Page 26 of His to Honor

Matteo follows me to completion, his seed bathing me with warmth.

As he carefully pulls out, a sob escapes me. Before I know it, tears are pouring in earnest. Matteo rolls onto his side. Gathering me into his arms, he strokes my hair.

“Why are you crying, sweetheart?” he asks. “Did I hurt you?”

I shake my head. “No.” I sniff back my tears. “It was perfect.”

“That’s how your first time should have been.”

Knowing he did all he could to make amends for the rough way he took my virginity sets off my tears once more. Matteo holds me close and lets me purge my emotions.

“I’ve never made a woman cry before,” he says as he wipes the tears from my face with his thumb.

I roll onto my side and raise an eyebrow. “We both know that’s not true.”

Matteo shrugs. “After I’ve kicked her out of bed, sure, but not when I’m taking her to heaven.”

He flashes me a cocky grin. Slapping his chest, I throw back my head and laugh. “You’re an asshole.”

“Yeah, but you’re stuck with me now.”

That thought both excites and worries me. I sink my teeth into my bottom lip. Matteo notices, of course, and sits up.

“What’s the matter?”

“It’s just…” How do I put this without him getting all defensive? I’ve seen Matteo in action with other women. He’s a possessiveasshole until he decides he wants to end a relationship. “Me and you. It’s a lot to take in. Can we…”

“Take it slow?” Matteo fills in. He smiles gently as I nod. “Of course, sweetheart.”

Relieved we’re on the same page about that, I scramble to the edge of the bed and lower my feet to the floor. “I’m going to grab a shower.” I run my fingers through my still damp hair. “Another shower.”

“There’s no rush.” Matteo pats the mattress next to him. “Stay here with me.”

I shake my head as I get up, trying not to wince at the dull ache between my legs that somehow feels worse than it did yesterday when Matteo took my virginity. “No, I need to get up. I want to make some birthday brownies.”

Matteo frowns. “It’s not my birthday.”

“I know, you self-centered idiot. It’s Rosalia’s birthday.”

“You don’t even know the girl.”

“That doesn’t mean I can’t do something nice for her.”

A flicker of amusement passes over Matteo’s face. I ball up my fists and rest them on my hips. “What?”

“Well, nobody would ever describe your cooking as nice.”

“It’s not cooking,” I retort. “It’s baking, and I learned the recipe from my grandma.”

Matteo grimaces. “I’ve eaten your grandmother’s brownies. She can’t bake for shit.”

Outraged by that shocking yet totally accurate insult to my grandmother, I pick up the hairbrush from the dressing table and hurl it at Matteo. He catches it effortlessly.

“Asshole!” I grumble.

Before he can respond, I walk into the bathroom and close the door behind me. Matteo’s probably itching to spank the sass out of me, but nothing is going to get between me and cleaning the sticky mess off my thighs. If he wants to punish me, he can do it later. In fact, I’ll look forward to it.

CHAPTER 9

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