Page 57 of Born a Queen

Chapter Thirty-One

Raina woke late in the morning, her body protesting the aches from her late-night sparring session. She rolled out of bed with a groan and stood unmoving for a few seconds, taking stock.

It had been a strange night. She wasn't sure what freaked her out more, the one-sided sparring session or the massive orgasm that Mateo had given her. She blushed thinking about it. It was the first orgasm given to her by another person. She didn't know how to feel about it. Part of her wanted to hunt Mateo down and demand that he finish the job and fuck her already, but the rest of her wanted to hide from him and never have to look him in the face again.

She felt unequipped for these feelings. In some ways, she'd been forced to grow up rather quickly, her kidney disease destroying some of her carefree childhood. But that also meant she’d been extremely sheltered. Her experience with the opposite sex was limited.

As a teenager, she’d been interested in boys, but several years behind her classmates when it came to sex and relationships. As a result, she now felt like she was on shifting ground. She didn't know where to step, how to step, if she should take any steps or let Mateo do the work.

A subdued Raina showered and got dressed, readying herself for the day. She chose a white summery top with a pattern of red roses splashed across it and a pair of capri jeans. She slid her feet into a pair of red flats, brushed her hair and pinned it back behind her ears with clips. On the inside she might feel uncertain but on the outside she looked fabulous. She snatched up her glasses from the nightstand and headed down to grab some breakfast from the kitchen.

She wasn't expecting to find Mateo still in the house. He was usually gone by that time of morning on whatever business he had to do while taking over Miami. But when she arrived in the kitchen, he was sitting at the breakfast table, leaning back in his chair, a steaming cup of coffee in front of him. His expression was dark and brooding and his frown only deepened when he caught sight of her.

Raina stopped in the doorway and stared at him. He was wearing a tailored suit, the dress shirt open at his tanned throat. He looked good.

She felt awkward. What did one say to the man who had essentially beat her up the night before and then gave her the best orgasm of her life? She blushed at the thought. Then she got angry. Fuck him for making her feel awkward.

"What are you doing here?" She didn't bother to take the edge out of her tone, she wanted him to know that she was still pissed. "Thought you'd be out breaking kneecaps or whatever it is gangsters do."

Mateo stared at her, not responding to her rudeness. Raina strode to the fridge and jerked it open taking the milk out and slamming it on the cupboard. She grabbed a bowl, a spoon and some cereal then poured herself a breakfast of Lucky Charms. She needed the sugary pick-me-up.

She eyed the chair opposite Mateo then turned on her heel and prepared to leave the kitchen. She would rather eat her breakfast in the big formal dining room than sit at the same table as Mateo right now.

"Sit your ass down." The growl came from right behind her and she jumped, spilling a couple drops of her milk. Mateo took her by the arm and pulled her toward the table, pulling a chair out and pushing her into it.

Raina's temper soared. "Excuse me? You are not the injured party here. I didn't drag you out of bed in the middle of the night and into a cold yard, then force you to fight for your life. I get to be angry, not you."

Mateo raised an eyebrow, giving her a look that suggested she had better stop speaking. "You do not get to be angry," he said calmly, with underlying steel to his voice. "Knowing how to defend yourself could save your life in the future."

"But that's not what you did last night." She picked up her spoon and attacked her cereal with a vengeance. "You took your own frustrations out on me. And that kind of behaviour isn’t acceptable, Mateo. Not unless you want me to disappear again."

Mateo slammed his fist down on the table hard enough to make her cereal bowl jump and a wave of milk come splashing out. She flicked her hand in annoyance where the cereal had spilled over, sending milk droplets flying in every direction.

"If you so much as even think about leaving this property without the proper permission and protection, then I will lock your ass up so tight that you’ll never see sunlight again."

She opened her mouth to argue with him, but the look on his face was so fierce that she decided to back down. For now.

"You will watch what you say to me. You will watch your step. And you will listen and obey every word I say. Do you understand?"

Raina's mouth fell open. She was used to Mateo being demanding, overbearing and controlling. But those behaviours were usually mitigated at least by a slight sense of humour, combined with his desire and care for her. She didn't know what to do with this Mateo. He was too serious and frightening.

He slammed his fist down again and repeated himself, his voice taking on a terrifying tone. "Do you understand?"

Tears filled Raina's eyes. Not tears of sadness or grief, but tears of anger. She wanted to fight back, to defend herself. She’d been raised to believe that she was equal to any other person around her, man, woman, alien, whatever. But in this situation, in this household, she was not equal. And the knowledge stung her to the core.

"I understand." Her voice dripped with ice and she stared at him, unwilling to drop her eyes. There was so much more she was tempted to say to him, but she held it in. This was not the time. He was too volatile.

Mateo stood and she thought he was going to leave the kitchen, to go about his day. But he came around to her side of the table and knelt in front of her. He was tall enough that even kneeling his head reached the same height as hers. He touched her face, running his thumb down her cheek and then dropping his hand to her shoulder where he squeezed gently. He ran his hand down her arm, then her leg down to her ankle. He did the same on the other side and she realized that he was checking her for injuries.

"Does anything hurt?" The gentleness of his hands and his question were incongruous with their previous conversation.

She wanted to shout at him, tell him that everything hurt, especially her heart. But again, she didn't. She held it in. Something was going on with Mateo, something separate from their relationship, but something that affected their relationship.

She shook her head. "Just a few bruises, nothing worse than what I've experienced in the past week of sparring."

Mateo nodded and stood. He put his hand on the top of her head and then ran his fingers down her hair, rubbing the fine strands between his fingertips. Then, without another word, he left the kitchen. She suspected he was going to leave the house for the day, as per his usual.

Raina finished what was left of her cereal and wiped the rest of it off the table with a damp cloth.

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