Page 251 of The Havenport Collection

Eliza

I t was Monday. My favorite day of the week.

Yes, I know that sounded insane, but Matteo’s restaurant was closed on Mondays.

So instead of doing paperwork all day like he usually did, he started coming over.

Gina was never around, so we usually had many uninterrupted hours together before he had to leave to pick up Val from school.

I danced around the apartment to Florence + the Machine, singing and laughing.

I had bought fresh flowers yesterday and arranged them perfectly in the one vase I owned.

They really brightened up the place. Maybe I would become a fresh flowers type of woman; that sounded fun.

We didn’t have a terrace or any outdoor space, but maybe I could get some indoor plants?

The thought of taking care of plants instantly made me feel more adult and responsible and served to distract me from the list of tasks on my door that I had been neglecting lately.

I made my bed with fresh sheets, sprayed some lavender spray on the pillows, and tidied up. Matteo’s house was pristinely clean, and I wasn’t known for my neatness. Most stuff just got shoved in my closet, but the place looked pretty good.

It was silly, but I looked forward to this time together.

It felt easy and normal. In my apartment, we could just luxuriate in our lust bubble, without having to deal with the pressures and expectations of the outside world.

We didn’t have to worry about what others would say, we didn’t have to worry about Val, or his ex, or anyone else. It was just us, and it was amazing.

He would come over, usually bearing something delicious he had made, and we would fool around, eat, watch TV, and just talk. Sometimes we even took naps together if there was time. Sex with Matteo was awesome, but snuggling with him was something I didn’t know I needed in my life.

During the rest of the week, we carved out sneaky, stolen moments together.

A kiss here, a quickie in the garage there, but there was never any time to snuggle or cuddle or just be together.

And I was finding, more and more, that I needed that too.

I craved it with him. I wanted to wake up next to him on a Sunday morning and lounge in bed and fool around before heading out for breakfast or a walk.

I wanted to see his sleepy face and disheveled hair and watch his muscles flex as he brushed his teeth.

I knew it was a waste of time, but it didn’t stop my brain from wishing that things were different.

That we could be together all the time. But that was dangerous thinking.

We were taking things slow, and that was a good thing.

And it would make whatever came next even better.

I didn’t love the secrecy or the sneaking around, but it was a new relationship, and I was willing to give this a chance to grow into something real.

So every Sunday night, I cleaned my apartment, shaved and moisturized my entire body, and set out my sexiest lingerie to wear under my sweats. Uninterrupted Matteo time was a luxury, and I wanted to make the most of it.

Gina definitely suspected something but didn’t ask questions.

She knew me well enough to know I would tell her eventually.

But still, she made herself scarce on Mondays, and seemed very suspicious of my furious Sunday night cleaning.

I hated keeping this from her, but I promised Matteo I would keep things quiet for Val’s sake, and I would never want to make things more difficult on him.

She left around nine for the gym, telling me she was planning on taking a hike later before her afternoon shift at the store.

I mentally calculated she’d be gone until at least two.

She had been going to the gym a lot lately.

I think it was mainly because she wanted to bump into Finn, but I didn’t call her on it.

As soon as she left, I lit candles, turned on some soft music, and changed into a dove-gray lace bra and thong set I had bought last week.

I had never been much of a thong wearer.

Since I had a lot of junk in my trunk, I tended toward more practical undies, but Matteo loved them.

I was finding myself wearing them more and more now—they made me feel sexy and a little dirty.

I heard the door buzz and then the immediate sound of his feet coming up the stairs.

I opened the door, and he gathered me in his arms, lifting me up and kissing me.

“I’ve missed you so much,” he said into my hair.

“I saw you on Saturday.”

“Too long,” he grunted. “I need my Eliza time.”

“You’re in luck. We have hours.”

“Good,” he said, putting me back down and taking in my outfit with a wolfish grin. “Because I want to take my time.”

Within minutes, we were in my bedroom, and I was naked and writhing underneath him. Matteo wasted no time getting inside me, and it felt so perfect and right.

“God, I missed you.” He kissed me fiercely while pinning my arms over my head. I arched my back to meet his thrusts as he bent down and gently bit one nipple.

“I missed this,” I moaned. “I need you, Matteo.”

“You need my cock.”

“Yes. Yes. I do. I need it.” I could feel my orgasm building, slowly gaining momentum. I was so close to the edge I could barely speak.

He sped up, each thrust more intense than the last. “Tell me. Tell me how much you love my cock.” I had never been much of a talker during sex.

Most of the time I felt awkward and self-conscious.

But not with Matteo. He was always talking dirty and asking me questions, wanting to know what felt good and rewarding me for telling him.

It felt like this special, dirty thing I shared only with him, and it made it even hotter.

“I love it. It’s big and thick and makes me come so hard.”

He reached down and pinched my clit, and suddenly I was coming. I threw my head back and screamed as it tore through me, lighting up every cell in my body.

Before I could regain my senses, Matteo had flipped me over so I was straddling him.

“Now I want you to ride me, gorgeous. I want to watch you come again.”

I giggled, finding a rhythm as he played with my breasts.

Being with him felt so good, so right. In only a couple of weeks, he had learned my body inside and out and knew just how to touch me and give me exactly what I needed. And he was so generous, always putting my pleasure first before taking his own.

I came again easily, taking him with me, and afterward we lay on my bed, sweaty, panting, and happy together.

“What is that?” he asked, squinting. I lifted my head, the haze of my orgasms making me sleepy, and stared at my closed door.

“It’s my whiteboard,” I explained.

“I know that. I know you make lists; you’ve told me before. I mean that thing on the bottom circled and underlined.”

I looked up and almost died of embarrassment.

“Find soulmate?!?!?!” he read aloud. “What the hell does that mean?”

I covered my head with a pillow to hide my shame and the deep blush that was slowly taking over my entire body.

“Eliza. Come on,” he said, tickling me gently. “Tell me.”

“Ugh. At the Christmas Tree Burn I got a palm reading from Miss Cleo, and she said I would find my soulmate soon. She said he would knock me off my feet.”

“Did you believe her?”

“Not really. And I kind of resented another thing to add to my to-do list. But you know me—if I don’t write it down I will forget, so I wrote it down.” I tried to shrug nonchalantly, making it seem like no big deal.

Matteo took the pillow off my head and pulled me close. “I’m not going to lie. I’m glad you didn’t find him that night.”

He rolled me onto my back, pinning my arms above my head as he kissed me. I squirmed beneath him as he playfully nipped at my neck.

“Because I got you instead. And I’m much better than a soulmate.”

“Really?”

“Oh yes. I’m going to show you how good I am,” he said, kissing his way down my stomach and looking up at me with a grin. “And when I’m done you will forget all about that silly stuff.”

After he left to pick up Val, I felt out of sorts. I went over to my whiteboard and erased “find soulmate.” After a moment, I decided to erase the whole thing. It was silly, a grown woman needing to write down tasks. You are like a child. It’s immature. No wonder he doesn’t see a future with you.

I crawled back into bed, feeling self-conscious. Matteo had made it crystal clear he was not my soulmate. And that hurt. Not because I wanted him to declare his love for me or anything, but it would be nice to feel like this incredible connection with us could go somewhere.

He probably thought I was an idiot, between the goofy to-do lists, the naive soulmate crap, and the fact that I could never keep my damn phone charged. I felt more and more out of my depth.

I checked the clock. I was supposed to meet the twins at Krav Maga class tonight, and I knew a workout would help quiet my mind and help me sleep better.

But instead of getting up and putting on my workout clothes, I just lay in bed, staring at the ceiling and letting the tornado of thoughts about Matteo swirl around, unchecked in my brain.