Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
Sophia
Matteo’s fingers were warm and dry. And gentle. Just like his eyes were soft and gentle every time he glanced at me.
“You keep staring at me,” I said finally when his glances began to be too much.
“So?” Hand in hand, he led me through the New York hustle and bustle. Fingers still entwined with mine, he brought my hand to his lips and kissed each knuckle in turn.
“So? Matteo, this is…” The words had barely left my mouth before he drew me into his side and wrapped his arm around my shoulders.
“I like looking at you. You are by far the prettiest thing on this street, Sophia.”
I blushed before I could help myself. He always did have a way with words, but this time, it felt different. He was hot and cold and had been since we had been reunited, but this was hotter than usual.
Maybe because of the mind-blowing sex?
Honestly, I didn’t know, but it was making me on edge. What if all of this was a game? What if it was another way for him to torture me?
“Plus,” flicking my hair behind my ear, he lowered his lips to my ear, “I look at you and I can still taste your cum on my tongue.”
My whole face flamed beet red. “Matteo.” Playfully, I swatted at his arm. Throwing back his head, he boomed out a laugh, causing more than one person to turn and stare at us.
“Matteo, don’t say things like that.”
His eyes glittered in mischief. I knew that look. I had seen it a lot growing up. He was about to embarrass me.
“What? You don’t want me to say how great you tasted this morning?” He asked innocently.
“Matteo.” Turning into him, I hid my face against his chest, and his arms went around me instantly, crushing me to his firm chest. “Lower your voice.”
More laughter.
“Please,” I begged.
“Anyone would think you regret…”
Tilting my face up, he forced me to stare into his eyes, half-blinded by the sunlight streaking down between the buildings. “I don’t, it’s just…”
He cut me off again. “Do you recognize where we are?”
The question took me by surprise. Confused, I pulled myself out of his arms and looked around.
“What…is that?” On the far corner, a familiar yellow and red awning swayed. It was the same one I had seen every week for pretty much my entire life, only now it was newer. The font was clear, and the whole thing was pristine.
“How is that place still open?” My mouth agape, I turned back to him. “Didn’t it go out of business? It was shut when…well.” I grimaced.
“When you left me?” he finished for me. “Yeah, it was, but I bought it. That place was your favorite place to eat when we were kids. I wasn’t about to let it fail. Not if I could help it, anyway.”
“You bought the best breakfast spot just for me?” Part of me couldn’t believe my ears.
“Well, for me as well. They have the best French toast in the city. Do you remember?”
Mutely, I nodded.
“The staff are all pretty much the same. There’s a few youngsters who pick up some shifts, but the menu and everything else are the same. So,” he cracked a smile that showed rows of pearly white teeth, “what do you say?”
“To?” I was still confused, reeling from everything that had happened, and even more confused than I had been this morning before he had turned up and interrupted my crying yoga.
“Breakfast.” The dimple in his left cheek popped,
“You want to take me for breakfast?” I didn’t know why, but that surprised me. This wasn’t some flash place where he could show me off. In fact, it was little more than a diner. No one important came here. That’s why we had eaten here every Sunday morning growing up. Just the three of us.
Me, Matteo, and Gio.
“Yes. Is that so hard to believe?”
“No,” I lied, because it was definitely hard to believe unless something had really changed between us. “I would love breakfast, actually. I’ve been dreaming of their cinnamon French toast for six years . I tried to make it for the bakery I worked at, but I just couldn’t get it right.”
It was like a rain cloud rushing over the sun. His smile faded, and his eyes darkened with anger. That was all it took. One simple mention of my life away from him, and he was back to being grumpy.
God knows how he would react if he found out about Lily. His brain would probably explode.
The thought made me smile, but only for a second before he was dragging me down the street and into the small diner.
And the place was full.
Every single person he passed greeted him by name, nodding their heads politely, all the while staring at me with open curiosity.
More than one person looked away when they realized who I was.
He had said the place hadn’t changed. But it had. Maybe not in decor or menu, but in that the people who came here were people like him now.
They weren’t like us.
“I’ll have my usual, Milly,” he called to the old woman behind the counter. “And…”
“Cinnamon toast with maple syrup,” she said when she caught sight of me. “I remember. It’s good to see you again, Sophia. You stayed away too long.”
“It’s good to see you as well, Milly.” I beamed a genuine smile at her because it was good to see her. “I’ve missed you.”
“Take a seat, Matteo.” She winked at him. “Told you she would come back to you.”
“Come back to you?” I whisper-asked as we took our seats in the corner by the window.
He shrugged. “She might have realized we were together back in the day. She kept telling me you would be back.”
“Well, she was right, wasn’t she?” Leaning across the table, I brushed my thumb across the back of his hand. “I am back.”
“Yeah, because I made you come back.” Leaning back on his chair, he pulled his hands away from me.
“Matteo?”
He watched as a man, followed by a tiny slip of a blonde woman, sidled up to the table. In fact, he leaned further back in his chair, a smile flickering across his face as he watched my reaction.
“Mr Kotti.” Tearing his eyes away from me, he finally stood. Drawing himself to his full six-foot-two inches, he greeted the old man with a handshake.
“Now now, we are almost family. You should call me by…”
My eyes widened. Family. They were almost family.
Before my eyes, Matteo greeted the woman, who couldn’t have been more than twenty. Cupping the tops of her arms, he brushed his lips against her cheek in a soft, gentle kiss.
“Francesca. You are as beautiful as ever.”
She looked up at him like the stars shone out of his eyes and the sun shone from his ass. It was a look I knew well. Because I had worn it for most of my teenage years.
She was in love with him.
And her father had said so.
I swallowed around the lump of vomit in my throat. He had said they were going to be family. So that meant…
I heaved. Clamping a hand over my mouth, I swallowed it down.
She was the girl Matteo planned to marry. All of the sweetness and kindness he had shown me this morning was all an act.
My instincts had been right. He wasn’t done playing games.
“This is my dear old friend Sophia. She’s visiting for…”
His eyes darted to me. “A little while.”
“Oh, it’s lovely to meet you.” Almost skipping forward, Francesca went to kiss my cheek. I stood up so suddenly my chair fell back with a clatter. I side-stepped her kiss.
Matteo had brought me here because he knew she would be here. With him, it was the same old shit every single day.
He took my body, he told me he loved me, and in the next breath, humiliated me over and over again.
And I’d had enough of it.
If Matteo wanted a scene, then I would oblige. I would give him the scene he dreamed of.
“You son of a bitch,” I hissed quietly, but the clattering chair had everyone turning toward us anyway.
“Not now, Sophia.” Matteo sounded bored. But the smile stayed on his face.
The son of a bitch was actually smiling at me. And he looked pleased with himself.
“Not now?” My voice rose an octave. “Is she the one you plan on marrying?”
Francesca’s eyes widened. “Daddy?” She sounded genuinely scared.
“We will leave you to it, Matteo. Come, Franny.” The old man took her by the elbow and dragged her away, clearly afraid that my anger would be aimed at his perfect daughter next.
“I don’t think that’s any of your business, Sophia. You are my guest, but that doesn’t mean my private life is any of your business.”
None of my business? I shook with rage, my hands clenching and unclenching at my side.
“Is she the girl?” I couldn’t bring myself to say woman, because she seemed so young to me. In fact, she reminded me of me at that age. All wide-eyed innocence.
Except she was beautiful.
“The girl you are going to marry?” My voice rasped.
The smile fell from Matteo’s face. “Possibly, yes.” He nodded. “She is sweet and beautiful, and she is from a powerful up and coming family. She’s perfect. So...” His eyes met mine unblinking. “Yes, I might marry her. It’s a good match. What does it have to do with you?”
I stuttered, stumbling over my words. “But this morning…” Why did I suddenly sound so unsure of myself? By showing that he had hurt me, I was giving him exactly what he wanted.
“This morning was fun, Sophia. I won’t deny that, but it doesn’t change anything between us. You’re still nothing but a mistress.” Throwing back his head, he laughed. “I could never marry you. You have to know that.”
I…he…rage engulfed me.
Lashing out, I grabbed the first thing I could find, which was the glass vase on the table, and launched it into his face with a scream.