amazing days, Caleb’s ex…