51. Chapter Fifty-One
Chapter Fifty-One
Mariella
I ’m still in dreamland as Mateo pulls his lips from mine.
His smile is radiant, his eyes sparkling with joy, and his face glows with a happiness I want to see every single day, ideally for the rest of my life.
I want to pinch myself and climb up on the roof to shout it for the whole world to hear.
Mateo loooooovvvvvves me.
He rubs his nose against mine, and I close my eyes, letting myself soak in every sensation that rushes through me.
“Now we’ve cleared up that you’re going to be my wife, are you ready to go upstairs? Because the only bed you’ll be sleeping in from now on is the one in my room.”
Wife, upstairs, bed.
The words echo inside me, making me all giddy, the first one in particular striking me like lightning.
Wife, wife, wife.
Me!
Mateo’s warm breath against my neck brings me back to the here and now. I’m utterly powerless against him. I have no defenses when it comes to this man. Whatever resistance I’ve tried to build crumbles in the wake of his touch.
Still, I try.
Why, I don’t know. After all, he’s giving me all I ever wanted.
“That’s not appropriate,” I all but moan when he finds an especially sensitive spot behind my ear.
“I don’t care. I’ve had a taste of what it’s like to have you fall asleep in my arms, it’s where you belong.”
Huh, what is he talking about? My brain scrambles to catch up.
Oh, right. He held me until I fell asleep after the shooting. Was that only yesterday? It might as well have been a different lifetime.
“Umm, how will sleeping in the same bed work when we can’t seem to keep our hands off each other and you want to, you know…” I let the sentence trail.
“Wait?” he fills in for me.
“Yeah.”
A devilish smile brightens his face.
“We can still do plenty of other stuff that doesn’t involve me pushing my hard cock balls deep into your dripping pussy.”
Oh god! This dirty mouth of his.
I bury my face in his chest, overcome by the images my mind conjures up at his words.
But as I’m learning, Teo will have none of that. He takes my chin between his fingers and lifts my gaze to his. His eyes twinkle with mischief. He’s enjoying the hell out of my embarrassment.
“I may not be strong enough to not beg you for more,” I admit.
“Then I’ll be strong enough for the two of us. I won’t spoil our wedding night. I never thought I’d have the gift of an untouched bride.”
My forehead crinkles. “What do you mean?”
“Well, as I said before, Tiero and I were waiting for our One. We knew the chances she’d be from our circles were slim, just like the chances she’d still be untouched by the time we found each other.
His eyes turn serious and yet at the same time so loving.
“So you see, I hit the jackpot.” He kisses me tenderly.
“Unlike Ella, who wants nothing to do with our life and is giving Tiero a serious run for his money, you understand the world we live in.
“And you’re giving me the gift of all your firsts. You can’t even comprehend what that means to me.” He kisses me again, hungrier this time.
“I never thought being someone’s first would matter to me. But with you, it’s everything. Because it means you’re truly and wholly mine, and mine alone.”
I pull away from his teasing touch and stare into his eyes.
“So just like that, I’m your fiancée now?” I ask.
Mateo’s brows knit together as he considers my question, the faintest hint of amusement in his eyes. His lips curve into a soft, utterly disarming smile.
“Yes and no,” he says, his tone warm. “I’m going to marry you, which makes you my fiancée, I suppose. But it’s not official until I propose properly. You deserve better than this,” he gestures around us, a rueful chuckle escaping. “And certainly not right after we’ve argued, and you slapped me.”
“Oh God, I really did that,” I mutter, cringing.
Mateo takes me in his arms, laughing. It’s a deep, rumbling sound that rolls through me, leaving heat in its wake.
“You did,” he says, pressing a kiss to my forehead. “While I’m not exactly eager for a repeat, I love that you stood up for yourself and put me in my place. In my excitement, realizing you’re it for me, it didn’t even occur to me to share that epiphany with you. In my mind, you and I, we’re a given now.”
Seriously, somebody pinch me.
In a move I didn’t see coming, Mateo scoops me up into his arms and carries me bridal style up the stairs. I yelp and throw my arms around his neck, giggling.
That tight knot in my stomach is replaced with a kaleidoscope of bliss, and there’s a lightness in my chest that’s spreading warmth through my entire body.
When we reach the top landing, the door stands open and we enter into a large open space. Mateo strides through it with purpose, leaving me only a moment to take it all in.
A comfortable-looking oversized couch and matching armchairs sit comfortably arranged, a massive TV dominates one wall, and another is lined with books.
Hmm. Unexpected. I wouldn’t have pegged him as a reader, but judging by the collection, he’s an avid one.
“You like to read,” I say, nodding toward the full bookshelves.
“A bit.”
“Let me guess, romantic comedies,” I tease. “No, I know, Mafia romances.”
“Very funny. I’d rather have one than read about it.”
All jokes about what kind of books he enjoys vanish the moment Mateo pushes open the door to the master bedroom. Cream plush carpet, rich mahogany furniture, it’s elegant yet surprisingly cozy. Especially the king-size bed dominating the center of the room.
My breath catches, my body registering how long it’s been waiting for this very moment, for this space.
So this is where I’m sleeping from now on.
How is this real?
“I hope you like this room.” Mateo’s voice is husky as he puts me down, his hands settling on my waist. “If not, we can change it.”
Oh, this man!
I wind one arm around his waist, the other reaching up to cup his cheek, my fingers brushing softly against his skin.
“What if I like it all pink?” I joke, not really meaning it.
Mateo’s face falls, and I bite back a grin.
“Okay,” he amends quickly, recovering, “let me rephrase. We can change it to something we both like.”
I’m so glad he said that. The thought of him changing for me? I don’t want that. I love him exactly as he is.
Staring up into his beautiful brown eyes, I pull his face closer.
“I like it. It’s warm and welcoming and much cozier than I expected.”
Then I let my lips speak for me. He responds instantly, taking control in seconds, and I lose myself in the way his lips move with mine.
Oh, this man can kiss!
My arms loop around his neck, and my body presses against him instinctively.
I need to be closer to him, have his skin against mine.
So I slide my hands underneath his suit jacket, and Mateo’s muscles tense beneath my touch, a slight shiver running through his body.
Wow. I affect him. My touch affects him.
On my knees with his cock in my mouth I can understand, but just touching his shoulders through fabric?
I glide my fingers over him and push the jacket off. It falls in a heap on the floor.
The fabric of his business shirt is surprisingly soft, but that’s not what I focus on. Even through the cotton, I can feel his hard muscles, and it makes my fingers itch to caress the warmth of his skin.
As we kiss, my fingers fumble with the buttons of his shirt.
God, why are there so many? And why are they so damn small?
I let out a low growl of frustration, and Mateo’s lips curve into a smile against mine. It doesn’t change anything though.
He still doesn’t help and continues to devour my mouth with all the time in the world, as I struggle until the very last button is undone. Only then does he let go of my lips and nuzzles his nose against mine as we both draw in ragged breaths.
His fingers trail to my back, effortlessly finding the zipper of my dress. With steady, practiced ease, he slides it down. A gentle tug, and the dress slips from my body, pooling at my feet in a sparkly heap.
I stand there in nothing but my lingerie and heels, vulnerable and tantalized all at once. Nobody has ever seen me like this. Mateo is the first.
Does he like what he sees?
Do I measure up to the beauties he normally takes to bed?
My insecurities roar to life, but his hands holding mine are an anchor, grounding me even as my heart thumps erratically in my chest.
When he steps back slightly and his gaze sweeps over me, all I want to do is grab the dress from the floor, or shield my body with my hands.
But his grip, though gentle, is firm, silently urging me to let him see me completely.
“Do you know how beautiful you are?” he murmurs, his voice low and husky.
His eyes brim with adoration that steals the breath from my lungs.
“Teo,” I moan, his words making me blush.
The longing in his gaze is unmistakable, and it ratchets up my own desire until it’s nearly unbearable to stand still. Everything in me is ready to give myself completely to him.
“I love it when your cheeks turn red,” he whispers as he cups my face, pulling me closer to him once more.
He stuns me with his kiss. It’s hungry like mine, making me desperate for him.
I forget everything around me, everything in my life. Past and future don’t exist. Only this moment, right here, right now, matters. And for once, I matter too.
As that sinks in, I don’t notice him walking us backward until the back of my knees hits the bed. I tumble onto the soft mattress with a startled gasp that melts into a surprised giggle.
Teo laughs with me, the rich sound making me tingle all over. Standing in front of the bed, he lifts my right leg, his hand warm as it slides down my calf and slips off my heel. Next, he peels the stocking away slowly, the fabric gliding down my skin with a teasing touch.
He repeats the motion with my left leg, never breaking eye contact, his gaze holding me captive.
Stepping back, he pushes his shirt off his shoulders. Next are his trousers. He slowly unbuckles them and lets them fall to the floor.
Had I not been lying down, my knees might’ve buckled from the sheer visual pleasure of watching this show.
Broad shoulders. Tapered waist. Abs like chiseled marble. And those thighs. They looked like they could bend a metal rod like it was made of paper.
Talking about rods, my gaze catches on his black boxer briefs that are powerless to hide the large erection he’s sporting. My belly flutters with a fresh wave of heat.
Oh my.
I’m struck again by how big his penis is. Seriously, are they all like that?
Surely not. Just like the rest of him, this particular part of his anatomy must be unique to him.
“Fuck, I love the way you look at me,” Teo says, as he crawls onto the bed, covering my body with his.
Oh, I love his weight and hardness on top of me.
Teo’s fingers intertwine with mine as his lips claim me. He lifts our joined hands, pushing them up the bed, never breaking our kiss.
His thumb brushes over the ring finger of my right hand, the place where a wedding ring would live.
“I can’t wait to marry you,” he says, his eyes bright and alive.
“Is that so you can make love to me?”
He chuckles but it comes out more like a groan.
“Don’t go there. It takes all of my strength to resist you right now.”
Being here like this with him, all I want is for him to take me, to completely own me and make me his, consequences be damned.
“Then don’t,” I whisper. “Don’t hold back.”