Chapter 20
Chapter
Twenty
WREN
U h, what?
“There is no you and me, Matteo,” I say as slowly as I possibly can, my last ditch effort to get it through his thick fucking skull. I mean, honestly, this man has lost it.
“Then you should have listened to what that piece of shit told you and not have stopped and helped me.” The bastard has the audacity to smirk. “Unfortunately for you, I’m not Doc Brown and have yet to master the art of time travel.”
“How was I supposed to know that you’re in the Mafia?!” I shriek. I’m going to lose it.
“Most people know who I am, Wren.”
“I hate you.” I narrow my eyes at him. I hate that he’s right. I should have known who he was. I’ve heard his name thrown around only a million times. In my defense, though, I’ve never seen his face. So why would I assume some random stranger who crashed a car worth more money than everything I owned combined is the head of the mob?
“You can say you hate me until you’re blue in the face, tesoro , but your body doesn’t lie.”
A long sigh escapes me. There’s no winning with this man.
“Now, let’s circle back to you, not telling me everything about the night of the accident,” Matteo says as he once again pats the spot next to him on the bed. “Tell me what you left out.”
There’s something about his tone that I don’t like. There’s an edge to it. Almost like he thinks I left things out on purpose. “I didn’t lie to you or omit anything.”
“I never said you did.”
“Your tone says otherwise,” I fire back.
“Jesus fucking Christ, Wren. Stop stalling. Tell me what the fuck happened,” Matteo snaps.
“Alright, alright. No need to get snippy,” I say as I sit next to him on the bed.
“You’re seriously the most infuriating woman I have ever met.” Matteo releases a deep sigh as he raggedly runs his hands through his hair. “Please, for the love of God, just fucking spit it out.”
I guess I’ll throw the man a bone.
“I didn’t mean to leave anything out.” I pause as Matteo shoots me a look. I raise my eyebrows right back at him. “I was overwhelmed! Your brother isn’t exactly the most friendly person. He honestly scared the shit out of me. Plus, I was kind of a little more worried about you, you know, not dying.”
“Greatly appreciated.” The corner of Matteo’s lip turns up ever so slightly. “You followed directions then; why can’t you do that now?”
“Okay, smartass. I only followed directions then because I didn’t want karma to do something freaky and fuck me sideways.” Clearly, that’s panning out really well for me.
“Not this again.” Matteo groans and tips his head back. I can’t help but smirk. There’s just something about poking the bear, or in this case, the Mafia boss, that gives me a rush. “I’m glad you find this whole thing so funny.”
“I like seeing you not so composed.” I smile as best I can without it hurting. This busted lip still hurts like a bitch when the skin gets pulled tight.
Matteo sighs, “That seems to be a common occurrence when you’re involved.”
My belly does a little flutter at that. I shouldn’t like that I’m able to throw the Mafia boss off-kilter, but I do. I like that I have that effect on him.
“Okay, but for real, I honestly didn’t remember any of this until that night when he broke into my place.”
Matteo’s head flies back up. “Explain.”
“When he was, uh, attacking me.” I swallow. This is harder to relive than I thought. Matteo’s hand slides onto my upper thigh, giving it a reassuring squeeze. I give him a wobbly smile before continuing. “He just made a comment about how I shouldn’t have stopped and helped. That I was going to pay. I mean, I don’t know for sure if it was about you and what happened, but you’re the only person that I’ve helped out that wasn’t Delaney in, like, the last year, so…”
Matteo’s hand flexes on my thigh. “Do you remember anything else?”
“No.” I wince. “I’m sorry. I really am. I promise I’ll let you know if anything else randomly flashes back through.”
“Alright, tesoro. I trust you.”
My breath catches in my throat. I know a guy like him, especially in the line of work that he’s in, doesn't trust easily. It sounds so stupid, but I feel like he just gave me the world. A girl could easily give her heart away to a man like him. He’s so easy to get wrapped up in, and that’s so fucking scary. The last thing I need is to be left putting the pieces back together after he moves on to his next fixation.
“Thank you,” I murmur, unable to meet his gaze.
“You’re welcome,” Matteo answers just as softly. “Let’s go to bed. I want you to take some of the pills Aldo left you too. You need to rest.”
“Alright.” I’m too tired to argue with him now. I don’t miss the shock that flashes through his eyes at my agreement. “Can I shower really quick? I always feel greasy after my shifts.”
“You can do whatever you want,” Matteo replies as he stands up and starts unbuttoning his shirt. “My home is your home.”
I quickly avert my gaze, focusing on anything but him, as I jump up, grabbing my suitcase and beelining it to the bathroom. My cheeks are on fire at the thought of a shirtless Matteo. I need to take a cold shower—a very cold shower.
The hot water of the shower made me realize how exhausted I really am. I’ve been running on fumes and adrenaline for the last few weeks, and I didn’t even realize it until now. I imagine Matteo’s bed is going to feel like I’m sleeping at a five-star hotel. The pillows look like those huge fluffy ones that just cradle your head. Is it bad that I’m secretly hoping I’ll get to sleep with his arms around me?
With my suitcase in tow, I exit the bathroom to find a shirtless Matteo in only a pair of dark gray boxer briefs sitting on the edge of his side of the bed.
Jesus.
Does every piece of clothing this man owns mold to him? The dark gray color of the fabric emphasizes his thick cock even more than his tailored slacks.
“See something you like, tesoro ?” My gaze shoots up to his face to see his cocky smirk.
Busted.
“No,” I rush out, face on fire. I wheel my suitcase over to what I’m assuming is my side of the bed and push it up against the wall.
“Here.” A cotton T-shirt is thrown at me, landing on the bed. Meeting his stare, I raise my eyebrow in question. “To sleep in” is his simple response.
“I already have something to sleep in.” I move my hands up and down my body. “I packed a bag, remember?” I know I didn’t dream of him demanding and barking orders at me only a few hours prior.
“I know. And now I’m telling you to put that on.”
“Why?”
“Because when you’re in my bed, Wren, you wear my shirt,” he says in a tone that leaves no room for arguments.
Ugh, I’m too tired to deal with these mood swings. “Fine,” I snap, grabbing the shirt off the bed and heading back to the bathroom to change. I hate that he’s picked up on the little detail that I like to sleep in baggy shirts. I thought guys weren’t supposed to notice shit like that.
The cotton feels incredibly soft against my skin. Inhaling deeply, I take in Matteo’s warm and spicy scent. It’s a smell that instantly makes me want to take him for a ride.
A rumbling noise is coming from Matteo as he takes me as I cut the short distance between the bathroom and the bed.
“I love seeing you in my shirt. This is what you’ll wear every night.” He growls.
“I’ll think about it.” I yawn, crawling under the fluffy duvet.
I’m not left waiting more than a few seconds after I’m settled before Mateo slings his arm around me, pulling me in close.
“Go to sleep, tesoro, ” he mumbles against my head. I wait until I hear his breathing even out before I finally ask the question I’ve been meaning to ask him for a while now.
“Matteo?” I whisper, half hoping he’s asleep.
“Yeah?” he whispers back.
“What does tesoro mean?”
There’s a long pause before he answers in the same whisper.
“It means “my treasure.”
Strike me dead. Did my heart stop?
That was the first night in a long time that I fell asleep and actually felt like everything was going to be alright.