Page 32 of Seductive Desires

The tears that had threatened before burst out as I threw my arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close.

It took me a while to let go. That safe warm feeling was addictive and I didn’t want to go back to reality. I knew I would have to eventually. He would go back to his hotel and I’d be here. It wasn’t safe for me to stay with him, even if I wanted to. Which I don’t. I don’t want Stephen to find out my feelings for Mateo. He would kill him.

ChapterSixteen

I thoughtI’d be saying goodbye to this city and my friends today. Instead, I was in a mob boss’s kitchen, eating spaghetti and meatballs like there wasn’t a psychopath looking for me. The atmosphere was bright and friendly. Dmitriy had gone home but a few of Liam’s… friends? Coworkers? Subordinates? I don’t know. Some of his people joined us, including Jo’s bodyguard, Jaime. He is funny and sweet and I can see why Jo picked him to protect her.

He was currently regaling us with stories of past jobs like it was completely normal to be in the mafia and talk about work. It was disorienting at first and I felt a little uncomfortable talking about the illegal stuff but that faded after a while. Jaime had a way of brightening any situation with his dark humor and energetic personality.

Mateo was still here, his arm thrown casually over the back of my chair. He was the same charming man I remembered but he seemed a little different now. A little more tense, a little more guarded. It could be everything that’s going on, but I think part of it is I just didn’t notice it before. Now that he wasn’t hiding that part of his life with me, I could see beyond the charming exterior to the more intense and dangerous man underneath.

From what I gathered, Mateo and Dmitriy have worked together a lot in the past and were pretty comfortable with each other but he had only met Liam recently. The trust wasn’t there yet and they both seemed to be a bit on edge around each other. Once, when Liam reached across the table for another piece of garlic bread, Mateo dropped his arm onto my shoulders, tightening around me. He was subtle, I don’t think anyone noticed except me. He only relaxed when Liam moved back into his seat.

Jo had no such reservations. She had absolutely no filter and no issue asking Mateo awkward questions, questions that I was too nervous to ask myself.

“So, tell me how it works. People hand you a bag of cash and you trade it for another bag of cash?”

Mateo chuckled, shaking his head. “It’s a bit more complicated than that. Why? Are you looking to join the trade?”

She snickered, shrugging innocently. “Just curious, that’s all. Liam makes sense, it’s a family thing. Dmitriy makes sense, he’s Russian and slightly terrifying. You don’t look like a criminal.”

“Almost everyone is some type of criminal. It could be petty things, like theft, or it could be much bigger, like extortion. This country and many others are run by criminals. In my opinion, it’s not about how you make money. It is what you do with it that shows what kind of person you are.”

Jo crossed her arms, leaning back against Liam. “That’s poetic, but it still doesn’t tell me why you specifically got into this kind of life.”

Liam was silent, his eyes narrowed as he watched his wife interrogate Mateo. I got the feeling he was getting a lot more from the conversation than anyone else. When he noticed me watching him, he winked.

“It can’t be that simple,” she snapped. I missed the answer he gave her.

“Why not?”

“You can’t just say ‘because I’m good at it’ and call it a day.” She actually looked annoyed. He wasn’t giving her a long drawn out explanation about family hardship or doing what he had to do to survive. He was just good at it and that was enough for him.

Liam leaned, whispering something in her ear but she waved him away. “I’m not upset. He’s evading questions.”

“He does that,” I supplied. I felt him looking at me but I didn’t turn to face him. Even I was still annoyed about his uncanny ability to avoid giving a straight answer.

Liam cut in. “You said it’s what you do with the money that shows who you are. What do you do with it?” He wasn’t annoyed like his wife, just casual.

“I donate most of my income. I only keep about five percent for myself.”

My eyes bugged out and I whipped my head around to look at him. I’ve seen his hotel room, his car, his expensive clothes, he can afford all that on just five percent?!

Liam nodded. “I heard that about you. I thought I was getting information about two different people until I looked you up myself. Altruism and money laundering don’t normally go hand in hand.”

Mateo looked nonchalant, lazily lifting one shoulder. “I had enough money to allow me to live comfortably by the time I was twenty. I don’t need more. Governments don’t do enough to help, so I do.”

Well that was endearing. Even Jo seemed satisfied with that answer. I narrowed my eyes on Liam. He knew the answer to that before he asked, didn’t he? He actually seemed to be guiding the conversation back to more stable ground. Both these guys were masters in manipulation and I needed to keep my head around them.

Jo yawned and stretched, catching Liam’s attention. He flipped from the stoic mafia boss to caring husband in the blink of an eye, urging her up to bed. She only half heartedly argued. I, myself, felt the exhaustion pulling at me. Today had been awful and I just wanted to curl up and sleep it off. The group splintered off in different directions until it was just the four of us standing in the entryway. I eyed the door, trying not to get upset as Mateo got ready to leave.

His hands cupped my face, pulling my attention to him. “Sleep well, mariposa. I will see you tomorrow.” He pressed his lips against my forehead and stepped away.

Panic surprised me and I grabbed his sleeve without thinking. He froze, tipping his head slightly. “Mariposa, what’s wrong?”

I couldn’t answer that. I didn’t even know what I wanted. He promised to let me sort everything out before we tried again and I’m okay with that but the idea of him leaving made a lump form in my throat. I dropped my gaze, embarrassed.

Pulling me into his arms, his lips pressed to the top of my head. I wrapped my arms tightly around his waist, trying to absorb as much of his warmth as I could before he left.

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