Page 33

Chapter Seventeen

Matteo

M y heart is racing after the call from Inessa. Why did she do it? Why does Viktor’s wife care?

I want to believe that Inessa is sincere. Like she said, she was at my wedding. I know she wants to support Julia but I can’t fully trust her. She’s still tied to Viktor and I’m not sure if Viktor still wants me dead or not.

One thing Inessa gave me though is that Connor is still alive. I need to find him and kill him before he kills me.

“Who was it?” Julia asks, coming into the kitchen. She pats down her wet hair. She was in the shower when Inessa called and I consider telling her about it for a moment but… it’s better she doesn’t know Inessa wants to meet. Julia might do something reckless and I need to protect her at all costs.

The irony of lying to her to protect her is not lost on me.

“Just Dante.” I put my phone away. “How are you feeling?” I nod at her arm.

“Still sore but it all could have been so much worse. I could have lost movement in my entire hand so I’m grateful none of that happened.

” She places her hands on my chest, leaning into me because she trusts me.

And I just lied to her. “Because you got me there in time. You saved my life. I love you.”

“I love you.” I mean it with my whole fucking chest. Never have I felt this strongly for any woman before. The women I dated in the past were for fun but it was never serious. With Julia, everything is serious.

“Breakfast was delicious. You’re a good cook.”

“Why do you sound so surprised by that?” I nuzzle her neck. Just being near her makes all of this worth it.

“Viktor doesn’t cook. Our housekeeper does. I’ve never seen a man cook before.”

“My mom taught me. She insisted I know how to take care of myself. We would spend hours in the kitchen together.”

“Well, we could spend hours in the kitchen together,” she says. “I don’t know how to cook.”

“Next time we have a meal, I can show you how to make it.”

“We can do it together.” She links her fingers through mine. “I want us to always be together.”

“I like the sound of that.” I kiss her tenderly but it soon turns deeper.

There’s an eagerness to Julia as she kisses me back.

Now that she’s explored her body, she can’t seem to get enough of mine.

I’m not complaining. If I get the chance to be with Julia every day for the rest of my life, I would be one lucky man.

Our kiss continues as I lift her up and place her on the kitchen counter. She doesn’t hesitate to wrap her legs around my waist. The ease with which we’re together amazes me. I’ve never been this fully comfortable with anyone before.

I know Julia feels the same.

My hands find her waist and squeeze. A moan escapes her soft lips. God, I could listen to her moan all day long. It makes me hard just hearing it.

Gently, I brush my hips against hers. We just had sex a few hours ago and I don’t want to push Julia too much too soon.

But she seems eager to go at it again.

Her hands find the waistband of my sweats and pushes them down. I groan when her hand finds my cock.

“I wanted to know what it felt like in my hand,” she says, giving it a squeeze. My hips jerk forward of their own accord.

“You’re going to drive me crazy by doing that.”

“Good. I felt like I was going crazy when we had to hide our relationship.”

“I felt that way too, baby. You don’t need to make it even by making me crazy now.” I grab her forearm and bring her hand higher to my balls. “Touch them.”

She gives my balls a gentle touch that almost makes me come right here and now. But I hold back. I’m not some inexperienced teenage boy having sex for the first time. Cumming in my pants is not what I want.

“I need you again,” I groan against her lips. “If you want.”

“Yes,” she pants.

I move her hands and place them on the counter. “I want to touch you for a moment and I need to be able to think.”

A little smirk plays on her lips. She knows what she’s doing to me and she loves it.

It just makes me love her more.

I pull the long shirt up her body. It’s mine since she didn’t have any other clothes to wear. I need to buy her more clothes. Soon. We have the rest of our lives to do that.

She has no panties on and the sight of her bare pussy makes me go wild.

I part her legs and rub my finger right up her slit, feeling how wet she is. She moans. The sound makes me harder.

I slip a finger inside of her and she grips my arms in response. “You’re still so tight. I want to make sure I don’t hurt you.”

“You didn’t before. You won’t again. Take me, Matteo. Now.” She arches her hips forward and I can’t resist her pleas.

I shove my pants all the way down and line my erection up to her entrance. Our eyes meet. She grips my shoulders and I grip her waist.

And then I thrust forward.

The moment my cock is inside her soft wetness, I almost come. She feels phenomenal around me, like she was made for me and I was made for her.

Julia’s moan is seductive and delicious and yet pure and innocent. She’s learning how to do all of these things with me and fuck, does it feel good.

I pull her ass to the very edge of the counter and begin to have my way with her. She wraps her legs tighter around my waist. With a thrust of my hips, I enter her deeper and deeper.

Julia’s eyes flutter closed. Seeing the pleasure on her face feels good. I’m doing that for her. I’m making her feel this amazing.

I let out short grunts as I thrust into her. I’m not as gentle as I was our first time but I still don’t go to my full max. Her arm is still hurting and I’m sure she must be a little sore from having sex for the first time just a few hours ago.

Julia doesn’t show any of it though. She lets herself get lost in the pleasure and it’s a sight to behold.

Her hands scramble onto the counter to balance herself.

“I got you, baby,” I say into her ear. “Don’t worry.”

She relaxes more into my touch. Knowing that my reassurances do that for her makes my ego grow. I want to be her protector. No one else gets that job.

“Matteo,” she gasps, arching her hips to mine.

“Does this feel good?” I grind down, entering her deeper. She gasps again.

“Yes. Yes, it feels so good!”

“I’m going to touch you like this forever.” I consume her lips with my own. I need to be as close to her as I can get. Touch her in any way I can. Julia kisses me back just as eagerly.

Our hips move in a frantic rhythm like we can’t get close enough.

The fact that Julia, this innocent Bratva woman, is letting me claim all of her and trusts me completely is enough to make me come.

But I want her to come first.

I roll my hips around, feeling my cock press into all of her inner walls. My hand finds her clit in this position and I press down. Julia’s hips shoot forward.

“Come for me, baby,” I murmur against her lips. “Please. I need it. I need to see it.’

She clutches my back so hard, her fingers dig into my skin.

Our eyes meet. With that one look, she’s able to reach her climax. I watch her tremble and moan and it takes me right over the edge.

I come inside of her, moaning into her neck. My hands settle on the countertop to steady myself. Julia is everything to me and I will do what I need to do to protect her.

We stay like this for as long as we can.

Julia

I know Matteo is itching to go to Dante. To see if Connor is still alive or if he’s been arrested. There’s no TV in this safehouse, so no way to watch the news. I don’t have a phone or computer to check the news that way either.

But Matteo has a phone.

When I came out of the shower yesterday, I could hear the tail end of his conversation. I’m still not sure exactly who it was but I know it wasn’t Dante. Which means Matteo lied to me.

But why?

I want to confront him about it but I don’t want to ruin the good thing we have going here. We finally have the chance to be happy and just be together. I don’t want to take that away.

But I need to know who he was talking to. My gut is telling me I need to know.

So, when we go to bed and Matteo finally falls asleep, I reach over him to pick up his phone. Yes, it’s an invasion of privacy but why did he lie to me?

He has his list of contacts but I go to the call from yesterday morning. It’s from an unnamed number.

Without even thinking about it, I press down on the number and wait as it rings.

After four rings, someone answers. “Matteo?”

It’s Inessa. I would recognize her voice anywhere.

I hurry out of bed before Matteo can wake up and into the bathroom where I turn on the shower to drown out my voice.

“Inessa?” I whisper.

“Julia? Are you ok?”

“Yes, I’m ok. I’m calling because you called Matteo. Why?”

“I told him that Connor is still alive and trying to make up lies to Viktor. Viktor doesn’t know what to believe anymore. He doesn’t know if he can trust you or not. I’ve tried telling him that you love Matteo but he’s just not hearing it. He wants you back.”

“I can’t come back. Viktor would just lock me up and I can’t lose Matteo.”

“I wanted to warn Matteo about Connor,” she says. “He’s alive and he’s pissed. Are you near the park we ran into each other on the day of our wedding?”

“Yes. But Connor followed you there.”

“I want to meet. Maybe if we go to Viktor as a united front, he’ll understand.”

“Or he’ll just lock us both up.”

She’s quiet for a moment. “That too. But if I went to you and told him I wasn’t going to return home until he spoke to you rationally, he might finally do it.”

“That’s a big risk. I don’t want to be the cause of your relationship falling apart.”

“You’re not. I’m making this choice of my own accord. I’m tired of this war. I think Viktor is being stubborn and he needs to stop. You were hurt because of Connor, because Viktor can’t see the truth. Let me come to you.”

I hesitate. “How do I know you won’t just tell Viktor where I am if you come here?”