So, I ignored him. For the rest of the meal, I focused on Maria’s stories, Natalia’s smile, Kali’s funny comments. I didn’t once look his way.
But he didn’t move his arm.
The weight of it stayed there, the warmth of him steady and unyielding, brushing so close I felt it every time I shifted.
And damn me – by dessert, I realized my spine wasn’t so stiff anymore. I had softened, just a fraction, letting myself breathe beneath his quiet claim.
The afterparty at the nightclub had passed by in a blur of cocktails, loud music, pink and purple lights… And the heated eye contact between me and Matteo. Across the VIP table. The room. The dance floor.
We couldn’t exactly dance together like everybody else. Even talking when not cornered was a bit of a stretch. So, instead, I stayed with the girls, and he stayed with the guys. That didn’t stop either of us from ‘accidently’ meeting the other’s eye throughout the night, over and over again…
The next day became a sick game that only him and I were playing.
I avoided him at the pool. Every time he approached me with a different, teasing pick-up line, I replied with one of my sharp comebacks and walked away as fast as I could. Even our friends, including my older brother, were startingto notice Matteo’s advances. Though, Gìovanni only thought Matteo was being an asshole, and not actually trying to get in my pants – hence why no one was taking the exchanges between us serious.
Good to know everyone thought there was no way Matteo would actually be into me.
It only fueled me to get meaner, which in turn made Matteo’s teasing worse than before. By the end of the day, I was burning, and he was… Hot too. Watching me with those sinful, amber eyes that made me bite my lip…
We kept that up for the next few days
In front of our friends, we exchanged nasty retorts and fire-fueled insults. But when no one else was looking, all the built-up tension between us simmered into something…Hot.
I was in my bikini, standing by the resort’s pool bar, when I felt the warm pressure against my skin. Only to look up and see Matteo at my side, his hand resting on my lower back, not even glancing at me as he ordered a drink –old fashioned on the rocks.
When he finally looked down at me, I didn’t move, suddenly unsure why I’d wanted him to look at me so bad when I could feel my cheekbones blush from more than the Hawaiian sun.
And when the bartender brought both of our drinks, he reached for mine instead, stealing a sip from the tall, fruity cocktail while tipping his head and giving me that sexy frown.
With my mind all dizzy, I reached for his tumbler and took a slow sip of his whiskey, leaving my lipstick stain on the rim of the glass.
Matteo –all sun kissed skin,golden brown hair and dark amber eyes– took the glass from my hand, our fingersbrushing, and drank straight from where my red lips had left a pretty mark. It sent a rush of heat to my stomach that dropped between my thighs like a weight.
I swallowed.
“Good?”
He shook his head. “Better.”
Sirenaswere a Latin folklore tale I’d been warned about since I was a young kid in Mexico. Beautiful women, with poisonous fangs and angelic voices, that lured even the strongest of men to their demise.
I’d never come across a woman who twisted my mind.
That was until I met Francesca DeMone.
She’d threaded her delicate fingers through my hair and dug them into my mind, only to mix my thoughts with her perfectly manicured nails – until she occupied my every waking moment and nightly dream.
The way her hair flowed in the summer air like she was swimming in the ocean. How the water around her sparkled like a million diamonds when she went in it. The way her tan skin glowed like sunset at golden hour. That soft, relaxed look in her eyes, like she was finally at peace – here, by the beach.
I sat by the edge of the pool, in the searing heat, watching my vice walk outside my body.
I couldn’t sleep. Think. Eat.
I tried, but nothing made me feel anything.
Except her.
I didn’t know what it was. Because it felt like everything all at the same time. Trying to pinpoint what effect Francesca DeMone had on me was pointless. We’d never even kissed, let alone touched. We barely spoke over the past five months. She acted like she wanted nothing to do with me. But I couldn’t get her out of my mind.
