Page 97 of Phantom Mine

Matteo bends, his nose brushing against mine, his breath fanning over my lips, his wild eyes dark and full of yearning. With a soft, contented sigh, he claims my mouth, silencing a howling turmoil inside me he didn’t create but that only he seems to know how to quiet.

My arms go around his neck and I arch into him. He groans throatily in response, hands coming down to clutch desperately at my ass.

“Why are you so…” I search for a word to describe the frenzied nature of the way he grabs and holds on to me. “Flustered?”

He buries his face in my neck and traces a line of hungry kisses up the column of my throat that makes me whimper. “You’rehere,” he replies, muttering the words hotly against my throat like he can’t quite believe I’m real.

“I’m early—”

“Thank fuck.” With a happy groan, he covers my lips with his.

“Sorry I didn’t text before showing up, I meant to but got distracted.”

“When you knocked, I was just debating whether to go toFirenzeso I could at least watch you, rather than waiting around here aimlessly for you to be done. Perfect timing.” He pecks my lips and smiles. “Even better surprise.”

He says it so earnestly, like the words come easily to him. I have to remind myself and the tiny, flutter-like movement of my heartbeats that his words are just that. Words. I shouldn’t read into them, and I certainly shouldn’t think of them as being anything more thanfun.

“Why are you here so early?” Matteo eventually questions.

“Stefano told me to go home.”

He told me to go home and I… came here.

Oh, god. Why did I come here? And why did I just tell him that?

I brace myself, not surprised when Matteo stiffens. “Did he cross a line with you?” he growls.

I blink at him. A faint smile blooms across my lips that I’m powerless to smother.

Matteo makes a quiet noise of contentment in response, his hand closing possessively around my hip.

“No, he didn’t.”

Concern etches itself across his features and he cups my cheek. “Did you have a panic attack?”

I shake my head. “No. I just kept messing up at the bar. I think I was one incorrect pour away from Stefano sending me back to the dancers.”

“Never happening,” Matteo clips.

“Well, I’m sad to inform you I’m likely not getting Employee of the Month either.”

“I don’t know, you’re in with the boss.” Matteo smiles and pulls me close. “Put on a good performance for him tonight and he’ll put in a good word for you in return. He’s very fair.”

“Is he?” I tease, letting him guide me towards the bedroom.

“Yeah. He’s also very handsome.”

“Uh huh.”

“And irresistibly witty.”

“Humble too?”

“Exceedingly so,” Matteo agrees with a charming grin.

My smile is full blown now, no matter how hard I try to smother it. With it, I feel another small part of my broken soul heal. The pieces of it are tiny, but Matteo is slowly stitching them back together, embedding himself indelibly within the fragments.

Chapter Twenty-Five

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