Page 38 of Shot For Mercy

“Hey, son,” Emiliano says, pasting a fake smile on his face. Matty looks between us, trying to figure out what’s going on. I pray he doesn’t. “Are you here to stay?”

“Yeah,” Matteo says, clearing his throat. “I’m sorry I left. It was immature. I should’ve taken it better, but I was hurt.”

Emiliano’s eyes flash with something that looks like guilt, but he masks it quickly. I wonder if Matteo saw it, but then he gets up from the chair and goes to his dad, hugging him tightly. There’s a knot in my throat when he looks my way, his hand outstretched toward me.

“Group hug.” He grins.

I get up too and join in the hug, but instead of Emiliano’s arm wrapping around my shoulders, he wraps it around my waist and tugs me toward him. I suck in a sharp breath but hug Matteo all the same, hating this and loving it in equal measure.

This feels like a betrayal.

Iclear my throat, pulling away from the hug. Reluctantly, I let go of Cole and step away, giving them both space even though it’s the last thing I want to do. I want to claim Cole, make Matteo understand I never meant to hurt him, and not hide anymore. But I know that’s not possible right now. Instead, I have to watch Matteo look at Cole with hurt in his eyes, and Cole averts his gaze. I can tell he feels guilty, and fuck, I do, too. But I also feel angry about what I just walked in on, even though I know it’s irrational.

Matteo looks between us, and suddenly, the air is too thick to breathe. As if he can sense the tension, he frowns. “I have to use the bathroom,” he says under his breath, then walks away.

Cole’s eyes remain on the ground as I get closer, and instead of getting aggressive with him and claiming him, I reach out and stroke my knuckles over his cheek. His eyes widen in surprise and he looks up at me, his bottom lip trapped between his teeth.

“Why are you out here in your underwear?” I whisper so Matteo doesn’t hear us. “No one should be able to see you like this, Cole.”

Cole jumps when I rub the heel of my palm against his cock, and he whimpers. “Sorry.” He shakes his head as if he’s in a daze. “I wasn’t expecting him.”

No shit.

I’m glad Cole woke up when he did, or we’d all be having a different conversation; yet, it doesn’t piss me off any less. “You don’t tell him you love him.”

“What?” Cole narrows his eyes at me.

“It means something different to him,” I say through gritted teeth, and he rears back. “I won’t have you leading him on.”

“I wasn’t?—”

“I’m the only one you love, Cole,” I snap, hating myself for saying it. Hating myself for feeling so fucking over the top and possessive of him already, but it doesn’t stop me from continuing to speak. “Me. No one else.”

“Are you—” Cole sputters. “Are youjealous?”

“Maybe I am.” My nostrils flare. “So, what?”

“You’re not my dad,” he snaps back. “I’ll tell my best friend I love him if I so please.”

“Cole—” I growl.

Matteo’s door swings open loudly, and I take a step back, away from Cole. Right before he can come out, I storm off, slamming my bedroom door behind me. There’s a knock at the door a moment later, and I close my eyes and count to ten. I don’t answer because I know it’s Cole, and I also know we can’t make a scene right now. It’s better this way.

“Em,” Cole says softly, and I close my eyes as I try to slow down my breathing. I shouldn’t be this angry. Rationally, I know that. But the irrational part of my brain is the one taking the wheel right now, and I don’t know how to stop it. “Please, baby. Let me in.”

“No,” I say softly. “Go be with Matteo.”

“Please.”

Fucking hell.

I open the door just a crack and Cole slips in uninvited, shutting it behind him. Then he’s on me, slamming his lips to mine in a kiss that could only be described as frenzied. His tongue thrusts into my mouth as he grabs my ass and rubs his hard cock against mine, causing me to groan. My hands travel down his back and to his firm ass, and I squeeze tightly.

“Baby,” he murmurs. “Don’t be mad.”

I huff and stay silent, yet I can’t stop touching him. My hands roam and then move back to his face. I cup his cheeks and bring my lips to his softly, a little too sweetly, but he closes his eyes like it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to him. And that’s when it dawns on me. Cole is a gift from the heavens, and I’m just the mere mortal who gets to have a taste of the divine.

“I’m not mad,” I whisper, soothing him with a hand on his back. “I’m just—fucking jealous, Cole. You’re driving me crazy.”

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