Chapter 15 Mateo
MATEO
In the few days before we left Monaco to head to Canada, I spent a lot of time with Rosa, but it still didn’t feel like enough. Whenever I was with her, I felt like I was in heaven. I felt happy and…carefree. An emotion I haven’t felt in a while.
We also helped Nathan recover. He got lost that night and spent it not at his home, obviously. We managed to find him, but now I wish we hadn’t. Since I filled him in on the details about Rosa, he doesn’t leave me alone. He’s dancing on my nerves, that little idiot.
He always asks for—no, demands—updates, whether we already held hands or looked into each other’s eyes. I think he suspects that I’m actually starting to like her.
Now, we’re in Canada. Tomorrow’s media day, so I should head to bed early, but I have other plans.
I worked up the courage to ask Rosa on a date while we were still in Monaco, and tonight’s the night.
She laughed in my face at first, which hurt a little, but it did sound ridiculous, I’ll give her that.
I’m trying to get ready for the date, but Nathan is constantly interrupting me with texts. It probably doesn’t help that I keep nagging him to help me, since I have no idea what to wear. Thank god I know what to do with my hair, which is the only thing keeping me grounded right now.
I feel like a goddamn schoolboy getting ready for his first ever date. I’m taking her to an Italian restaurant in the suburbs of Toronto, one that’s not too crowded, so she won’t get overwhelmed. I don’t want to look like a fuckboy, or a homeless person.
Lucky me, I didn’t plan on having a date, so I had to go on a shopping spree because I didn’t like any clothes I had. I get annoyed by the sound of my friend’s notifications, so I call him.
“Were you waiting for me to call you?” I laugh as he answers right away.
“I didn’t want to bother you with a call, but I was getting tired of texting.” I hear him plop down somewhere. He’s probably in the hotel room.
“I’m in desperate need of your help, Nathan.” I let out a sigh and click on the video call icon. “I don’t know what to wear.”
“Uh… I think this is good. She’s gonna love this.” He says it with such seriousness, I can’t help but laugh. I’m still in my underwear. “Alright, show me the options.”
I went over three outfits; that’s all I managed to gather on the shopping spree at the mall. I was too indecisive, but I didn’t want to buy the whole store.
“I like the full black the most, but it also feels like I’m going to a funeral.” Now he laughs. I’m glad you’re enjoying my suffering, amigo.
“No, that’s the best. And leave two buttons open. Maybe three. And don’t forget your cologne.” I put on the outfit while still talking to him.
We might not race in the same colors, but we’re still best friends. It’s been two years since I signed with another team, but our friendship is still as strong, if not more. I’m lucky to have him.
“Yes, sir.” He lets out a chuckle, one that never fails to make me smile. He’s the kind of person who's full of life and can cheer you up anytime. “How do I look?” I step further from the camera so he can see the full outfit on me.
“Fabulous, amigo. Magnificent. You can save the dessert for home.” He winks, and I let out a laugh. He loves to joke around.
“I’ll leave that decision to her.” I head to the bathroom to finish my hair and trim my facial hair.
“What a gentleman… But trust me, this outfit is going to convince her.”
“Final look.” I step away from the camera again, and the only response I get is a long, loud whistle. “Alright, wish me luck. I want to be there earlier.”
“Are you gonna pick her up?”
“Technically not me, but yes.”
“You asked for a limo? You dirty dog.” I gotta swoon her somehow in case she ends up not liking the real me.
“I know. Okay, I gotta go. Talk to you later, amigo.” I give him a salute, and after he’s done the same, we hang up.
I texted Rosa that I’m leaving in ten, so she has enough time to buckle up. I spray myself with my cologne and brush my teeth, just in case. Well, gum can’t hurt either, so I put a pack in my coat.
Fifteen minutes later, I’m waiting at her hotel’s entrance.
Half the drivers are staying in this hotel, and the other half are staying at the same place as me.
It’s good that they’re so close to each other, we already reserved dinner at Liam’s room for another night.
With six world championships, it’s not hard to secure a suite.
The moment I spot her walking out the door, I have to lean back on the car a little, because my legs have stopped working. After I manage to restart my wobbly, jello-like legs, I stride closer to meet her halfway.
“Hermosa…” She chuckles, and the sound warms up everything inside me. Wow, way to go, Mateo, way to go. Greeting her with one word.
“Thank you. You look quite nice, also.” She grins and I return the look.
“Thank you. Shall we go then?” I hold my hand out to her, and my skin buzzes when she puts her hand in mine. So soft… It would feel so good around my— No. Mateo. Behave. Not now, not yet.
The ride to the restaurant is quiet. I’m guessing both of us are nervous. Her hands are still resting in mine, but now she has them intertwined. It feels more intimate, but in a good way.
After we arrive, the waitress takes us to the reserved table, a more private one that is secluded from the rest of the restaurant. I didn’t want anything to interrupt our date, so I made sure we were not in the spotlight.
“Do you know what you would like to drink?” the waitress asks after we sit down.
“I’d like a glass of red wine, please.” Rosa smiles back at her, then at me, waiting for my order.
“I’ll have the same.” The waitress nods and leaves to give us time to decide on the food.
“You don’t mind that I’ll drink, do you?” I furrow my eyebrows at her question.
“Why would I mind? You’re an adult, you do whatever you want, Rosa.” She smiles at me again, then starts inspecting the menu, but she looks back up at me, and now it looks like she’s inspecting me.
“What?” I ask, trying to hide the unease in my voice. Is there something on my face?
“Nothing. You just look really good in all black.” I bite the inside of my mouth, trying not to show the embarrassment on my face. Why do I react like this to her? It’s not easy to make me blush, but her… One compliment, and I’m done.
“Thank you. I have to say, red is definitely your color.” I throw the compliment back at her, mesmerized by the way she looks. I wonder if she put this sexy red dress on because I race in red.
With a blink of an eye, the date goes by. It’s so easy to talk to her, I don’t even notice when we’ve already finished our food, and now we’re just fidgeting with the glass in our hands. Wine helped both of us ease up, and since then we haven’t been able to stop talking.
I got to know her more, and I tried to talk about myself as well, but I let her talk more. I’m not very comfortable talking about myself or my past to strangers, even though she doesn’t really count as a stranger anymore. She’ll get to know me when it’s time.
There’s a couple of seconds without us talking, indicating that it’s time to finish the date, even when it’s the last thing I want to do. I wish she would come back with me. I’ve been dying to at least kiss her again since that little stunt she pulled in Monaco.
“Do you want to go for a walk?” Her eyes light up at my question, and starts nodding in excitement. Glad to know she was enjoying herself too.
Our hotels are damn far away on foot, so after I paid, I told my driver to stay somewhere near. It’s funny how it would be a three-hour walk, but with a car, it’s only 20 minutes. I love Toronto and its hills.
As we start wandering around, I see her shiver a couple of times. The weather’s not very cold, but it’s not too warm either. She came in a backless dress, but now she put on her coat too, which doesn’t seem very thick.
I stopped her so I could give her my coat before she could protest. I help her put it on, and she looks like an adorable stuffed animal. She’s not much shorter than me, but this oversized coat still looks big on her.
“So… Are you ready for the weekend?” she asks, trying to break the comforting silence as we continue our walk.
“I think so. We had a little bit more time to prepare, so yeah. I think we are.” I smile at her.
“But are you?” It’s a nice feeling when people actually want to know about you.
“Not until I get another sweet kiss from you,” I smirk at her. I’m half joking, half serious. It’s impossible to get that kiss out of my system. It consumed me in every single way. Swallowed me whole.
“As a good luck?”
“No. As a motivation.” We stop again, and I look into her eyes as my hands gently grab her waist. I wait a couple of seconds to give her time to push me away, but when she doesn’t, I pull her closer and tighten my grip.
She’s so fucking beautiful. One look, and I turn into a puddle. God, what is this woman doing to me…
One of her hands slowly snakes up into my hair, while the other finds its way under my collar, playing around my neck. Oh, she knows what she’s doing.
“Then I might as well keep you motivated,” she purrs, and before I could soak in the closeness of her, her mouth finds mine.
We need no time to fall into sync, our mouths moving together.
She tastes like a fucking candy, and I’m all for it.
I need nothing else from now on. The kiss starts slow and sexy, but now it’s desperate and hungry.
Maybe it’s the wine, but damn, I’m getting dizzy.
She’s like a witch messing with my head.
Her tongue clashes with mine, the movement making me lose my mind again.
My hands snake up into her hair, tugging it slightly as an attempt to make her mouth more accessible.
Fuck, I’m in love with her taste. How she kisses, how her tongue dances with mine, how delicate her skin feels. She’s perfect.
“Mateo.” She moans into my mouth, and that’s all it takes to make me go feral. If I wasn’t hard before, now my zipper’s about to rip. I’m rock hard and I’ve only kissed her. What’s gonna happen if we take this further? I think I’ll die from bliss.
“Rosa.” I moan back, and I feel her shiver. I force my mouth away from hers, both of us panting, still holding each other. “I… I have a private room. Big enough for two. If you want.”
Now it’s up to her. The choice is in her hands.
I want to know the spell she cast on me, because this woman is something else. Everything changed with her. And nothing big has even happened yet. But she’s different in some way. I want everything. I want to hear her scream my name, then hold her close, feel her skin to skin as we sleep.
I feel like I should run away. She deserves so much better than me. But I can’t. I can’t get her out of my head. Until now, I thought I was only suitable for one-nightstands, flings, maybe. But with her, I want it all. Everything she’s willing to give me.
“Want? I need it, Mateo. I need you.” I grin so hard at her answer, my mouth starts to hurt in seconds. I take her hand and call my driver to ask where he is. Luckily, he’s the next street over.
We basically sprint toward the car. I open the door for her and slide in after she’s settled.
She’s holding my hand so tight, I fear she’s gonna break it.
She’s nervous, I’m nervous, everyone’s nervous.
We’re heading back to the hotel, or we would, if there wasn’t traffic stopping us constantly. Seriously, God, now?
I push the button, and the window between me and the driver slides down.
“How bad is it?”
“News says there was an accident near the hotel, sir. We could try another road, but I fear there’s traffic there too.” Well, great. I’m about to have sex with the woman of my dreams, but cars are in my way. Funny how the thing I’m obsessed with is the very thing I hate right now.
“Thank you.” My head falls back as I roll the window up and let out a big sigh. I hear Rosa’s leg starting to bounce, but it doesn’t stop when I put my hand on her thigh. We remain silent for a couple seconds before the bouncing abruptly stops, and she speaks up.
“Fuck the traffic.” I look at her confused, because for a moment, my brain thinks she wants to take that three-hour walk back to the hotel, but all thoughts immediately disappear when she moves to sit on my lap.
Her mouth is back on mine, her soft hands touching every spot she can reach of my body, and I do the same. I don’t even know where to touch her. I just know I want to explore every single piece of her.
My hands move down to cup her ass, squeezing a little, my desire growing when I hear a small moan escape her lips.
Copying my movement, her hand takes its way south, slowly getting closer and closer to my bulge.
My mouth moves to her neck, peppering kisses all over, then bite into her when she starts massaging my pants. Fuck, this is not helping at all.
As if she could hear my thoughts, her hands move to unbutton my pants for easier access. I let out a hiss when her fingers tease my bulge.
“Rosa, please…” I whimper, one thing I never thought I’d do. Little witch, working her magic on me.
“Please, what?” She grins, and I let out an annoyed chuckle. She knows damn well what.
“Please wrap your pretty little fingers around my cock and make me cum.” Now it’s my turn to grin at her, finding it funny how she wants to hide her rosy cheeks.
She obeys my request, her hand finding my erection under my boxers. She slowly starts stroking, but I don’t let it consume me. I want to make her feel good too.
My hand snakes up her thighs, her dress’s split making it easy to find her panties. My fingers graze her through the lacey fabric, my lips turning upward as I feel the wetness soaking it.
“You’re so wet.” She lets out a quiet moan when I pull her panties aside and start stroking her clit. Her fingers tighten around my cock, which gives another sensation. Dogs. Grandma. Grandma. Dogs. I’m not letting this end so soon.
I let out a long breath when my erection dies down a little, so I continue stroking her. God, she’s so beautiful… She lets go of my cock when I speed up my movements, mentally thanking her.
I want to feel her soak my fingers, but I won’t be able to do that if she’s still touching me. I slide a finger inside her, and I feel the pre-cum drip down my cock. Guess thinking about Grandma didn’t work. She feels too good around my fingers. I need to get myself together.
I slide another finger in, speeding up again, both of us panting into each other’s mouth.
Maybe it’s just because of the first time, but we both got turned on so easily.
It seems crazy. She grabs my hand, signaling that she’s getting close.
She falls forward and bites into my neck to keep herself from crying out.
“Come for me, querida,” I whisper, but just as another strangled moan leaves her lips, I hear the phone ring. Fucking hell. I free one of my hands, then pick up the phone. “Yes?”