Page 82 of Born a Queen

Chapter Forty-Four

Later that night, Raina was getting ready for bed when Mateo entered the room. She held her night shirt up against her chest, but it didn't cover much. She felt shy around him. Awkward.

"I want you to hear this." Mateo didn't seem to notice her nudity. He sat down on the edge of the bed and held his phone out, tapping the speakerphone icon.

"Tell Raina what you told me earlier." Mateo's voice was grim and Raina's heart sped up in reaction. She sank down on the bed next to him, her near nakedness forgotten.

"Raina, how are you?" Raina was surprised to hear her stepfather's voice. She didn't converse with him often, but she liked him. He was a stern and serious man, but he made it clear that he would always have a soft spot for Raina.

"I'm doing okay, a little shaken up. How are you?"

"Perfectly fine. So is your mother, she's here with me."

Vee spoke next. "Raina, honey, I'm close by if you need me. I can be there in a few minutes. Say the word."

Mateo stiffened next to Raina and she gave him a sidelong glance. Obviously, he didn't approve of Vee's plan to come riding in on a white horse. Raina hadn’t realized her mother was still in town and that Sotza had joined her, but she felt better having allies nearby. Not just for herself but for Mateo too.

"Sotza, tell Raina what you told me." Mateo interrupted their small family reunion to get the conversation back on track. That was his style though, no nonsense, no extras, business as usual.

Sotza switched gears, his voice becoming more serious. "We were finally able to get our hands on some video footage that showed Daniela's face. We know who she is. Her name is Desiree Navarro, companion and second-in-command to the late Nicolás Garza."

Raina frowned as she felt the air grow noticeably more chill. A heavy silence descended, and she dared a glance at Mateo. His brows were knitted in concentration, his face frozen in anger.

"This is on me," he finally said, his voice a low growl. "I decided she didn't constitute enough of a threat to occupy my time, even after I killed her lover. It was a mistake, one that has put Raina’s life at risk. Desi’s motive is revenge toward me."

"I would imagine that you are correct," Sotza said in a drawl. "But don’t be hard on yourself. You were given the task of retrieving Raina and keeping her safe as well as bringing Miami back under control. This is a monumental undertaking, one that has required your entire focus. Though, collectively we should have thought to put someone on her trail. She is strong and intelligent, we underestimated her."

Raina heard some kind of muttered comment on the other end of the phone and assumed her mother was trying to speak, but it was clear Sotza didn't want her to. Raina smirked. She could guess what Vee was saying about the woman who had targeted her daughter.

"I have Danny on home security until Angela is well enough to take over. For now, I’ll put twice the manpower on the mansion and a personal bodyguard on Raina." Raina shuddered at the reason for the extra security. She had come within seconds of death today. Mateo slid his hand up to the nape of her neck beneath her hair and squeezed, the gentle touch comforting. "Thomas will join me as I search for Desiree. We’ll leave no stone unturned this time. We won’t stop until she's been found."

"We can pool resources on our end," Sotza assured him. "You’re not alone in this. Keep our daughter safe and we’ll have your back."

They hung up and Mateo tossed his phone onto the side table. He leaned an elbow against his knee and rubbed a hand over his face, his exhaustion beating at him. Raina's heart melted. He was such a tough guy all the time, her gangster, but he was also vulnerable. As vulnerable as her in some ways.

She put a hand on his arm and squeezed. He looked at her over top of his fingertips.

She smiled tentatively. "I'm not afraid, you know. You'll make sure I'm safe. I have no doubt. But please, let me know if there's anything I can do to help you."

His eyes took on a strange gleam, one that she couldn't decipher. They seemed to convey a lot, at the same time as shutting her out. His body language was closed off, but she sensed he needed her, needed to reach out to her. She wished she knew more about relationships, and men, so she could give him what he clearly needed.

Finally, he spoke. "You are truly a treasure, mi amor. I have harmed you in a grievous way. Taking your dignity and using my lifestyle as an excuse. I have consistently put you in positions where you were vulnerable to attack. Yet still, you worry more about me than you do yourself."

Raina didn't know what to say. He wasn't wrong. If anyone else had done to her what he’d done, she would hate them. She would be actively trying to find a way out and pulling in every connection she had to make sure he was wiped off the planet. But he wasn't just anyone. He was Mateo. And no matter what he’d done to her, he still belonged to her, like she belonged to him.

Maybe theirs was a twisted relationship. Maybe she should run as far and as fast as she could get, but for now, she was going to follow her heart, which was running full tilt toward the man sitting next to her.

"Will you kiss me?" she whispered, her words shaky. She was so used to him taking what he wanted that it felt weird for her to ask for something intimate.

His entire demeanor seemed to change, to relax and loosen. At the same time, a predatory gleam entered his eyes as he turned to her, his big body hovering slightly over hers since they were sitting so close together.

He took her chin between his fingers and tilted it up. "Always," he said, his lips descending to hers.

The moment was sweet, a greeting of their souls after a long and hard day. A reconnection. She hesitantly lifted her arms and wrapped them around his neck. He shuffled closer on the bed and pulled her body against his, deepening the kiss. They explored each other at a leisurely pace, gradually igniting the sparks that always hovered in the air around them.

Mateo lifted her off the bed and turned her until she was sitting on top of him, her knees on either side of his hips. He buried his hand at the back of her hair, clutching the strands. It hurt, but the pain felt good. It felt like the reaffirmation of life.

He broke the kiss and buried his face in her neck, inhaling deeply. "You smell so fucking good all the time. How do you smell so good?"

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