14. Summer
Summer
A knock on the door had me groaning into my pillow.
“Summer! Wake up! It’s Christmas!” Bianca’s excited voice filtered through the wooden barrier.
Technically, I had the day off, but after only a few weeks, my heart already belonged to those little girls, and I couldn’t bear the thought of turning them away.
“Come on in,” I called out hoarsely, the words burning like fire against my raw throat.
The door was flung open, and tiny footsteps preceded the dip in my mattress as Bianca climbed into bed with me. There had been more mornings than I could count that started exactly like this, so I didn’t think anything of lifting the blankets to let her snuggle underneath them with me.
That was, until I realized what I was wearing.
An almost silent gasp tore up my throat when I gazed upon the oversized white T-shirt that was bunched around my bare thighs. Covertly reaching a hand down to tug it lower only confirmed I wasn’t wearing any panties beneath it. And there was no denying that Matteo’s scent clung to the fabric.
The tail end of last night was a blur after receiving a life-altering orgasm, courtesy of a loaded gun wielded by the hottest man I’d ever met. The last thing I could remember was being in the bath with Matteo.
“Morning.” The single word uttered by a sleep-roughened male voice had me bolting upright in bed.
Big mistake.
It was impossible to contain the pained whimper that flew past my lips when the sudden movement aggravated the soreness between my legs.
My eyes flew immediately to the man leaning against the wall at the threshold of my bedroom.
His brows pinched together as he mouthed, You okay ?
I gave a weak nod, and heat crept onto my cheeks as I drank in the sight of him.
Holy hell, it should be illegal how incredible he looked in a T-shirt and flannel pajama pants, his dark hair mussed from sleep. Add in the baby on his hip, and my ovaries were on the verge of exploding.
“Summer?”
Even though Bianca’s concerned voice demanded my attention, it took all my strength to tear my eyes away from the sexy billionaire who—if memory served—claimed me as his last night.
Smoothing a hand over her tangled hair, I plastered a bright smile onto my face. “What’s up, B?”
She blinked up at me with those big brown eyes. “Are you hurt?”
“No, honey. Just sat up too quickly,” I reassured her.
The worry lines on her forehead melted away. Then she looked at her father and declared, “Papa has a boo boo.”
My head whipped around, and the tiniest smirk tipped up on the corner of his lips as he showed off the large bandage covering most of his right forearm.
“Had a little run-in with a set of claws,” he explained.
Wait. Did I mention the cat to him? And if it scratched him that badly, we had a big problem. The people at the shelter told me she was a total sweetheart and would be perfect for young children.
Great, that was the last thing I needed. For Bianca to become attached to an animal that was meant to provide her with emotional support during a turbulent time in her young life, only to have to tear it away.
I’d wanted it to be this big surprise from Santa, but now I was beginning to rethink not taking the girls with me to the shelter so that we could find a cat that would be the perfect fit.
Bianca bounced on her knees, each jolt of the mattress sending a shockwave through my tender lady bits. “Can you do my hair? Like those bow pigtails you showed me?”
“Sure. Go get your brush, the detangling spray, and the hair ties from your bathroom.”
She was off in a flash, leaving me alone—well, alone-ish, considering Serafina didn’t provide much of a buffer—with Matteo.
The sexiest fucking grin was aimed in my direction before he asked, “Sleep well?”
“Uh, yeah, I think so.” My fingers toyed with the ends of my hair. “What time is it, anyway?”
“A little before six.”
At that news, I collapsed against the mattress with a groan.
His deep chuckle had my thighs clenching. “Kids don’t mess around on Christmas morning.”
“Apparently not,” I muttered, throwing an arm over my eyes. I was going to need either a gallon of caffeine or a nap to make it through the whole day.
It was on the tip of my tongue to ask why I was wearing his shirt sans panties when Bianca’s voice announced her return.
“I got everything!”
Gingerly, I sat up, spreading my legs beneath the blankets so Bianca could settle between them while I did her hair in the style she’d requested.
Ever since the first time I gave her braids, she’d become obsessed with watching video tutorials showcasing all kinds of elaborate designs.
When I came across one that featured pigtails that twisted the hair to cap them off with the cutest little bows, I suggested it to Bianca as the perfect Christmas hairstyle.
Did I imagine doing them before dawn? No, but living with kids was teaching me that you had to roll with the punches.
“I’ll leave you ladies to it.” Matteo punctuated his departure with a knock on the doorframe.
“Don’t go down without us, Papa!” Bianca cried out to his retreating form.
He turned around and used his free hand to draw an X over his chest. “Cross my heart, principessa .”
Seemingly satisfied, the little girl stopped wiggling and let me tend to the many knots she’d acquired in her dark tresses overnight.
The rhythmic motion of the brush combing through her hair was calming, but it wasn’t enough to quiet the thoughts plaguing my mind.
Last night had changed everything. Only time would tell if that meant for the better or for the worse.
Sending Bianca in search of her dad gave me a few minutes to get dressed.
Slipping out of bed, I rushed to the closet.
But when my fingers gripped the hem of what was undoubtedly Matteo’s shirt, I couldn’t force myself to remove it.
So I elected to throw on a sweatshirt to conceal it from his view while still allowing myself the comfort of his scent, before pulling on a pair of leggings.
Then, I was practically dragged down the main staircase by an overly excited four-year-old, trying not to wince with every step.
Her squeal when we rounded the corner to the family room brought a smile to my face.
I’d enlisted the help of the rest of the staff to collect enough large boxes to build what looked like a train, each car overflowing with presents.
The hours spent constructing it last night were well worth it as I witnessed the wonder in Bianca’s eyes.
These girls wouldn’t stay little forever, and I had zero regrets over going all out.
My heart nearly leapt out of my chest when an arm curled around my waist. Then came the hot words in my ear. “I don’t like being lied to, dolcezza .”
“Huh?” When did I lie?
“You’re in pain and trying to hide it.”
Oh, that.
I mean, what did he want me to say? The man practically destroyed my pussy with a gun no less than four hours ago. Of course I was in pain. It would be a damn miracle if my insides weren’t ripped to shreds as a result. Not that I had any interest in poking around down there to find out.
Swallowing, I kept my eyes on Bianca, who was sorting the packages labeled for her and her sister. Voice low, I replied to Matteo. “Would you rather I be screaming in agony?”
His resulting chuckle had my toes curling into the carpet. “The only thing I’m interested in hearing you scream is my name.”
Well, I certainly did plenty of that last night.
“Not sure that’s appropriate in front of your daughters.”
“Probably not,” he agreed, his lips brushing my skin with every word. “But I’ll be counting down the seconds until the next time I get to hear my new favorite sound.”
Suddenly, I was in danger of overheating.
The hand on my waist traveled south until it gripped a fistful of my spandex-covered ass before giving it a firm tap. “On the couch. Feet up.”
Turning my head, I dared to look at him, and it was a wonder I didn’t burst into flames, because that man had aimed the full force of his smolder in my direction. Damn, he was gorgeous.
“Not sure if anyone told you, but I’m off the clock today, Mr. Bellini.”
He let out a low warning growl before his fingers gripped my chin roughly. “That wasn’t me giving orders as your boss, Summer. That was me taking care of what’s mine .”
My brain short-circuited. How the hell did you argue with that?
At a loss for words, with my mouth hanging open, I managed an “uh-huh” before my feet moved automatically toward the couch, and once I sat down, I tucked them underneath me as instructed.
Eyes blazing, Matteo mouthed, Good girl.
Oh dear sweet baby Jesus.
Like he could turn it on and off at will, the expression conveying pure carnal need vanished from his face, replaced with one conveying a father’s affection. “All right, principessa , what has Santa brought you?”
Matteo lowered himself to the ground, propping Serafina between his spread-open thighs and placing a wrapped package before her.
The baby girl slapped at the box, her fine motor skills not yet developed enough to remove the paper. But she was perfectly content to watch on as her older sister began tearing into her massive mountain of gifts.
Bianca’s pure joy was infectious, and more than once, Matteo’s eyes lifted to meet mine when I let laughter spill into the air.
Once she’d opened all of her presents, Bianca was more than happy to help open Serafina’s as well. Then came the begging for her father to break into the boxes containing toys so she could play.
Mesmerized, I watched as Matteo’s big hands ripped the cardboard apart effortlessly.
Those hands could definitely do some damage. Probably leave some decent bruises.
The room had quieted enough with Bianca occupied by her new dolls that the tiniest meow could be heard.
Matteo’s head turned in that direction. “What was that?”
Bianca didn’t waste any time running in the direction of the train’s caboose, where my surprise gift was contained.
“It’s a kitty!”