Chapter 17
MATTEO
“You’re off-theme tonight,” Preston tells us as Alexei and I approach him. He’s dressed as Cupid, a toga revealing a sculpted pec and his impressive biceps.
Needless to say, Alexei and I weren’t in the Valentine’s Day spirit when we planned to meet up with him, and though Alexei pushed for something a little more private, Preston insisted the party would be a good time to chat.
Of course, he’s assuming Alexei is meeting him to discuss whatever Preston wanted to talk to him about the other day, not that Alexei has been speaking with the enemy.
Preston’s brow furrows. “Your face looks a little better.”
“That’s actually what I’m here to talk to you about,” Alexei says. “Can we go somewhere more private?”
There’s something mischievous in Preston’s expression as he smirks. “Of course. Come on.”
He starts to lead us through the crowd, but then stops and turns, noticing I’m still behind them. “Eh…I assume I don’t have to tell you that Matteo can’t come with us.”
“He already knows, Preston.”
I study Preston’s expression, gauging his reaction, but it remains unchanged as he glances between us, and without any indication of his feelings about the news, he turns back around and continues through the house.
Alexei and I follow him to the second floor.
Preston guides us into his room, and Alexei closes the door behind us.
As soon as we’re alone with the guy, I’m glad I pushed to come.
Alexei had insisted it might be better to do it on his own, but that wasn’t happening.
The past few weeks I’ve spent time with him, I’ve felt so protective, and it’s only getting worse the more time we spend together.
The guy can clearly take care of himself, but he shouldn’t have to.
He’s a good guy who deserves to have someone to back him up.
And really, Preston and his friends shouldn’t have ever put him in this situation to begin with.
“You wanna tell me what’s going on, Alexei?”
Alexei just goes for it. “The Sinners know.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I was frustrated because you guys weren’t following through with your end of the deal, so I got images from Spencer’s notebook and tried a spell. Basically, it did some fucked-up shit to Matteo, and the Sinners found out, and now I’m here because we have some things we need to sort out.”
I’m waiting for Preston to explode into a violent rage, or at least launch an onslaught of questions after that reveal, but he closes his eyes and nods. “Okay, what is going on?” he asks as he opens his eyes.
His question throws me, and so does the chill way he’s asking it.
“Alexei, are you trying to punk me?”
“What?”
“What notebook did you get from Spencer? And what’s the—what did you call it—Sinners?”
If he’s pretending, he’s doing an excellent job because it’s got me questioning everything I assumed coming into this, but Alexei’s wide-eyed reaction assures me something’s up.
“Why are you acting like this?” Alexei asks. “I told you. Matteo knows. He’s experienced this stuff for himself, so cut the act.”
“Act? You go off about a spell and shit, and I’m the one putting on an act?”
“Quit it, Preston,” I chime in. “I saw what was in that notebook with my own eyes.”
“How the fuck would I know what Spencer’s into? What does that have to do with me?”
“Okay, clearly, this isn’t getting us anywhere,” Alexei says.
“I talked to the Sinners. I didn’t name anyone in the Saints because I didn’t think that would be right.
I did have to say there was a group of guys on campus who knew about the Rift besides them.
I had to do this because Brad woke up the other night and found Matteo possessed by a dead serial killer.
The Sinners think if we team up, we might be able to figure this out. ”
Preston stands there, wincing. “This some kind of role-play?”
“Pres, come on,” I say. “Why the fuck else did you want to meet with Alexei here if not to talk about this shit?”
Preston stares me down, taking a few moments too long to come up with an answer—the first crack in his impressive facade.
“I didn’t want to have to share this, which is why I didn’t want you coming up here, but since Alexei’s lost his fucking mind, I guess you should know I thought I might interest him in some extra weed I bought.
And based on everything I’ve just heard, I’m guessing you don’t need any.
But whatever you’re doing, it’s not my problem, and it doesn’t have anything to do with me or anyone else at Alpha Alpha Mu. ”
He directs those last comments to Alexei, like he’s sending the message that whatever happened with that spell isn’t his or the Saints’ problem.
“Preston, please,” Alexei says. “We need to work together with the Sinners. They say something horrible is coming, and it’s worse than that monster we all saw in the woods. If they’re right, we need to—”
“I think you need to leave,” Preston says. “And since you’re not wearing costumes, maybe just go right back to the dorms. Kind of missing the spirit, aren’t you?”
Alexei and I exchange a look. We’re not getting anywhere with Preston, so we head out. We’re quiet until we get to the front drive.
“That was not how I was expecting that to go down,” I say, tucking my hands into my pockets to keep warm. “Maybe you were right. Maybe I shouldn’t have come.”
“I don’t think that was all for you. I think because I betrayed them, he’s icing me out.”
“So what’s the plan now?”
“Maybe I’ll reach out to the other guys. Or maybe Preston just needs time to think about everything I said. I don’t know, but I have this horrible feeling this isn’t gonna go well.”
“Funny. I have that feeling too.” It’s a tension in my gut, twisting and constricting. A dread that this is all just the fucking beginning.
When we get back to the dorms, we head into Alexei and Luke’s room.
After our meeting with the Sinners, Brad thought it’d be a good idea if I stayed with Alexei and Luke with him until we resolved all this.
Even if Brad hadn’t suggested it, I would have.
I don’t trust Luke alone with Alexei any more than Brad trusts me alone with Luke.
Not with all these questions and unknowns lingering.
So we each packed up some belongings that could last us for a few days.
“I should do some homework,” Alexei says. “I have a project due on Monday, and I don’t know how the hell I’m gonna think my way through it with all this distracting me.” He bites his bottom lip.
Damn, how does he make something so subtle look so fucking sexy?
It’s wild. I never would have thought twice about him doing this before we started messing around, but now I’m fucking obsessed.
“Maybe I should text Preston and explain a little more,” Alexei says. “He wasn’t listening. Or like I said, I could try Spencer or Finnegan or Gage. They might be easier to reason with.”
“Hey, hey,” I say, approaching him. Instinctively, I place my hands on his arms. I’m waiting for him to pull away, but his gaze meets mine. “We can give Preston a night to think about what you said. It’s not gonna help shooting off anything while he’s in a mood.”
His tense jaw relaxes. “You’re right.”
“Let him cool off. Then we’ll try again, and if he won’t listen, we’ll try to break through to one of the others.”
He nods. I don’t have any reason to still be holding his arms, and he must know this, but I don’t want to let go. And he’s still not pulling away.
I step closer, and his gaze fixates on my mouth, like he knows what I want without me having to say it.
But not just yet.
“There are some things we’re not gonna solve tonight,” I say. “So why don’t we accept that and focus on what we can do?”
“I don’t know that what’s happening between us is something I really understand.”
“I don’t either, but the more important question is, what are we planning to do about it?”
Alexei chuckles, breaking eye contact. “If this is your way of saying you wanna mess around again, I’m down for that.”
How can I not smile at that? “I do like the idea of fucking you again, but that’s not what I meant.”
His eyebrows shift.
“That stuff’s…beyond fun, but I like you. I enjoy spending time with you, getting to know you.”
A smile plays across his lips, making me think I’m not alone in my feelings. “God, all this shit, and you got me smiling because you like me.”
“Don’t pretend you don’t like me.”
“I’ve always thought of you as Mr. One-Night Stand…”
“I guess I proved you wrong since we’ve already slept together twice.”
“One of those was during the day,” he quips.
“Fucker.”
He laughs. Even that fucking laugh gets me going.
I release his arm, raise my hand to his face, and run my knuckles along his cheek.
He relaxes into my touch. “Funny. This should be more confusing than it is, but I’m not confused when you’re touching me.”
“Me neither.”
I can’t hold back anymore, and nearly as soon as I move toward him, he’s coming at me before our lips are mashed against one another’s.
I hook my arms around him, pulling his torso against mine as I savor his delicious mouth.
There’s something so nice about how messing around with him distracts me, but this isn’t like the other day, when I was desperate and needing him to take me away from my pain.
There’s a calm now. He knows my darkest shit, and I know his. We don’t have to hide these things. And we don’t judge each other for it either.
I draw him to his bed, guiding us onto it until I’m on my knees between his legs. “This…is a familiar…position,” I tease between kisses, and his eyes light up.
“In case that wasn’t clear enough for you,” he says, “I like you too.”
He’s got me laughing again, but also, pride swells in my chest. I didn’t even realize how much I wanted to hear those words until he spoke them.
I lean close to his mouth, running my lips against his.
“Stop being a tease,” he says.
“This is just the first part I’m planning to tease tonight.”