“I don’t know what I enjoy more, your cute little lips, or how much you love kissing me.”
Matteo’s nose brushed against mine, and I whimpered involuntarily, my entire body flooded with desire. “Do you know how much and how long I had wanted to do this?”
“How long?” I found myself asking, moving just a touch closer. My body buzzed with equal part adrenaline and desire.
He tightened his grip on my hair and groaned as he kissed me, rapidly taking control. His movements were both slow and determined as he deepened the kiss and pulled me on top of him, letting me feel just how hard he was.
The thought of him wanting me that desperately only fueled my own desire, and I couldn’t help but moan as he moved his tongue against mine just right.
I gasped when a jolt of desire rushed through me, one hand wrapping in his hair as the other began to roam over his chest and abs, my inhibitions faded away.
My breath hitched when his hands moved underneath my t-shirt, his thumb brushing over my panties. My hips involuntarily moved against his hands, my need for him taking a life of its own.
Matteo groaned and kissed me harder. “You’re wet.” He groaned against my lips as he pushed the fabric aside and brushed his thumb over my clit.
I moaned loudly, unable to help myself. “Matteo,” I begged, my grip on his hair tightening as I pulled his mouth back to mine.
His fingers circled my clit, slowly pushing me to an orgasm I never knew I would get from Matteo, and I moaned against his lips, unable to take it.
“Please.”
For a fleeting second, the world outside of Matteo vanished – nothing else mattered except the feeling of his lips on mine and the desperate need for him. I lost track of time and space, my mind clouded by want.
Isabella.
The name came like a whisper. Fleeting.
“Please, what?” He asked, taunting me.
This time, it came as an image. Isabella. My sister, who was supposed to be the one here. Straddling Matteo like the seductress she was.
The memory hit me like a sudden cold splash, breaking through the haze of desire.
I pulled back abruptly, breathless, and Matteo’s eyes locked onto mine, heavy – lidded with lust. “What’s wrong?” His voice was gravelly, filled with hunger.
I couldn’t speak for a second. My lips were still tingling from the intensity of the kiss, my heart pounding against my ribs. The air between us was thick with tension.
“I…. I can’t….” I stammered, my voice barely above a whisper.
Guilt crawled over me like a cold shadow. How could I let myself go like this when Isabella, the one he loved, was nowhere to be found.
How could I betray my sister like that?
Matteo’s eyes furrowed as he tried to remove a strand of hair from my face. “Valentina, what is it?” His concern was laced 2ith impatience, as though he couldn’t comprehend why I had pulled away.
I scrambled off him, panic clawing up my chest. The realization of what I had done – of what I was about to do – threatened to choke me. I stumbled back, my legs beneath me, nearly tripping as I tried to place a huge distance between Matteo and I.
“I can’t…” I repeated, my voice trembling. The heat of the moment was quickly replaced by the weight of reality.
Matteo sat up, watching me with narrowed eyes. “This is because of her, isn’t it?” he asked, his voice low and dangerous.
I froze, his words slicing through me. My back pressed against the cool wall of the room as I struggled to breathe. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Yes, you do.” His voice was darker now, filled with an edge I hadn’t heard before. “You’re thinking about Isabella.”
“Well, she’s my sister, and she was supposed to be your wife.” I snapped at him, guilt giving way to anger.
Without another word, I spun around and bolted for the door, my heart thudding wildly in my ears. I heard Matteo call after me, but I didn’t stop.
I couldn’t.
I felt the walls closing in on me, suffocating me with the weight of my decisions.
The moment I was outside, the cool night air hit my skin like a jolt, shocking me back to my senses. I stumbled down the stone path, my breathing ragged, my mind a chaotic storm.
The garden lay just beyond the doors, and I rushed toward it, needing the space, the air, anything to ground me after what had just happened.
When I finally reached the spot nestled between the tall hedges, I collapsed onto a stone bench, mynhands shaking uncontrollably.
My breathing was still erratic, and I clenched my fists, trying to steady myself.
What was wrong with me?
I pressed my hand to my temple, trying to stop the torrent of emotions from overwhelming me. The guilt gnawed at me, sharp and relentless.
Why had I allowed myself to be carried away with Matteo?
Isabella’s Matteo?
My heart thudded in my chest as the memory of his kiss replayed in my mind. I closed my eyes, trying to push it away, but it lingered, refusing to be forgotten.
What was I doing? What was I becoming?
I couldn’t be Isabella. I couldn’t just take her place like this. She had a reason for running, and I needed to remember that. I needed to find out why she had fled and why she hadn’t come back.
But how could I do that when every time Matteo was near, I lost myself in him?
I felt the sting of tears prickling behind my eyes, but I refused to cry. I couldn’t afford to be weak, not now. Not here.
Then, out of the corner of my eye, something shifted. A shadow among the hedges.
I froze, my breath catching in my throat. I wasn’t alone.
Someone was watching me.
Slowly, I turned my head, my heart hammering in my chest as my eyes searched the darkened garden. For a moment, everything was still, but then I saw it – a figure standing just beyond the hedge, barely visible in the dim light. My pulse quickened as I tried to make out who it was.
“Who’s there?” My voice trembled despite my efforts to sound brave.
The figure didn’t move at first, just stood there, silent and unmoving. My mind raced with possibilities. Was it Matteo? Had he followed me out here? Or was it someone else entirely?
I rose slowly to my feet, my hands shaking as I took a step forward. The figure shifted slightly, but still remained in the shadows, just out of reach.
“Show yourself,” I demanded, my voice firmer this time, though fear still coursed through me.
Finally, the figure stepped forward, moving out of the shadows and into the faint light of the moon.
My breath hitched when I saw who it was.
It wasn’t Matteo.
It was a man, tall and lean, with sharp features and eyes that seemed to glint in the moonlight. There was something unsettling about him, something that sent a chill down my spine.
“Who are you?” I whispered, my voice barely audible.
The man didn’t answer, just stared at me with an intensity that made my skin crawl.
My instincts screamed at me to run, but my feet were frozen to the ground, my body locked in place by the weight of his gaze. I couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe.
And then, just as suddenly as he had appeared, the man turned and vanished back into the shadows, leaving me standing there, trembling and alone.
I collapsed back onto the bench, my heart racing as I tried to make sense of what had just happened.
Who was that? And why had he been watching me?