“Why don’t you want the world to know you’re mine, Sophia?”
“It’s not that I don’t want the world to know,” I mumbled, tearing my eyes away. This was rapidly turning into a serious conversation, and I hated that.
It spoiled the mellow haze of love that I had been wrapped up in.
“Then what is it?”
“You know my parents want me to be married to someone else,” I muttered.
All the remnants of happiness slipped from his face. “Oh, I am aware, and I told you I would take care of that. You agreed to be mine, Sophia.”
“I am yours,” I said quickly.
“Then forget all about the wedding your parents have arranged. It won’t be happening.”
Without warning, he laughed. Catching me around the waist, he tossed me back onto the bed. Catching my wrists in his hands, he pinned them on either side of my head and straddled me.
He was not crushing me, but keeping me locked into place.
I lifted my eyes to his with a smile.
I liked this side of Matteo. The playful side.
“The only person you will be lying under is me, Sophia. You don’t want a ring, then fine. No ring.” His lips brushed mine. Harder now, more insistent. “At least not yet, but you will be my wife, Sophia. Make no mistake about that.”
I wanted to believe him, no, I did believe him.
“I know.” I sighed, looping my arms around his neck. “I’m just not sure how we are going to break it to my parents…to our parents.”
His eyes sparkled. “My parents love you. They won’t mind. And don’t worry about yours. I’ll take care of it. I promise, Sophia.”
I believed him. He looked too serious not to. “And Gio?”
My brother’s name hung between us. Not because my brother hated Matteo, but because he didn’t. They had been best friends since kindergarten. They were closer than brothers.
In a way, that made my relationship with Matteo even more forbidden. Matteo was breaking some kind of bro code that I didn’t understand.
My parents might come around to us being together, but my brother? I wasn't so sure.
There was a jealous streak in my brother, and he had never had many friends. He would think I was taking Matteo away from him. Which of course I wasn’t, but I knew that’s how he would feel.
“Look at me, Sophia.”
I turned my eyes back to his.
“You have nothing to worry about. I’ll talk to your parents and Gio. Or we can just elope. There’s nothing they can do if we are already married.”
I smiled. He had a point there. “That’s true. When—"
“Soon, I need to make some arrangements.” Something shifted in his eyes. They narrowed, and his hand slid down my side. “But it won’t be long, Sophia. I can’t wait too long before…” his lips found my jaw and peppered kisses down my throat.
My hands clawed at his shoulders, my back arched, giving him more skin to nuzzle into. Once again, need clenched my core. I clung to him tighter, pulling his hard body down against mine.
“You don’t need to wait. I am right here.”
I lifted my hips wantonly, wrapping one leg around his waist.
“You’re not sore?”
