Page 48 of Born a Queen

"Did you have a good day?" he asked, taking her napkin and smoothing it across her lap.

"Do you care?"

He frowned at her. "Don’t play verbal games with me, Raina," he warned. "I will only tolerate so much of your lip. If I didn't care I wouldn't ask."

"I just mean that you already know what I've spent the day doing. Your men update you every single time I cough. I can't even go to the bathroom without one of them talking to you about my bowel health." She was being purposefully provocative to get her point across. It was one thing for him to send the security team with her and quite another to spy on her constantly.

Mateo didn’t take the bait. "Having my men report on your movements is not the same thing as you telling me how you are. If I ask about your day, then you’ll answer promptly and truthfully. I want to know your feelings, your desires, your frustrations, everything."

Raina stared at him completely tongue-tied. She didn't know what to say to that. He was so domineering, yet also sweet. What had she done to earn such devotion from him? She’d been nothing but contrary with him, yet he still spoke to her this way. He was endlessly patient while she pushed him at every opportunity. She didn't mean to punish him, not really. She saw a lot wrong in the world, especially the one she was being forced to inhabit, and she was taking it out on him.

She swallowed the snarky reply she’d originally planned on and told him the truth. "I had a good day. It was really nice to get away from the mansion for a bit and out into the city. Miami is beautiful."

"Yes, it is," he said, leaning back in his seat, his voice becoming more conversational. "Have you been here before?"

Raina shook her head. "We didn't have a lot of money when I was growing up and didn’t have the opportunity to travel much. It was pretty exciting when we could go camping in a neighbouring county." Raina smiled fondly as she thought of camping with her parents. "A far cry from the places I visited in the past few years."

"Yet I sense that you wouldn't trade any of those camping trips for a trip to Paris. Am I right?" He asked, his eyes roving over her features, memorizing her expressions as she made them.

Raina nodded her head in agreement. "My parents are really amazing people. We didn’t have much when I was growing up, but we had each other. No matter what was going on, I always knew that I was loved beyond measure."

The food arrived and their conversation fell off for a few minutes as Lydia placed the various platters on the table. She was serving Mediterranean themed dishes, including souvlaki chicken with tzatziki, Caesar salad and rice. There was a small plate of baklava for after their meal. Raina thanked Lydia for the food.

As they started to eat, the conversation continued. "I grew up quite poor as well," Mateo told her.

Raina looked up in surprise. Mateo rarely talked about his childhood, even when she had pushed him in Venezuela. "I lived with my mother, two siblings and my grandfather. Mi Madre was single and unable to support us, so me and my sisters had to get jobs."

"Is that how you met Sotza?" Raina asked curiously.

"Sort of. At first all of my jobs were legitimate. I did food deliveries on my bike, I delivered messages, but as I grew, I realized the more lucrative jobs were not legal. I gradually became mixed up in the local street gangs. That was where Sotza found me. I was supposed to rip him off, intercept an arms shipment along with a couple of other boys."

Raina sucked in a breath. "From everything I've heard of Sotza, that was a very dangerous thing to do. You could've been killed."

Mateo nodded and looked at her seriously. "That was why my boss at the time had his underlings do the dirty work. Rather than get his hands dirty he sacrificed us instead. Luckily for us, Sotza saw us as the young ignorant pups we were. He let us go and paid a visit to the boss. That was the last time I saw the guy. Shortly after, Sotza came to me with a job. Something low-level. But over the years I proved my loyalty and he promoted me up the ranks."

Raina was discovering a new admiration for Mateo. He'd not had an easy life, but he jumped on the opportunities that presented themselves, worked hard and earned everything he achieved. Though he worked on the wrong side of the law, he still held all the qualities she admired. He was honest, hard-working, loyal and protective.

"What about your family now?"

"I send them as much money as I can," he told her. "I’m in the advantageous position of making enough that I can make their lives far more comfortable. They don't know exactly what I do to earn my living, but they’re grateful and supportive."

Raina could hear the fondness in his voice as he spoke of his family. "Do you visit them?"

He lifted his shoulders in a half shrug. "As often as I can, maybe once every few years. But I don't want to drag them into this business. If they’re seen in my presence, they could become targets."

Targets.

That was what Raina had become. It was a vulnerable position to be in, especially considering she’d recently been shot by Italy’s version of Mateo and his gangster thugs. Despite this disturbing thought, Raina vowed silently to find a way to reconnect Mateo with his family. It didn't seem fair that they all cared about each other, that Mateo sent them money, but they were unable to visit.

They finished their meal in companionable silence. After, Mateo took Raina's arm and walked her back to her room. This was a first, but not unwelcome. Throughout their evening meals she was beginning to feel closer to this quiet, thoughtful man. She wanted to know more about him, wanted to spend more time with him. Especially with their upcoming nuptials.

When they reached Raina's door, Mateo put a hand on her arm and turned her to face him. He wrapped his hand around her arm, holding her in place, but not tightly. If she stepped back, she could remove herself from his embrace. She didn't step away though. They stood silently looking at each other.

"I want to kiss you." His words were husky, his dark eyes smouldering with what Raina suspected was lust. An answering arrow of heat shot through her.

"I want to kiss you too," Raina said breathlessly.

It was such a strange moment. Them standing together in a mansion where they were attempting to make a home. He’d forced her there, as he'd forced many parts of her life. She should hate him, yet he was impossible to hate. The moment felt almost like they were normal couple, falling in love, getting to know each other. She didn't want it to end. She didn't want to go back to the endless strife that seemed to be the mafia.

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