Page 21 of Matteo
“Don’t be. I hated seeing you sad after your nonno—” I didn’t like reminding him of his loss, but he didn’t seem to mind that I brought him up. “Well, I thought it’d make you happy.”
“It did. Very much. Your gelato got me through many tough moments.”
“That and thespiaggia, right?” I teased softly. Matteo loved the beach and ice cream more than any average human being, and I loved that about him.
Matteo pressed his lips to my forehead. “See, Ari? You know me so well.”
Silence followed, both of us lost in our thoughts.
After what seemed like forever, Matteo said quietly, “I saw how you protected Francesca today.” Wait, how did he—oh. Of course there were cameras in the library. I sighed, feeling his eyes on me. His fingers gently stroked the pulse point on my throat, and then his lips brushed against my forehead. “Thank you.”
“I should be thanking you, Matteo,” I said in a quivering voice. “You saved us all.”
“Maybe, but you bought me time.”
Then, to my surprise, Matteo reached for the shampoo and began lathering my hair. Still sitting in my bra and panties, I let him go through the motion and tensed every time his fingers got close to the clasp of my bra. But he never attempted to take it off.
His touch was gentle yet firm, like he’d washed a woman’s hair a million times.
He finished rinsing my conditioner and reached for the shower gel.
I stopped him when he dragged the washcloth’s soft material over my arms.
“I’d better do it.” I stood and grabbed it from him. “You should probably get out of those wet clothes.”
He flashed me one of his sultry smiles. “Are you suggesting I get naked, Ari?”
I rolled my eyes, hoping he wouldn’t notice my cheeks reddening. “Definitely not.”
“Your loss,” he mused, his eyes gleaming playfully. He rose to his full height, his towering frame shielding me from the now-lukewarm stream of water.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to wash you?”
Why did that sound so… seductive?
“Yes,” I clipped, even though I wasn’t. I thought being alone was the answer, but now I wasn’t so sure. A distraction would be nice tonight.
He stepped out of the shower.
“I’m going to get changed into something dry,” he said as he kicked off his shoes and then started to strip, discarding his clothes effortlessly while I found a random spot on the tiles to focus on. Unfortunately, my peripheral vision worked all too well.
I glanced at him, trying my hardest not to gawk at his muscles or make eye contact as I rasped a shaky, “O-okay. Good night.”
He stilled, silence filling the space between us.
“Eager to get rid of me, huh?” My eyes lifted to his, warmth slowly overtaking the chill of the day. Unable to find my voice, I just shook my head. “Cat got your tongue, Ari?” he mused.
“No. I’ve just never seen you so… naked,” I admitted, my cheeks heating again. My eyes fell to the tattoo over his left ribs. Roman numerals that I couldn’t decipher from here.
“I’m hardly naked. I still have my briefs on, but if they bother you?—”
“They don’t,” I cut him off. There was no chance in hell that I’d ever admit to him that I’d never seen a boy—a man—naked. I shrugged, feigning nonchalance. “It’s like you’re wearing a bathing suit.”More or less.
He gave me a knowing smirk, and I frowned at the strange sensation overtaking me. I’d seen Matteo charm many girls, but it’d never worked on me before. What was happening?
I gave my head a subtle shake.
I’d known Matteo most of my life, but this side of him was new. So was the tension that filled the bathroom as we stared at each other, electricity crackling between us.
