Page 104 of Ruined By Protection
He makes his way back to the bed, the mattress dipping under his weight. His movements are deliberate, controlled, like everything else about him. He stretches out beside me and I find myself holding my breath, waiting.
When he pulls me close, his arm sliding around my waist, something inside me uncoils. His lips brush my forehead, so gentle it makes my heart ache. For a man with such lethal hands his touch can be impossibly tender.
I settle against him, my head finding its place on his chest. The steady rhythm of his heartbeat fills my ear—strong,constant, unwavering. My own pulse seems to slow, matching his beat for beat.
"Better?" he murmurs, his voice a rumble I can feel through his chest.
I nod, unable to find words for this feeling washing over me. It's safety but it's more than that. It's like emerging from a dark tunnel into sunlight, like taking the first deep breath after almost drowning.
His fingers trace lazy patterns on my back and I melt further into him. This sensation—this harmony—I haven't felt anything like it since before Elliott. Maybe not even then.
"Your heart," I whisper, pressing my palm flat against his chest. "It's so strong."
His chest rises with a deep inhalation. "Only around you."
I don't know if that's true but I want to believe it. I want to believe that I affect this unshakeable man the way he affects me.
The warmth of his skin seeps into mine, chasing away the chill that's lived in my bones since I fled Austin. Since before that, really. How long have I been cold? Two years? Longer?
I shift against Matteo, restless with a sudden need that blooms hot and urgent inside me. He lifts my chin to capture my eyes with his, dark and questioning. Something primal takes over and I'm moving before I can second-guess myself.
I swing my leg over his body, straddling him in one smooth maneuver. His hands immediately find my hips, steadying me as I settle my weight on him.
"Hazel," he rasps.
I don't answer with words. Instead I lean down and capture his mouth with mine, kissing him fiercely. My hands frame his face, fingers threading through his hair, holding him to me as though he might disappear. I pour everything into this kiss—all the longing, the lost time.
Matteo groans into my mouth, his hands tightening on my hips. The sound vibrates through me, igniting something desperate and hungry. I break the kiss, breathing hard, my forehead pressed to his.
"I need you," I whisper, my voice raw with emotion. "Now."
His eyes darken, pupils blown wide with desire. "You can have me," he promises, his voice rough.
I kiss him again, more demanding this time.
Matteo rolls us suddenly, pinning me beneath him, his weight a delicious pressure. But I'm not ready to surrender control—not yet. With a strength I didn't know I possessed I push against his chest, flipping us back to our original position.
"Let me," I insist. "I need this."
Understanding flashes in his eyes and he nods, settling back against the pillows with a grin. His hands remain on my hips, but his grip loosens, allowing me to take what I need.
And what I need is him—all of him. I need to reclaim what was stolen from me: choice, pleasure, desire.
I lean down, trailing kisses along Matteo's jaw, down his neck, across the solid planes of his chest. His skin tastes like salt and something uniquely him. His heart thunders beneath my lips and I smile against his skin, savoring the proof that I affect him as deeply as he affects me.
"You're killing me," he groans, his accent thickening with desire.
"Good," I murmur against his skin. "I want you desperate for me."
“When do I ever stop being that?” His laugh turns into another groan as I continue my exploration. Every sound he makes feeds the fire building inside me.
I look at Matteo beneath me, his body a landscape of hard muscle and warm skin.
Something primal and hungry awakens inside me. I want to taste him, all of him.
I slide down his body, pressing kisses along his chest, his stomach, feeling each ridge of his muscle tense beneath my lips. My hair falls around my face as I move lower and Matteo's breathing grows heavier with every inch I descend.
I glance up without lifting my head. The hunger in his gaze makes my skin flush hot. I've never wanted to do this before—with Elliott it was always a demand, never a desire. But with Matteo I'm discovering parts of myself I never knew existed.
