Father In Law

Chapter 20

"I see a whole lot of space over there." I point to the other end of the couch and look at Anthony pointedly.

He spreads his legs and eats from his plate, as if he has no care in the world, completely ignoring what I just said. Just like how we're both ignoring the fact that he groped me. That shouldn't have felt as good as it did.

I watch how he meticulously stabs a pelmeni, which is basically a dumpling and chews it a certain number of times. The same way he had done at my parents' house.

His jaw works as he chews and his Adam's apple bobs as he swallows. After he finishes his plate, he loosens his tie with deft fingers and I press my thighs together.

"I'm going to Chicago on Saturday." I inform him.

"And you're telling me now?"

I cross my arms over my chest and glare at him.
"Is that a problem or would you have preferred me not telling you? I'm telling you three days in advance."

"That bratty attitude of yours is pissing me off." The way his eyes darken signifies a threat. I swallow, but don't dare look away.

Suddenly, I feel wetness under my ass. I get up and see a red stain on the white couch. I look at it, horrified. To my misfortune, Anthony also catches it.

"I'm so sorry." I'm embarrassed and go to get something to wipe the stain on the couch.

"Stop Charlotte. Go get cleaned up. I'll take care of this."

"No Anthony, I'll do it."

"I wasn't asking you. Go now."

I listen to him and get cleaned up, only to remember that I didn't bring my menstrual cup with me. It's embarrassing, but I holler for Anthony.

When he appears in front of the bathroom door, I tell him about the menstrual cup.

"I'm sorry Anthony." I whisper.

"I'll get it. Wait here."

I scold myself while I wait for Anthony to come back, which is approximately fifteen minutes.

"Here." I hear Anthony's deep voice and get off the toilet to get the menstrual cup.

It's warm to the touch and I look at him in shock.
"Did you boil this in hot water?"

"Yes, the instructions were clearly mentioned Charlotte." He rolls his eyes, and for some reason, it's cute. Never thought I'd associate that word with Anthony.

The sudden urge to hug him overwhelms me, but I reign myself in. I know for a fact, that he won't appreciate that. Not to mention the verbal feud going on between us from the past few days.

"Thank you." I look into his hazel eyes and those masculine lips. His beard perfectly frames his mouth and I look away. I don't want him to think I'm a creep. I blame it on the hormones.

I close the door and finish my business. I go back to the living room and find that the red spot on the couch is gone. I can't imagine Anthony scrubbing that away, or can I? I picture him crouching and scrubbing away the spot with an intense look in his eyes and furrowed brows. I know he's the one who cleaned it up, because the cleaning staff and Julia have gone home for the day.

A chuckle escapes me at the image, but thankfully, Anthony doesn't look up from his laptop.

I go to sit beside him and kiss his cheek.
"Thank you Tony. You didn't have to do all this."

He glares at me and wipes his cheek with the back of his hand. He acts like such a child sometimes. It only makes me smile wider at him.

"Don't you have some work to do? Pack for your trip?"

"I already did."

"Get rid of those stars in your eyes. It's making me quite sick."

I roll my eyes. "So what are you working on?"

"Don't you have something else to do, except bother me while I'm working?"

"I'm not even here." I mime zipping up my lips.

"We're going in my private jet. I have some unfinished business in Chicago as well."

I'm surprised at that, but nod regardless.

I hear the front door open and Sebastian enters the room a few seconds later. He frowns upon seeing me, which rolls off my back as usual.

"Hey Seb, how was your day?"

"Fine. Not that it's any of your business." He says it with more venom than I was expecting.

I gape at him and Anthony pins him with a look.
"Watch your tone." Hostile Anthony and Sebastian on the same day? Lucky me.

I catch him glaring at Anthony. Sometimes, I wonder where it went wrong between these two.

Speaking of, I don't know anything about Sebastian's mother. I'm in no position to ask Sebastian. He might clam up and no doubt, say something mean to me in return. I glance at Anthony. Well, I could ask him, but I don't know if he'll answer and honestly, asking him right now seems a little invasive, so I decide to keep my mouth shut.

After Sebastian goes up to our room, I yawn and lean my head against the cushion.

"Don't fall asleep here. If you want to rest, go to your room."

"Sure daddy." My words drip with sarcasm and I can feel him drilling holes into my head.

Maybe I shouldn't have used that word. I turn to look at him and our eyes meet. My plain green ones to his hazel. My eyes go down to his straight nose, then to his high cheekbones, then to his firm pink lips. They're a bit thin but perfectly shaped, framed by his beard, which only has a few flecks of grey. Honestly, it just adds to his appeal.

Then I look at his Adam's apple which bobs as he swallows. My eyes dart back to his and I can't stop staring at him. Something about him feels familiar, but I can't quite put my finger on it.

I move closer to him. It's involuntary. I smell his intoxicating scent. I stop when I'm close enough to see specks of green in his eyes.

He doesn't move away from me. Anticipating my next move? I zero in on his lips. Mine are a millimeter away from his. If I inhale, my lips would touch his. Which is what I desperately want. But, I stop myself. What am I doing? He's my father in law. It's wrong. I close my eyes and put a large distance between us.

"Sorry."

"For what exactly?"

"For what I just did."

"So you're apologizing for nearly throwing yourself at me."

Just like that, my anger spikes.

"Yeah? I didn't see you pushing me away either!"

I get up and glare down at him. His expression remains neutral and unfazed.

"Asshole." I mutter under my breath and go to my room, which I clearly should've done ages ago.