Page 66 of Keeping My Captive

I can feel her smile against my chest. “Thank you, Mateo,” she whispers.

Kissing the top of her head, I pull her impossibly closer to me. My hands begin to tremble as a horrible thought hits me hard in that moment. This could very well be the beginning of the end for us, but I refuse to let her go without a fight.

CHAPTER50

Aria

THE PLANE RIDE to California is nerve-wracking, to say the least. Mateo has been in a horrible mood all morning, and now he’s pacing the aisle of the small private jet, speaking in Spanish on the phone. Well, more like shouting in Spanish on the phone.

He’s been on edge ever since he told me he wanted me to go to California with him…and ever since he told me I could call my family. Maybe even a video call. That’s all I’ve been able to focus on since the words left his mouth. Seeing my family, even if they’re thousands of miles away, would mean everything to me. I just want to see them, talk to them, and let them know that I’m okay now. My last phone conversation with my brother was at a very rough point in my life, and I want to let them know that things are better so that they aren’t in constant worry about me. They need to know that even though Mateo bought me from an auction, he saved me from an even more horrible fate, and I’ve grown to love him.

My eyes widen at my inner thoughts, and they suddenly flicker to the man responsible for them.

Mateo stops pacing immediately, and his eyes fixate on me. He holds the phone away from his ear and asks softly, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” I say quickly, shaking my head and desperately trying to get rid of those sudden, clearly insane thoughts.

After a beat, Mateo resumes his conversation, turning his back on me. I shrink down in my seat, my face flaming hot. I’ve never been in love before, but is this what it feels like? Is this what it’s supposed to be like?

Probably not considering our beginning. But just the thought of losing Mateo or something happening to him destroys me beyond repair. And I know he would protect me at all costs, even with his very own life since he’s proved that time and time again to me. So, if that isn’t love, then what is?

My thoughts drift to Renato. Did I ever love him? Sure, we shared some great memories and a friendship that will last forever, but I now know that I never felt this kind of deep connection with him. He was always there. A safe option. But I definitely didn’t love him as more than a friend. And that realization makes me feel significantly better; because up until now, I always felt like deep down I was betraying him somehow.

Now all I feel is lighter, like a huge burden has been lifted from my shoulders. Everything has changed, and Renato deserves to know the truth. I know someday I’ll have to make him understand that our friendship can never be more than just that — a friendship. I just hope I don’t end up hurting him or losing him.

I’m struggling with my inner thoughts when Mateo ends his phone call and comes to sit down next to me. He takes my hand in his and places his lips on my palm. “My uncle’s men are picking us up at the airport. We won’t be going through security or anything like that.”

Just like when we boarded the plane, everything was done in secrecy. I don’t know how much power Mateo holds in the U.S., but I know he’s very powerful in Mexico. Maybe his uncle is pulling the strings in California.

“Don’t worry, Aria. Everything will be fine.” He kisses my hand again before dragging it into his lap.

He thinks I’m nervous about the flight and about security when we land. He has no idea about my internal struggle, and I want to keep it that way. I’m not worried about what will happen in California, because I know he’ll take care of everything. That’s just what Mateo does.

“How much longer?” I question.

His eyes are glued to his phone in his free hand, and he flips through the screens with his thumb. “An hour or so,” he answers, distracted. He’s been tense ever since we woke up this morning, and I know just what he needs to relieve some of that stress.

I glance down through the rows of seats. Ignacio is still sleeping, snoring loudly in the back row. My fingertips twitch in Mateo’s lap. He barely acknowledges me, too engrossed in whatever is happening on his phone. Feeling bold, I graze my hand over the bulge in his pants. That gets his attention.

His dark eyes snap to mine. “Don’t awaken the beast unless you intend on entertaining him,mi pequeña cautiva,” he warns, his voice an octave deeper than normal.

My little captive.Heat instantly pools between my thighs. It turns me on so much when he calls me that.

When I casually brush overthe beastagain, Mateo groans low in his throat. “Fuck, you’re so bad. It turns me on.” He leans out the aisle and glances down at a sleeping Ignacio. “Can you be quiet?” he asks, focusing his attention back to me.

I bite my lip, nodding and shaking my head because I’m not so sure.

With a salacious grin, Mateo tells me, “Fuck, I don’t even care if we wake him up at this point. I need to be inside of you.” He tosses his phone into an empty seat and pats his lap with his large hand. “Come here,corazón.”

I scramble out of my seat, and that earns me a hearty laugh from Mateo. “So eager. So horny. Fuck, Aria, you were made for me, weren’t you?” He pulls me into his lap, pressing my backside against his growing hard-on. “See what you do to me, baby?” he whispers into my ear, his tongue licking around the shell of my ear.

I nod, practically panting at this point and clearly incapable of speech.

His right hand grabs my breast while his left hand travels under the skirt of my dress. The moment he finds my hot, wet core, I let out a loud moan.

“I thought you were going to be quiet?” he says with a soft chuckle.

I press my lips shut and whimper when he continues his ministrations. God, he’s so talented with his hands, playing me like a finely tuned instrument only he knows how to control.

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