Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
Matteo
The words had barely left my mouth before I slid my lips back over hers, silencing her. This time, there wasn’t one ounce of gentleness in my kiss.
I took her mouth like I owned it. With passion and need and more hatred and bitterness than I wanted to admit.
What was it about this woman? How did she get under my skin so easily?
Around her, I couldn’t think straight. I hated her with what felt like every atom of my body, and I wanted her with even more.
Over and over again, I brushed my lips against hers, and she remained completely still under my onslaught. Her lips remained soft. She let me part them so I could swipe my tongue against hers, but she didn’t reach for me.
She didn’t even kiss me back. She just sat there like a statue.
“Kiss me, Sophia.” I nipped at her bottom lip, pulling it into my mouth and sucking on it. This time, her eyes widened, and she moaned slightly. She tried to hide it, but I felt it against my face.
Capturing her lips again, I deepened the kiss even more. Scrambling for the belt around my waist, I unbuckled it and pushed her back into the seat.
“Fucking kiss me like you used to,“ I moaned against her mouth.
I didn’t understand why I was so desperate for her when only seconds before that, I had been furious with her, but that’s the effect she had always had on me.
Well, not always. For years, I’d looked at her like a sister. For years and years, right up to that summer where everything changed.
“Is that?” My breath rattled in my chest as I glanced over the pristine lawn to the girl standing under one of the many gazebos.
A glass of what looked like champagne was in one hand.
Her dress was white and had tiny pale flowers all over it, and her long, slightly curly dark hair was braided across her shoulder to curl around her breast.
My eyes locked on those small but full mounds, perfectly outlined by the white, flowy dress.
“Yeah, she got back from school yesterday.” Completely oblivious, Gio snagged a glass of champagne from a passing waiter. “Daddy wanted her here so he could show her off.”
Show her off? Over the rim of my glass, I watched as she smiled and laughed and flirted. Was Sophia flirting? The man in front of her wasn’t that funny, and yet, she was laughing away and touching his arm.
“Wait.” Tearing my eyes away from her for a second, I met her brother’s eyes. “He wants to find her a husband?”
He shrugged like he didn’t really care what happened to his sister. I knew that wasn’t true. He loved Sophia.
We both did. We protected her.
And that was going to get a whole lot harder to do now because she had left for college a girl and come back—
My eyes raked over her.
She had come back all woman.
Like she could feel my eyes on her, she half turned. A small frown pinched her eyebrows together for a second before she met my eyes, and then she smiled.
Not the smile she had been throwing around all day. This one was genuine. It made her eyes sparkle.
“Yes, I guess so. Someone…”
He didn’t get to finish.
“Gio.” A dark-haired beauty slid in between us, kissing first his cheek and then mine. “Matteo,” she cooed. “My two favorites.” She giggled, and I rolled my eyes, but as usual, Gio ate it up.
He liked that women fawned over him, and having the older, but still beautiful, Sasha Donovan pawing at him was no different. It didn’t matter to him that she was married or that she had been passed around all the men in our social circle.
Gio didn’t like the chase. He wanted his women like he wanted his life: easy and falling into his lap.
Personally? I liked my women a little more—
Without meaning to, my eyes found Sophia again.
God, she had grown up. She’d always been pretty, and there was more than one occasion where I’d had to warn off some pimple-nosed freak who was after her, but I’d never seen her like this…so comfortable in her beautiful body.
Another sip, and my eyes traveled down her slim legs, tanned and strong.
How would they feel wrapped around my waist as I ploughed into her? Or even better, thrown over my shoulders so I could hold her down and fill her completely until she came apart under me.
“Matteo—"
She would scream my name. Maybe rake her sharp little nails down my back and mark me as hers.
“Matteo.” Gio punched me roughly in the shoulder, and I shook myself.
I’d been so deep in my sorry fantasies about his little sister that I hadn’t even realized it was him calling my name and not her.
Fuck.
Letting out a ragged breath, I ran my fingers through my hair.
“Sorry. I was miles away.” Mumbling, I flashed them both a smile. Gio didn’t smile back. His eyes darted between me and Sophia and back again. Then, his eyebrows slammed down.
“Oh, I can see why.” Sasha giggled. “Sophia is growing up nicely, isn’t she?” She laid a hand on my arm, and for several seconds, I looked at it.
“What do you mean by that?” Gio rumbled.
“Nothing.”
“Nothing?” Sasha’s hand stayed on my arm. “Matteo can’t keep his eyes off of your—"
I shook her hand off and glared at her. Was that jealousy I saw on her face? Because it sure as hell looked like it. Was the married, sophisticated older woman jealous because I wouldn’t sleep with her and was looking at someone else?
“My sister?” For a second, Gio looked wild.
I rolled my eyes. “Sasha is pulling your leg.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sophia place her hand on Tommy Debian’s arm and smile up at him as he placed his other hand on her hip and squeezed.
I made a mental vow to break both of his arms.
“You have been looking at her.” Gio cocked his head to the side.
“Of course I am.” Shrugging, I pointed. “Have you seen the way men are swarming her?”
Gio’s head snapped to the side, his eyes narrowed. “Is he…touching her hip?”
Anger dripped off every word.
“Son of a bitch.”
Without another word, he stomped forward like a bull in a china shop that didn’t care who or what was in the way.
“Don’t ever try and pull that shit again, Sasha,” I hissed as I went after him. I knew Gio. He had a temper and not a lot between his ears. He was the kind of man who started the violence first and asked questions later, and that wouldn’t go down well here at his parents’ party.
Punching another don's son wouldn’t be a good look.
“I am not the kind of man you can manipulate.” Without another word, I rushed after my friend before he could do something stupid.
Although, if he punched Tommy out, it would save me the job. No one touched Sophia.
On that, both Gio and I agreed.
The rest of the afternoon was spent watching her out of the corner of my eye and being ultra aware that Gio was watching me closely. The entire time, Sophia just went about her day, completely oblivious.
Sure, now and then she would smile, and she had said hello, but that had been it. When I edged closer, she moved away. It was almost like she didn’t want to be close to me and was actively avoiding me.
Which was exactly what I should be doing, only I couldn’t keep my eyes from her.
“I’m gonna go for a smoke.” Mumbling, I shuffled away, taking the wide wooden steps down off the lawn to the lower part of the sprawling garden. Down here, it was quieter, and I could take a second to catch my breath. Plus, I did need a smoke, and his parents didn’t like that.
Following the flagstone path along the length of the wall, I turned the corner and froze.
“Sophia?”
She looked up. She was sitting on one of the ornate stone benches with one foot in her hand. The position of her leg made her dress rise up her thighs so high that I could almost see her panties.
I stifled back a groan.
I’d come down here to be alone and gather my thoughts, and here she was.
“Matteo.” She jumped up, her hands smoothing down her skirt. I couldn’t help it. My eyes followed the movement and my mouth watered.
“What are you doing here?”
Cheeks flushed, she tried to smile and failed.
Yanking my cigarettes from my pocket, I tapped one out. “Probably the same thing as you.” I slipped it between my lips.
Sophia’s full lips curled up in disgust. “That’s not what I came here for. Smoking is disgusting. I would never…”
Lighter held in my hand, I stared at her. Without thinking, I pulled the cigarette from my lips and crushed it in my hand,
“That’s true, but you are down here to try and get away from everyone, right?” The corner of my mouth pulled up in a smile. “I know that feeling.”
Her eyes widened. “Do you? But I thought?” A blush crept up her cheeks. “I just mean I always thought you liked the parties,” she added in a rush. “You’re always so good at talking to people. They like you.”
“You looked like you were doing just fine yourself, Sophia.” Taking a seat on the bench, I motioned for her to sit next to me. “In fact, you seemed to have more than your fair share of admirers. Anyone catch your eye?”
She shook her head. “God no.” Teaching down, she began to rub her foot again. “Wait, is that why there are so many men here. Single men…are my parents trying to set me up?”
I pulled her bare foot into my lap, kneading it with my fingers before I knew what I was doing. She groaned low in her throat, and the sound hit me somewhere in the balls. My cock throbbed.
One little noise because I was touching her, and I could think of nothing but making her make those sounds in other ways.
“I’ve never had a boyfriend.” Leaning back on her hands, she closed her eyes. “I was hoping the first boy I kissed would be someone I chose.”
First boy she kissed. My eyes swept over her slack face. How was someone as stunning as her yet to be kissed?
Untouched.
“I think they are trying to find you more than a boyfriend, Sophia.” My fingers skimmed up her ankle.
The leg under my hand tensed. She sat up. The look of contentment was completely gone from her face.
“They are looking for my husband?”
I shrugged. “I guess so.”
“What the hell?”
“Hey,” I said softly. “Don’t shoot the messenger. I doubt anything will happen for a while. You will need to finish college, and you’re so young. You will have some time to have your first kiss.”
“Will I?”
My eyes locked on her lips. They were full, the cupid’s bow pronounced. “Yes.”
It was a miracle she hadn’t been kissed already, because there was nothing I wanted more than to pull her into my arms and see if her lips were as soft as they looked.
“So you and Gio are going to back off and—" Leaning forward, she pressed one small hand on my chest slightly above my heart, which took off at a gallop. “Let me date.”
My eyebrows shot down. “You want to date?”
“I’m nineteen. I’m not a child. I know that’s hard for you to get…”
Sliding my hand to the back of her head, I drew our faces together, but I didn’t kiss her. It didn’t matter how much I wanted to. I couldn’t.
She was Gio’s sister.
I had known her for her entire life.
“I know you’re not a child, Sophia. Believe me, I know.” Taking in a deep breath that filled my lungs with the sweet smell of her perfume and skin lotion, I stood up before I did something stupid and crossed a line I couldn’t step back from.
“I’ll talk to Gio and get him to stop messing around with your future dates.”
Tilting up her chin, she watched me with those soft brown eyes. “And how about you, Matteo?”
Oh, what a loaded question. I wasn’t her brother. I had no say in what she did.
“I just want you to be happy, little sister. As long as…” Bending down, I pressed my lips to her sweet-smelling hair. “They are worthy of you.”
“Is anyone going to be worthy of me, Matteo?” she called out to my retreating back. I couldn’t help it. I chuckled, but I didn’t look back.
“I doubt it, Sophia. Don’t stay down here for too long. People will talk.”
Sophia’s hand as it came up to rest on my cheek. Her tongue tentatively touched the tip of mine, and I was launched out of the past and into the present.
That summer night when my feelings for here had changed, I didn’t kiss her like I had wanted to. I was kissing her now, however, and what was better, was that she was kissing me back.
Her hot breath blew into my mouth. Her lips were soft and yielding under mine.
“You’re mine, Sophia. I told you that six years ago. One way or another, you will always be mine.”