Matteo’s hand snakes around my back, gripping my hip as he pulls me flush against his side. “Is this okay?” he whispers into my ear.
“Yes,” I breathe, smiling as we both look at the photographer. She takes a few photos before disappearing from the foyer. Matteo’s grip loosens, but he doesn’t release me.
“Come on,” Elena urges. “People are waiting to speak with you.” She looks over at Shaw. “Come on, Cam. No more hiding out here.”
Shaw lets out a sigh and shakes his head as he starts to walk into the reception hall.
“He’s not a fan of events like this,” Elena explains to me as she grabs two flutes of champagne and hands one to me. “He hates the auction.”
Matteo nods toward the doors and Shaw falls in step with him as the four of us head toward the door.
“Why doesn’t he like the auction?” I half whisper to her.
She glances at me, arching a brow. “Of course Matty didn’t say anything.” She rolls her eyes, huffing. “They have an auction for an outing with each player.”
“Like a date?”
Elena shrugs. “Depends on what the winner and player decide. Sometimes it’s golf or some fun activity or even dinner.” She leans closer. “You’d better outbid someone for Matteo tonight.”
Realization washes over me. Someone else could bid and win him tonight. Jealousy rolls in my stomach. It’s not like it’s for a real date or anything sexual, but still.
“Sunny, come here, I want you to meet some people,” Matteo says, breaking into mine and Elena’s convo. She gives me a wink as Matteo slips his hand to mine and leads me over to a small group of three at a standing table near the corner. “Hey guys,” he says as we reach them.
A woman with long dark hair and the two men turn to look at me. Her red lips pull into a smile, her gaze soft as she stares at me for a moment. The three of them are older and the two men could pass for twins.
And they both have gray eyes. Eyes that look exactly like Matteo’s.
“This is Jade.” Matteo’s thumb strokes the back of my hand. “Jade, this is my mom, Andi, my father, Carson and my Uncle Caleb.”
Holy shit. He brought me over to meet his parents.
My heart races. “Hi!” I smile at the three of them. Nervous doesn’t begin to touch the way I feel right now. Hell, I don’t even know what I’m feeling. An anxious feeling rolls through my stomach.
“Hi, Jade,” Andi says, taking a step closer to pull me in for a hug. “It’s so lovely to meet you.” She pulls away for a moment. “I love your dress.”
“Oh, thank you.” Heat creeps across my cheeks and I glance at Matteo. His smile doesn’t leave his face.
“Jade.” His father nods and holds out his hand to shake mine. He looks like an older version of Matteo. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“You as well.”
His uncle steps over, holding out his hand. “Thank you for coming tonight.” He nods his head toward Matteo. “Thanks for keeping this one out of trouble too.”
Matteo chuckles, pulling me back to his side. “The three of you do not get to interrogate her tonight.”
“Does that mean we’ll get to another night?” Andi asks him without missing a beat.
Carson arches a brow as he grabs his drink from the table and takes a long sip.
Matteo looks at me, his eyes scanning my face. “I hope so.”
A smile tugs on my lips and I turn to them. “I’d love to be interrogated.”
“Don’t tempt them, Sunny,” Matteo laughs, his fingers wrapping around my side. “They can be ruthless.”
“Oh, please,” Andi waves her hand. “We are harmless.” She smiles at me. “I’d just love to know more about the woman who’s stolen my boy's attention.”
My heart crawls into my throat. With the way the three of them are studying me, I can’t help but wonder if this is the first time something like this has happened before.
