Chapter 15
T he article about Matteo and me was followed by a couple of emails asking for interviews. Mia had replied and set a time to meet.
“They want to know more about your relationship with him.” Mia said as we headed to the interview.
I scoffed. “I don’t have a relationship with him. He was showing me his art.” There would never be a relationship with him. I wasn’t his love interest; I was his food source. “I’m a musician with an art degree. That’s all. I’m allowed to talk to male artists without there being more to it.”
Mia giggled. “You had your arm tucked into his. We can’t blame them for thinking there was something romantic. You two were so wrapped up in each other, it’s as if no one else existed.”
It bothered me that it was already at the level that I had to handle it. Curious as to whether Matteo had seen the article, I sighed.
Lilith tapped my arm lightly. “Something good can come of this. Trust me. We can use this as promo. Get word of our existence out there. People read the article, next thing they’re looking up who Roses and Thorns are and buying our albums.” Her eyes lit up. “Albums. Plural. Gavin should be finished with the music video in the next couple of days, too.”
Mia cleared her throat. “You know, it’s very likely Matteo saw that article. What will you do if he’s there, too? They could have invited him. Put you in the room together.”
My heart kicked against my ribs. It wasn’t as if I’d be alone with him. “I don’t know. I’ll deal with that if I need to.”
“We should probably pick up our pace,” Lilith quickened her steps. “We’re twenty minutes late.”
We stopped outside the magazine office. “Okay, here goes nothing.” I uttered.
Inside, we waited for the journalist who’d emailed us.
“Thank you for agreeing to meet,” she said. “I’m Natalie. We’ll get started soon.” She walked out of the room, leaving me with Mia and Lilith.
“Don’t look so terrified,” Lilith whispered. “It’s okay. She’ll probably just ask how you know him, all that stuff.”
I took a sip of coffee, my foot tapping. Mia pushed my leg to make me stop. “You really have no reason to be nervous,” she said. “You keep doing that, she’ll think you’re hiding something. ”
Five minutes passed, and I started to get impatient.
“Do you reckon she’s making us wait because I was late?” I asked.
Two people were talking as they neared the office. Natalie’s voice was one, the other a male with an Italian accent. I knew that voice.
“Shit!” I cursed, “No fucking way!”
“What?” Mia and Lilith asked in unison.
Panic swept over me, and I made way for the door. It opened, and Matteo stood in the doorway, wearing his usual black jeans and black tee-shirt. Only this time he wore a jacket. His brown eyes met mine and he showed genuine joy, his mouth widening into a smile. That damn mouth! I tore my focus away but found myself trapped in his gaze again.
“Quinn.” His voice was warm and friendly, and my heart melted slightly.
In the light of day, with him standing right in front of me, I could almost forget he was a vampire. Almost. I stepped back, trying to force down my absolute terror. Please don’t hurt me.
He reached for my face, his thumb stroking my cheek. “Be calm,” he whispered so softly I wasn’t sure I had really heard him.
No sooner had he spoken the words when a wave of peace washed over me, spreading outward from my chest. I took a deep breath. Someone cleared their throat, and I glanced up to find Natalie watching us.
“Should we start, then?” Natalie asked.
“Okay,” my mind was foggy, and I wasn’t sure if I was going into shock, or what had just happened. I backed away, licking my lips as I took my seat again.
‘ I’m sorry, little cantante, I had no choice but to calm you. ’ His voice was inside my head.
I should have felt anger that he’d invaded my mind like that. But I couldn’t find it in me to. He’d removed my fear or something and I felt perfectly calm. He sat opposite me.
Lilith, on the other hand, was not impressed. “You ambushed her,” she accused Natalie. “You spoke nothing of this when we agreed to meet with you.”
“You didn’t know?” Matteo frowned. “I’m sorry, I thought you had agreed to all of us meeting.”
The way his eyes focused on my face and softened, I believed him.
“It’s fine,” I claimed. “Ask your questions.”
Natalie grabbed a notebook and pen, crossing one leg over the other. “Thank you both for coming in today.” She eyed Lilith and Mia. “And I appreciate you two being here as well. I’ve heard that the three of you are a close band.”
“Lilith handles the business side of things, and Mia social media.” I explained. “Anything band-related involves all of us.” I resisted the urge to glance at Matteo again. Instead, I focused on Natalie, while his gaze burned into me.
“Have you known Matteo Barone for long?” she pressed.
“I can’t say I actually really know him,” I admitted. “We’ve met twice. The first time at The Underground, where my band was playing. I was surprised to see him again at the gallery. Even more so to find out he was an artist and owned the place.” I shot a smile across at Matteo then. “He wanted to show off his work, and I had studied art at uni. I wasn’t about to say no. I could talk about music and art all day with anyone.” And his eyes.
Natalie stared at me, and I thought I saw disappointment in her. “You’d never seen him before?”
I tried not to let out an impatient sigh. She was clearly unhappy over the lack of excitement in her story.
“I’m sorry, Natalie, I don’t know what else to tell you. I don’t really know the guy.” I addressed Matteo. “No offence.” I was impressed with my ability to sound so flippant.
“None taken,” he said, his voice sending shivers down my spine.
“So you only met twice, but he’s clearly thought of you after your first meeting and taken the time to paint you.”
Oh shit. That painting. I’d forgotten about that. The very reason I’d gone to find him, only to interrupt him drinking some poor artist’s blood.
“I was inspired,” he said. “I saw a fellow artist and couldn’t resist painting her afterwards.” He gave me a small smile. “I learned afterwards that I should have asked, both before I painted her, and before I put the painting on display. We did not part on happy terms that night, and I do regret the upset that I caused.”
“Aww,” Mia’s reaction almost made me laugh.
I melted at his words. “All good,” I said. “I think I could have reacted better that night.”
Natalie was watching us closely. “For two people who don’t know each other, there are some deep vibes here,” she challenged. She was still digging for a story that wasn’t there. She glared at Matteo. “You’re telling me, there was nothing more than inspiration after you met her, and that you didn’t know she’d be at your opening where a painting of her was on display.”
“She said it herself,” he replied in a calm tone. “We met twice, and I do not know her. I’m an artist, I paint what I’m drawn to paint.”
I wondered if Natalie was about to lose it. Her face had reddened, and she returned her notebook to the table.
“But I’d like to get to know you.” I had not expected those words, and my mouth dropped open. He continued. “Please accept my invitation and let me take you out for dinner. I promise I won’t bite.”