“Get a room,” Bella calls out, still standing in the doorway.
“This is our house,” Dad reminds her, wrapping his arms around Mom’s waist. “I can kick all three of you out whenever I want.”
Bella rolls her eyes and slips back inside. I pause just inside the doorway, glancing over my shoulder at our mom and dad. Neither are looking over at us. Mom’s hands are on Dad’s chest and she’s staring down at him with nothing but love and adoration in her gaze.
He sweeps the hair away from her face, his eyes only meant for her. He’s always looked at her as if she’s the only one he could truly see.
I turn away, quietly closing the door behind me as I step into the house, feeling a tug inside my chest. I’ve never felt a love like what they have…
And at this point, I’m not so sure I ever will.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
JADE
“He was close... too close. Yet, I didn’t want him to move.” - Clara Foss, Painted Inferno
The elevator dings as it reaches the first floor. My stomach knots and I push my curled hair over my shoulders, adjusting my purse when the doors finally open.
This isn’t a date.
That’s been my mantra all day. While I fixed my hair and my makeup. While I stood in front of my closet and tried on seventeen different outfits. There’s no reason for me to feel this nervous about getting dinner.
I grab the top hem of my black high-waisted jeans, hiking them up a little higher, and straighten the buckle of my designer belt. Since it’s not a date, I opted for a pair of black jeans, a cream-colored tight-fitting sweater, and a pair of heeled boots.
It’s nothing too fancy, yet not too casual. Matteo didn’t tell me where we’re going tonight, so this is what he’s getting.
When I reach the front door to my apartment building, I see Matteo just beyond the sidewalk. He’s leaning back against theside of his sleek, black SUV, arms crossed over his chest and his legs crossed at the ankles.
Jesus Christ, looking as good as he does should be a crime.
Our gazes meet through the glass. My breath catches as Matteo’s eyes hold mine. His gaze rakes down the length of my body as I slowly push open the door, swallowing hard.
He’s wearing a pair of jeans, a dark shirt beneath his normal bomber jacket, and a pair of white sneakers. His hair’s tousled in loose waves, brushed away from his face. I step through the doorway, welcoming the brisk air as it chases away the heat that encapsulates my body.
February has a tendency of being just as brutal as January, although we’ve been lucky lately with warm air coming from the coast.
However warm that air might be, it’s not the cause of the fire spreading through my veins.
It’s Matteo Ford and the way those steel gray eyes drink me in.
“Hey,” he says softly as I stop in front of him. He pushes away from the side of the SUV, his body towering above mine.
I smile. “Hey yourself.”
He shifts to the left, bending at the waist as he pulls open the car door. Those damn eyes meet mine once more, a ghost of a smile dancing on his lips.
“After you, Sunny.”
“Thank you.” I bob my head, half curtseying before climbing into the SUV. The dark red interior is lush and elegant. It smells like him and leather. Matteo waits until I’m seated before shutting the door and walking around to the other side. “Where are we going?” I ask as he gets in behind the steering wheel.
He puts the car in drive, the engine purring quietly as he pulls away from the curb. “To get dinner.” He looks at me fromthe corner of his eye. “You have a track record of forgetting to eat, so it’s only right for me to make sure you do.”
“I thought we were celebrating?”
“Two birds, one stone.” The corner of his mouth twitches. His voice lowers. “I’m an efficient man, Jade.”
I inhale sharply, my stomach fluttering as his quiet chuckle fills the air around us. Why do I keep ending up in close quarters with this man? It’s impossible to escape him when we’re in such close proximity to one another.
