When the door shuts, it hits me that I’m alone with Matteo Moretti.
In. His. Bedroom.
“Hi, Matteo,” I breathe out, trying not to squirm.
His smile lights up the room. “Hi, Anya.”
I take a step forward, and he does too.
When I launch myself at him, he catches me and pulls me in close.
And suddenly, everything is right in the world.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Anya
“I’m so happy you’re here,” Matteo breathes, his words brushing against my neck. The soft beat of his voice touching my skin is almost enough to make me shiver against him. “I can’t believe you’re here.Fuck, I better not be dreaming.”
“You’re not dreaming,” I assure him, holding tight while in no rush to end our hug. “I’m really here, can’t you feel me?”
“That’s the problem,” he replies, voice more gruff than before. “Icanfeel you and I’ve been waiting months to feel you again. I’m worried my brain is teasing me with this very realistic dream.”
“If it’s a dream, then it’s mine,” I reply seriously. “It took an almost five-hour flight to get here, and I certainly remember every moment of that. I was almost sick with anticipation, I couldn’t wait to surprise you.”
Pulling back just far enough so that our eyes can meet, he looks down at me with a mystified expression. “You really came here for me?”
“I wanted to take a turn being the one who comes to visit,” I admit shyly, finally untangling myself from him. I feel the loss of his warmth immediately. “I’m only here for a day, though. So if you still want to come visit me soon, I’d like that a lot.”
His face falls in disappointment, but he quickly smothers the emotion. “Do you leave tonight or tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow,” I say, hoping to put his smile back in place. “Uncle Mikhail is staying with me in a hotel and taking me home tomorrow afternoon. Your Dad is with him right now.”
“I’ll come with you,” he replies immediately. “Tomorrow, I’ll fly back with you both. Tell me you want me to come back with you.”
“I…of course I do,” I rush out, eyes widening as I breathe through my surprise. “But are you sure? It’s so last minute?—”
“We’ll save a flight,” Matteo says in a quick rebuttal. “It’s better for the environment, and better for my patience. I can’t have you for just one day and then say goodbye. I need like a week,at least.”
A laugh rises out of me and I smile at him. “That could be nice. We could go to the beach. I’ve been wanting to go since I got back…since before I even left, really.”
“The beach,” he agrees readily, nodding like he’s sealing the plan into his memory for later. “We’ll walk on the beach and then I’m making you chicken parm. And we can watch a movie or two this time.”
“More than two, if you’re staying for a week.”
He practically beams.
“Fuck, that reminds me. I need your dad’s phone number.”
“You do?”
“Yeah,meraviglia,” he confirms soundly. “I want to be able to get a hold of him myself if I’m ever worried about you again. I thought I was going to have a fucking heart attack yesterday.And besides, now I have to ask him permission to accompany you back to Cali.”
“Okay,” I agree in a breath. He hands me his phone, and I try not to allow my hands to shake while I create a contact for my father.
“Good,” he says through an exhale, seeing the number stored safely in his phone. “I’ll call him later. Now, back to the fun stuff. We don’t have time to waste! It’s just past noon, so there’s plenty of options. Have you eaten lunch?”
“I had a sandwich on the plane. Have you?”
