He turns around to face me. His gaze drops down to my feet, taking in my body before finding his way back to my eyes. The oxygen in the elevator car ceases to exist. My lungs constrict and he takes a step forward, closing a foot of distance between us.
“Did you work through whatever issue you were stuck on?”
I tilt my head to the side. “If I did, do you think I’d still be wanting a creative meeting?”
A ghost of a smile dances across his lips, mischief passing over his hooded gaze. “Yes.”
Heat spreads through me. “Bold assumption.”
“So, you didn’t then?” He takes another step closer. There’s less than a foot separating us now. My back rests against the wall.
“No, I did,” I admit, my voice low, tipping my head back to look up at him.
Matteo closes the remaining distance, caging me in as he plants his hands on the wall on either side of me. His tongue darts out, immediately capturing my attention. I swear I stop breathing.
My cardiologist is going to wonder what the hell happened when he looks at the way my heart’s beating.
“So, why am I here then, sunny?”
My eyes flash back to his. “Because I want you here.”
He groans, low and guttural. His nostrils flare, pupils dilating as his face dips down to mine, his lips a breath away from mine. “What the fuck is it about elevators?”
The bell dings and the car dips as it stops on my floor. Matteo’s still caging me in as the doors slide open. A throat clears behind him. Matteo blinks. Irritation flashes in his eyes and he blows out a breath of frustration as he pushes off the wall.
“Sorry to interrupt,” Harry, my neighbor, says. He meets my eyes. “Oh, hey Jade.” He looks over his shoulder at Matteo, who’s waiting for me in the hall. “Everything okay?”
“Hey, Harry,” I say in a rush, heat spreading across my cheeks. “Everything’s great. This is my friend, Matteo.” I shuffle out of the elevator as Harry gets on. “Have a good night!”
“Was that your neighbor?” Matteo asks, his voice low as I walk past him.
“Yeah,” I say, sliding my key back into the lock on my door. “He’s lived next to me for a few years now.” We’re not necessarily close or even friends, but we’re friendly enough to look out for one another.
Matteo steps closer behind me. He’s not touching me, but the heat from his body slams into mine. His breath is warm as he brings his lips to my ear. “Are you fucking him?”
My breath catches in my throat and I’m momentarily caught off guard.Is he jealous?I push open the door, uncertainty and intrigue wrapping around my spine. Matteo walks into my apartment, shutting and locking the door behind him.
“What did you say?”
We both turn to face one another. He kicks off his shoes, slowly removing that stupid bomber jacket he’s always wearing.
It shouldn’t look that good on him.
“You heard me,” he growls, stalking closer. He stops when his toes reach mine. “Are you and your neighbor fucking?”
“That’s none of your business.” The sentence does not come out as clipped as I imagined it would in my head.
“No?” His fingers slip beneath my jaw, tilting my head back. “It’s not my business?” A shiver trails down my spine as he slides his fingertips along my jawline, slowly trailing down the side of my throat.
“Your body tells me otherwise, Sunny.” His eyes darken, the muscle in his jaw tightening. “Do I need to worry about him?”
“No,” I breathe with a subtle shake of my head. “It’s never been like that with him. We’re not even really friends, just acquaintances.”
“That’s good,” he draws, his eyes flicking down to my lips.
“Why does it matter?”
His eyes shift back to mine. “Because I don’t like to share.”
