Stolen Queen (Dynasty of Deception #4)

18. Matteo

18

MATTEO

I ’m a goner. I’m so hard and hot, it’s a wonder I’m not coming like Old Faithful.

I push her hand away. “Cover up.” My voice is terser than I want, but I need to put some distance between us to temper the driving need to fuck her hard, fast.

Her brows knit together. “Did I…?”

“You’ve got to help me out here, Ava. Cover up. Please.” I can’t quite articulate how badly I want to fuck her without risking pushing her back and following through. I grab the bedspread and wrap it around her. “Sit.”

She sits on the edge of the bed, but heaven help me, she’s even more alluring as the bedspread droops off her shoulders. Her dark hair is a wild, wanton mess. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

I suck in a breath. “This isn’t that interesting.” Maybe I can escape into the bathroom. It’s not that I’ve never jerked off in front of a woman. I have. Many times, actually. But Ava is different. I feel like this could fuck everything up for some reason.

She purses her lips at me. “I want to see it all the same.”

I nearly laugh. This is like a science experiment to her, a curiosity to learn about the world. Meanwhile, my head is about to explode from a raging need inside me.

I grab a tissue from the box on my bedside table. It’s there for moments like this, jerking off. Never in a million years did I imagine I’d be doing it with Ava Rinella watching.

I hold the tissue in one hand as I stroke my cock with the other. I watch Ava, her gaze riveted on me.

“Does it feel good?” she asks.

“Did it feel good when I rubbed your clit?”

“Yes. But near the end it felt uncomfortable too… in a good way.”

“That’s what I feel. It’s like a delicious torture.”

She leans forward, and the blanket falls more, nearly revealing her tits. Fire blasts through me as I imagine my cum all over them. Would she let me?

I step toward her, squeezing my dick tight to cut off the sensation. “Here.” I hand her the tissue. Her expression is confused and at the same time, eager.

“Show me your tits.”

She lets the blanket fall more until those perfect tits are exposed. Her nipples are hard and I rub my cock over the tip of one. She lets out a peep of surprise.

“I want to come on you, Ava. It’s messy, though.”

She nods and arches her chest forward as she looks up at me. “I want you to.” Then she turns her attention back to my dick.

I want to stand here all day and watch her watch me, but I have to get to work and my dick is too close to the end. My hand moves faster as the pressure builds.

“Fuck.” I close my eyes as I near the edge. But I want to see her reaction. I’m as curious about her as she is about me.

She’s fascinated, leaning forward. And then she licks her lips, and I’m a fucking goner.

“Fuck!” The first spray of cum flies out, hitting her on the cheek.

“Oh!” She’s surprised, but not repulsed.

I aim my cock at her tits and stroke the hell out of my orgasm, watching my cum cover her nipples. She’s looking at it and then uses her fingers to tentatively touch it. It draws out my release until I fall to my knees.

“Fucking hell.”

“Are you okay?” She puts her hand on my shoulder.

“Yes. Short of fucking you, that was really pleasurable.”

She smiles like I gave her a gift. How crazy is that? I’m the one jerking off but she’s the one who feels happy about it.

She uses the tissue to clean up. “It is messy.”

“I told you.” I rise on unsteady legs.

“Is it like that for all men?”

I growl. I don’t want her to find out. “Let’s get something straight here, Ava. While you’re with me, you’re mine. No one else’s.”

She laughs. “I’m not asking because I want to find out. I’m asking out of curiosity.”

As far as I’m concerned, she’ll never truly know. I take her chin in my hand. “Keep your curiosity on me, okay?”

She shrugs. “Okay.” But I can see I’ve handed over some of my power. I’ve shown myself to be jealous. I’ve never been jealous in my life, but there’s no doubt that I’ll rip the arms off anyone who touches her.

“I’ve got to get to work. If you can promise me not to leave, you can have the run of the place. But you can’t leave.”

She smiles. “Okay.”

“I mean it, Ava. You absolutely cannot leave this penthouse.”

“I get it. I won’t leave.”

Ava is going to be the death of me. If it’s not her father killing me, it will be her and the way she brings me to my knees, literally. I’ve jerked off many times in my life, and while satisfying, it’s never been like it was this morning with Ava. She didn’t even touch me, and yet having her watch me while draped in my blanket was somehow electrifying.

I think about all my previous encounters with women. About how as the years have gone on, I’ve needed more stimulation, more kink, more women to get off. Yet Ava’s simply watching me jerk off was the single most erotic experience of my life to date. It makes no sense. What is it about her? Images flash in my mind… The way her eyes lit up when I taught her to cook. How she trembled under my touch. The taste of her. Fucking hell, she’s the sweetest nectar.

I groan internally that I can’t seem to stop thinking about her. I'm so fucked.

A thwap on the back of my head shocks me back to the present.

“Wake up, Romeo.”

“Hey.” I rub the back of my head where Lana whapped me.

“You alright?” Elio asks from behind his desk.

Heat rises to my face, embarrassed to be caught daydreaming like some lovesick teenager. And frustrated that I can't seem to get my shit together. This isn't like me at all.

"I'm fine," I grumble.

"Now that Sleeping Beauty's back with us," Lana says with a pointed look in my direction, "we need to discuss the Rinella situation."

I stiffen at the mention of Ava's family name. "What's the latest?" I ask, trying to keep my voice steady.

“It’s mostly the same old thing,” Elio sighs.

“He’s worse ever since the engagements with his daughter have been broken.” Lana seems to have softened on the reasons for that, but I suspect it has less to do with Elio and Lazaro finding happiness with other women and more to do with her relationship with Henry. He’s softened her a bit, at least when it comes to her family. It still boggles my mind that she’s going to marry the ex-cop sometime in February.

“It doesn’t help that Ava has vanished into thin air.” Elio runs his fingers through his hair. I can see the situation with Ava concerns him where Rinella is concerned. Guilt burns in my gut.

“He doesn’t blame us for that, does he?” I ask, hoping he can’t see my guilt.

“No. At least not to my face,” Elio says. “But it’s put him in more of a pisser mood than he usually is.”

An idea forms in my mind, dark and violent, but effective. "Why don't we just eliminate the problem? Take out Vincenzo and be done with it."

The room goes silent. Lana's eyes widen in disbelief before narrowing dangerously. In a flash, her hand connects with the back of my head again, harder this time.

"Are you out of your mind?" she hisses. "We can't just go around murdering other family heads. That's how you start a fucking war, you idiot."

I rub the sore spot on my skull, scowling. "It was just a suggestion.”

"A terrible one," Lana snaps. "We need to be smart about this, not go in guns blazing like some trigger-happy moron. Use your brain for once, Matteo."

“I can’t imagine she doesn’t have help.” Elio rises to pour himself another cup of coffee from the carafe Anna, Elio’s head cook, delivered earlier.

“Why?” I ask before I can think better of it.

“Because she’s so sheltered. She has no money. And Rinella’s men aren’t idiots. They’re not leaving any stone unturned.”

I shrug. “She’s not an idiot either. She knows who her father is and the lengths he’ll go to find her. The fact that she got out of the house unnoticed proves she’s smarter and more cunning than anyone gives her credit for. If she stowed away some cash and got a fake identity, she could be halfway around the world by now.”

“I don’t know,” Elio says, sitting back behind his desk. “She always seemed so obedient to Vincenzo. Quiet. Cowering, even.”

My hands fist at my sides. “She only plays the part.”

Lana’s brow furrows at me. “How do you know so much about her?”

Fuck. I'm revealing too much. I shrug. “Observation.”

“Observation. You’ve met her, what… twice?”

I need to learn to keep my mouth shut. “It’s my job to assess people, especially ones about to be brought into the family. Ava understands her role, but if you look closely, you see there’s more to her.” I hold my breath, hoping they accept this response.

“Well, good for her,” Lana finally says. “I hope she’s sitting on a beach drinking Mai Tais and enjoying her freedom.”

“It’s not good for us,” Elio says.

“I don’t know why we have to keep trying to make this alliance work. Rinella is a fucking asshole. You know he’s only hassling you about the alliance to get closer to Caruso. He’ll stab you in the back if he has a chance to usurp your status in The Outfit.”

“Our father—” Lana starts.

“Your father is dead.” My words are blunt, but I know it doesn’t hurt them. He was a fucking asshole too. “Besides, his thought around Rinella was keeping his enemies close. He wanted you to marry Ava as a means to control Rinella.”

Elio nods. “Still, there is a benefit to having this alliance.”

“Considering how much we’ve been doing for him on the docks and looking for Ava, I have yet to see the benefit for us.”

Lana’s eyes narrow on me again. “Gee, Matteo, why don’t you tell us how you really feel.”

I glare at her. “I am.” I assess whether I’m being too bold. I'm family, but only a cousin. In the end, Elio is the boss, and I need to respect that.

“He’s not wrong, but we need to be smart. Rinella has age and experience on me?—”

“But you have Caruso,” I remind Elio. As head of The Chicago Outfit, Caruso is the top dog in our world, and he likes Elio, which is a bone of contention with Rinella, who's been in the business longer than Elio.

“None of this gives us ideas on how to placate the bastard,” Lana interrupts.

More discussion. More ideas tossed around. By the time we’re done, nothing is decided and no one's happy with our lack of progress. As we stand to leave, Elio catches my eye.

"You okay, Matteo? You seem… off."

I force a smile. "Just tired. Long night."

He nods, but I can tell he's not buying it. Guilt gnaws at my insides as I walk out. I’m supposed to be dealing with family associates today, but I’m compelled to check on Ava. Her father is turning over every rock to find her. I know it’s only a matter of time before he comes looking my way.

I park in the garage and take the elevator up. I’m thinking of all the cameras in the area and my building. Can Rinella access them? When I brought Ava into my home, I was careful that no one would recognize her. I’m tempted to pay someone to scrub the surveillance footage that might have caught me bringing her here, but the last thing I need is any other person knowing what I’ve done. So I’m living on a wing and a prayer that Rinella doesn’t come calling until I can figure out how to get me and Ava out of this.

I push open the door to my penthouse. The silence that greets me is oppressive, unsettling.

"Ava?" My voice echoes through the empty space.

No response.

A wave of panic washes over me. I rush through the rooms, checking every possible hiding spot.

"Ava!" I shout again.

The bedroom is empty, the sheets still rumpled from our morning together. The bathroom door stands open—no sign of her there, either. I tear through the closets, hoping against hope that she's just playing some twisted game of hide and seek.

I make my way to the room I’d held her in when I brought her home. It’s empty as well.

Has she been taken or has she run?

I call down to security in the lobby of my building. “Anyone come in… come up to my place?”

“No sir.”

My gut burns. “How about leaving?”

“Just the usual.”

“How about a young woman… dark hair, gray eyes?”

He talks to someone else there with him. “There was a young woman. Left about fifteen minutes ago.”

Fuck!

“Is there a problem, Mr. Moretti?” Fear sounds in his voice. He knows who I work for.

“Not with you. Thanks.” I hang up.

“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” The truth hits me like a sucker punch to the gut. She's gone.

The betrayal cuts deep, twisting in my chest. Didn’t I just suggest that Lana and Elio had underestimated her? It turns out I did too. I thought she was innocent and na?ve. Even after she tried to seduce me the other day, I thought last night was real.

I run my fingers through my hair, wondering how long before Rinella finds her and then shows up here to kill me.

My eyes land on her hoodie, draped carelessly over the back of the couch. With a roar of frustration, I snatch it up and hurl it across the room. It’s quite unsatisfying the way it limply falls to the ground.

How could I have been so stupid? I let my guard down, let her in, and this is how she repays me?

The anger burns hot, threatening to consume me. One thing is for sure. I need to find her before Rinella or Elio’s men do. My life depends on it. And when I do, I’ll make sure she never crosses me again.