Page 249 of The Havenport Collection

Eliza

A shiver ran up my spine when I heard Matteo’s car pull into the driveway.

Val and I were doing yoga together, which was recommended by her physical therapist, when he came through the door.

I knew it was bad, but I definitely gave my butt a little wiggle in my downward dog when he walked through the front door. I couldn’t help myself.

“Daddy!” Val yelled, jumping up from her mat. “I can do spider pose. Look.” She contorted herself into a low squat, balancing on her arms. I smiled with pride.

“Wow. That looks painful.”

“Val, it’s late. You need to shower, and it’s a school night. Get upstairs.”

“Fine,” she huffed, heading over to give me a hug. “See you tomorrow, Eliza.”

I squeezed her back. “We can work on more poses together.”

She smiled and headed upstairs.

Matteo looked extra delicious tonight; his beard was longer and his hair was down. He wore ripped jeans and a T-shirt that hugged his biceps and showed off his sexy tattoos. I wanted to throw myself at him. But we stood, staring at one another, until we heard Val’s door shut.

“Fuck, I missed you,” he said, pulling me into his arms. I stretched up on my tiptoes and kissed him gently, his lips as firm and delicious as ever.

His hand snaked down and squeezed my ass. “I saw you teasing me when I walked in.”

I stuck my tongue out at him.

He pulled me even closer, so close that his beard was tickling my neck. “I am going to spank that smirk off your face later,” he whispered into my ear.

I arched into him, my body responding to his threats. I bit my lip and gave him my sauciest grin. “Promise?”

He growled into my ear. “I need you, Eliza.”

I pulled back. “Not tonight, big guy. It’s game night with the girls, and I’m late.”

“But I want to play with you.”

“Tough luck. Also weren’t you just complaining that you were way behind on paperwork because you had spent too much time at my apartment on Monday?”

“Yes.”

I patted his chest. “I will see you tomorrow.” I headed to the hall to grab my bag and shoes. Just as I was about to open the front door, he pulled me down the hall to the garage.

“What are you doing?” I giggled.

“Just another minute,” he said, kissing me deeply. As if I could resist him. I dropped my bag and kissed him back, throwing my arms around his neck. He felt so damn good.

We made out like teenagers for a few minutes, letting our hands roam. I was beginning to seriously consider skipping game night when he started kissing my neck.

Before I could completely succumb, the door swung open, and the lights flipped on.

“Dad, where are you?” Val hollered, walking into the garage.

We sprang apart just in time, and I bent down to pick up my bag. My face was burning, and I was sure she had seen my hand on her dad’s butt. Shit.

“Hey sweetie,” Matteo said, trying to flatten his hair. I may have been tugging on it a little, and it was a bit disheveled. “I was looking for the tire gauge.”

“And I’m helping him,” I said awkwardly.

He gave me a nervous smile. “I noticed one of Eliza’s tires looked a little low when I came home. Wanna help me check it?”

Val look at us skeptically. “Yes. I’ll get my shoes.”

Matteo and Val checked my tires, him giving her a lecture about proper preventive maintenance while I watched from the sidewalk.

My lips were still tingling from kissing him, and my body was humming with desire.

He was such a good man—so kind, so generous, and so protective.

It was becoming harder and harder to suppress my feelings for him, which had rapidly bloomed from a crush to a full-blown infatuation.

Hours later, I was lying in bed thinking about him and reached for my phone.

I stared at the whiteboard on the back of my door, at my lists and planning, realizing I hadn’t been doing much lately.

I had been skipping my workouts, not sleeping well, and certainly not eating healthily.

I vowed to do better. I had just been so distracted by Matteo.

When I wasn’t with him, I was thinking about him or obsessing over something he did or said.

It was so fun and so new. Deep down, I knew I needed to prioritize myself and managing my ADHD, but for one small moment, I just wanted to be normal and squeal over the amazing guy in my life, not obsess over my to-do lists and calendar alerts.

But I needed to talk to him—to make sure Val was okay and make sure we were okay. Keeping things a secret was against my nature, but I was trying so hard for him. I respected his desire to protect his daughter and didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize his trust.

Before I could spin out further, my phone rang.

Answering it, I hear, “Eliza.”

“Hey handsome,” I replied, getting comfy in my bed. I liked where this was going. “Are things okay?”

“Yeah. I don’t think she saw anything. She certainly didn’t mention it.”

“Okay…should we talk to her?” I asked, gently poking at the elephant in the room. I held my breath, unsure of how he would react. I liked him so much. This secret keeping was getting harder and harder every day.

“Eventually, yes. But for now, I’m happy with what we’re doing. Are you okay with that?”

“Yes,” I said. I was okay with it, and I kept telling myself that.

Except I probably wasn’t. I knew I should speak up, draw a boundary, and explain my needs.

But my mouth stayed closed. I couldn’t risk screwing things up.

Matteo liked me because I was fun and easy, not some needy girl who nagged him into a public relationship.

Although it went against my instincts, I stayed silent.

“Trust me, it kills me I can’t kiss you or touch you in front of anyone. But it will be easier to take things slow this way.”

I softened. He was right. And I was really happy. In the grand scheme of things, a few weeks wouldn’t matter. Someday, we would probably look back and reminisce about our sexy secret relationship.

“Thing is,” he continued, “I don’t have a great track record with relationships.”

“Neither do I.”

“I am completely out of my depth here, but I know I want you in my life.”

“I want that too.”

“So we’ll figure it out together?”

“Yes.” I had no idea what I was doing. I had no idea what a normal, adult relationship looked like. And I knew that I wasn’t exactly normal myself, so of course this would take some time to figure out. I was in no rush; I just wanted Matteo in my life.

“I was very distraught when you left, by the way. I need my Eliza fix. How was game night?” His voice had taken on a flirty tone, and I was enjoying it.

“Fun,” I replied. “Had a great time with the girls. I wish you were here.”

“Hold on. I need to go upstairs.” I heard him walk up the stairs followed by the click of a lock.

His voice was low and seductive. “What would you do if I was there?”

“Oh Matteo, do you want to have phone sex?” I teased.

“I’ll take anything I can get from you, Eliza.”

I giggled. I felt awkward but also emboldened by his sexy voice on the phone.

“I could get naked,” I suggested.

I could hear him growl over the phone. “Yes, please. And get your toy. The one you mentioned that first night we kissed.”

“What?” I had forgotten about that. I blushed at the thought of how bold I had been.

“I haven’t stopped thinking about what you said and your face when you said it. Do you have any idea how many times I’ve gotten myself off thinking about it? I want you to use it and tell me how it feels and what you thought about that night.”

I thought my heart was going to jump out of my chest. I was turned on, a bit embarrassed, and intrigued. I loved when Matteo got bossy, and his words drove me crazy.

“Hold on.”

I hopped up out of bed and over to my closet. I grabbed my purple vibrator and got back in bed.

“Okay. I’ve got it.”

“Good. Now listen carefully, Eliza. I want you to do everything I say, and no being quiet. I want to hear every single moan and sigh. Got it?”

“Yes, boss,” I said, my voice already breathy.

“Ooh. I like the sound of that. Now take those panties off.”