Chapter 18: The Colleague

Brandon Cornwall's POV

Bloody hell!

I should have gone after her as she was not wearing any footwear and I don't think I wanted her pretty, delicate feet to be hurting because of the heat and harsh sun. I need to get her and helped her into her footwear that I have Sabrina shipped from the boutique to the campsite.

I thought she was happy to be at the campsite where the excavation for the new mineral was going on but no, she has to be pissed at me.

Now I felt like I wanted to break something.

"Woah, did something happened?" Sabrina asked with amusement in her eyes as she was bringing some books and papers for the ongoing excavation. It has been going on for 2 weeks and I will be staying for one week with Barbara here. I know some of my colleagues will be here afterward but I think Barbara will not last longer than a week.

"What is it?" I asked Sabrina as I was scanning the progress of the mineral foundation. I know she had her gaze on me and she wanted to say something to me about Barbara. I closed the papers before I turned to look at her.

"Nothing," she said.

"Nothing always means something with you. Okay out with it," I said as I was giving her the papers and some of the marks for her to instruct the workers to do.

"I think you need to be gentle with her," she said. I arched my eyebrows at her.

"Who?'' I asked before she rolled her eyes at me.

"Your wife. The one that slept in the tent with you the other night. Though I'm sure she did not aware of that. If not, she would have slapped you already,"

"Bloody hell," I mumbled before I was rubbing my dry mouth. I need some drinks. Preferably water since the sun was draining my sweat ready quickly.

"And also, she was talking with one of your workers. Frankly, she quite likes his attention," Sabrina said as she was smiling wickedly at me. I narrowed my eyes at her.

"Who?"

"You know, Owen, the charmer," she said and before she can say anything else, I was walking toward the excavation site with a fury that I wanted to kill someone.

Preferably Owen.

Barbara Brown's POV

I have made it to the excavation site but with hurting my feet. It felt like hell but I think I will not give in to the hurt. I have been hurt before and it was nothing compared to this.

"Hey," someone greeted me and when I was looking at my sides, there was no one. A chuckle came from behind and when I looked, it was a tall man with blue eyes and his hair was black.

"Oh, sorry. I don't know you were there," I said as I was turning my body to face him. I can see that he was assessing me up and down with my tank top and hiking pants and the absence of the footwear. I tried to hide my feet.

"Here, you can have this," he said as he was shoving his hiking boot to me as well as a pair of sock. I don't know how he got it but I was thankful to put it on.

"Better?" He asked. I looked at him as I was holding his arm.

"Much better than being barefoot in this weather," I said before he laughed. I then laughed with him before he asked me what I was doing here.

"Oh, you don't know?"

"About what?" He asked as he furrowed his eyebrows at me. I smiled at him.

"I was with the geologist team that will be digging for the new mineral in this site," I said as his eyes were shining. Was it amusement or something else?

"Well, they did not say that they have a beautiful geologist between them," he said as he was smiling charmingly at me.

"What?"

"At the briefing, they did not specify that there was a female geologist except for a secretary. Maybe I was miscalculating. Mr. Cornwall never hides such important information from us," he said as he was scratching his stubble. I'm sure it was one or two days that he did not shave.

"What else did Mr. Cornwall said during the briefing?" I asked as I wanted to make sure that I did not miss a thing. I did not know that I was in the campsite and excavation site. I mean how come I was wearing a tank top and a hiking pant was beyond my wildest dream but this?

This was even unbelievable.

"I think you missed out a lot then. He said that he will be here for a week—"

"A week?"

"Why yes. The excavation has been going on for 2 weeks now. We have enough sample to bring it to the lab and identify the mineral," he said as he was looking at me. I smiled at him before I took his arm.

"Will you take me around the excavation site? I wish to see and learn how they extract the mineral," I said as I was batting my eyelashes.

"Well, certainly—"

"Not with him," a voice was coming from behind us and when I turned, I was scowling openly at him. Brad was crossing his hands at me as he was narrowing his eyes at us. Well, it was on my hand on my savor's arm.

"Mr. Cornwall—"

"Don't you have anything to oversee, Mr. Owen? I believe I will escort Mrs. Cornwall here around the excavation. Now off you go," he said as I was gaping at him. How dare him?! Using that name with his employee.

"My apologies. Of course, Mr. Cornwall," he said before he released my hand on his arm and went ahead of us. I can sense that Brad's anger but right now I don't care. He had to right to frighten Owen.

"I cannot believe you. First, you bring me to the campsite without telling me. Second, you use your last name to address me as if I belonged to you and last, you scolded your employee for helping me," I said as I was putting my hands on my hips. I was glaring at Brad before he was scowling openly at me.

"If I have to guess, you prefer Owen's company than mine,"

"Exactly," I said before something flashed in front of his eyes. His nostrils flared before he stepped toward me. I stood my ground as I will not let Brad cower me. I will never let him do so.

"Need I remind you, you were married to me,"

"Under the condition that I have a spot in this excavation. So, I rather say that our marriage was only on paper. And I can see that you don't like my company as much as I do with yours," I said as I was turning away from him. I heard him cursed under his breath before he stopped me with his hand on my arm.

Desire flared inside me as it settled on my stomach. I have never been with anyone and I think my dry spell was working against me. I cannot say that I was not attracted to my husband because he was a handsome man, but we were exchanging marriage for our benefits.

"Do you see how many females on this site?" Brad asked me as he turned me to look at me in the eyes. I looked around. All the workers were males and they were somehow eyeing me even though they thought I did not notice.

I nodded at Brad.

"And do you know why I have to use my surname when I addressed you to Owen, my supervisor?" He asked before I was looking into his caramel eyes. When we were under the sun, his eyes were even lighter and I can see the lines in the iris. I shook my head.

"This is the excavation site. Not a campus of your university. In this reality, people did not care what they do to each other. Those males have been in the sun day in and night for whole 2 weeks without seeing another female in the flash. Let alone touch one. So do you get what I was suggesting here?" Brad asked as I was looking into his eyes. I can see the intensity of his statement right now.

"You mean they would sexually harass me if I lead them on?" I asked as if I wanted to make sure that I understood. He gripped me even tighter but not too tight.

"Yes,"

"And if you flaunt your name as I belong to you, they will not do that?" I asked. He sighed as he closed his eyes for a while before looking into my eyes again.

"They will see death in their way when they set their eyes on mine," he growled as I can sense the workers were watching our interactions.

Mine.

The heat that settled on my stomach was not heated in someplace else. It was aching and needy as I was breathing heavily when our scents combined like it did in the tent.

"And how do they know that I belong to you that they will not touch me when I will be here for an entire week?" I asked as my voice dropped with huskiness. Brad's gaze was not on my eyes now but he was looking at something else as his lashes lowered.

My lips.

"Because they will be witnessing this," he said before he did something that will leave an image for the world to see.

He kissed me.