Page 86 of Gilded Princess

He leans his forehead against mine, sparks of energy prickle my veins at his proximity.

I lean into him a little, giving him some of my weight. With a deep breath, I jump off that emotional cliff and pray that he catches me. “I think underneath those expensive suits and that alpha possessive exterior is a man who’s afraid—”

He breaks our connection with a sharp jerk of his head. “Of course, I’m afraid. You’re my ultimate weakness, Maddie. And now someone knows it! I had to push you away. Do you know what these guys do to weaknesses in a man’s life? They exploit them,” he hisses. “A man walked out his front door to get his morning paper today, and instead, he found his mutilated, dead wife. And he was a soldier, one in a million. I’m in line to be the next fucking boss of the entire outfit! And I don’t know how to protect you!”

His words are loud, but his anguish is deafening. His eyebrows dip low and distress lines every inch of his face. His chest heaves and pain settles around his eyes at his admission.

My heart aches in tune with his distress, my eyes welling with emotion I’m not sure how to name.

“Why didn’t you just tell me?”

He raises a brow. “You wanted me to admit that I couldn’t protect you?”

I lift a shoulder. “If that’s the real reason behind your one-eighty, then yes. Wouldn’t that have saved us a lot of turmoil?”

He steps closer, sliding his palm around the side of my neck. “I’m an asshole, baby. I’m going to fuck up. How about I just buy you a diamond necklace now, one with a ridiculous amount of gems. One diamond for each time I mess up and hurt you.”

I tip my head back and to the side to hold his gaze. “I don’t want a diamond necklace.”

He flexes his fingers against my neck, the movement sending shivers down my spine. He brings his face close to mine as he speaks against my lips. “Then what do you want?”

My heightened emotions from earlier morph into something darker, deeper. The air around us swirls, tensions rising.

Girls at school always bragged that making-up after a fight or argument is the hottest thing, but I’ve never experienced it. Until now. Something clenches low in my belly, and I can feel every place we’re touching with heightened precision.

He’s giving me the reins, and I’d be a fool to pass that up.

“You,” I breathe into his mouth before I seal our lips together.

He grunts, this low, masculine noise that sends my mind spiraling to other things that have him making that same noise.

I fist his shirt, holding him against me as I push onto my tiptoes to feel more of him. I run my tongue along the corner of his lip before I sink my teeth into it, teasing him.

He answers my taunt how I expected and tips my head back with his light grip on my neck. Lust coils in my veins, tightly wound and desperate to release.

He’s the first one to pull back, my lips chasing his for a second. I’m slow to open my eyes, my head foggy with lust.

With his gentle hold on my neck, he tips my head back even farther. “That’s not exactly the truth, now is it, Cherry?”

My brows furrow. “What? Of course, it is.”

His thumb strokes the sensitive skin on my neck. “You mean to tell me that you haven’t been snuggled up to my brother while you were at my house? I watched you.” His words slither out through clenched teeth.

Keeping my face carefully blank, I stand up straighter and bring our faces close enough to touch. I lean up and scrape my teeth along his bottom lip in response. “Don’t forget Dante.”

He growls against my mouth—honest to god growls—and tingles zip down my spine. Lust courses through my veins, and I can’t resist pushing Matteo’s buttons just to get this alpha-possessive response.

My stomach growls, the noise loud and garbled enough to break the lusty bubble we’re in. We pull apart, matching smiles on our faces.

“Seems my girl has other needs that need to be met first,” Matteo teases as he runs his hands up and down my arms. “I haven’t been at this apartment in months, so I’ll run out and grab us some food. I think there’s a great sandwich shop a half block down.”

“Okay, let me grab my purse, and I’ll go with you.” I try to turn around, but his palms on my shoulders stop me.

“Stay here and relax. Let me take care of you, Cherry.”

Warmth slides over me like sunshine on a crisp fall day. If I were a cartoon, my eyes would literally be sparkling with joy right now. “Alright.”

“I’ll be back soon. The door will auto lock behind me, and don’t open it for anyone, yeah? Leo and Dante will be here soon, but they both have the key code.”

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