Chapter Forty-Two
Matteo
Iwake up to the sound of soft purring and a fluffy weight on my chest. Winter blinks down at me as I open my eyes, the feline watching me far too closely. Before I can clear my fuzzy gaze by rubbing my eyelids with the back of my hands, the cat steps forward and licks my face.
Wincing at the sandpaper texture of her tongue, I exhale as she tips her head forward, hitting my chin with it to try and pet herself against my face. Lifting a hand up to pet her, I hear Anya giggle and realize that she hasn’t gotten out of bed yet.
Either it’s way earlier than I would normally wake up, or my girl decided to sleep in with me. Turning my head to the side, I find her wide awake and alert, looking completely rested. She’s laying on her side, facing me as she props her head up with her hand. Her face is glowing and I know she must have gotten up a while ago to wash it.
“Did you put her on me, or did she jump up here all on her own?” I ask, my morning voice rumbling in a deep tenor. “Also, how long have you been watching me sleep?”
“I put her on the bed to pet her, but she climbed up on you all on her own,” Anya reports happily. “It seems like I’m not the only one who likes seeing you without a shirt.”
My lips spread into a smirk at her compliment. “Does that mean I can take it off more often? I used to almost never have a shirt on, you know. I only started wearing them more out of respect for you. I would always have to toss one on before answering your video calls.”
Her eyes seem to sparkle and she nods. “You can be shirtless however often you want. Though, I don’t know how my dad will feel about it.”
“We’ll find out eventually,” I point out, shrugging. “Now don’t think I didn’t notice you ignoring my other question. How long have you been watching me sleep,meraviglia?”
“Only a little while.” Anya flushes but she seems more playful than embarrassed. “I didn’t want to wake you, you looked so peaceful. Did you sleep well? I didn’t kick you or anything last night, did I?”
I chuckle at her worried question. “No, baby, you didn’t kick me. I slept great.” Thanks to my quick thinking last night, I didn’t have to go to bed with blue balls, and falling asleep was effortless for me.
It was ridiculously quick and easy to get myself off in her bathroom before getting ready for bed. I still had the taste of her cum on my lips and the image of her lying beneath me in my head to make jerking off feel better than it ever has.
“How about you, hmm? Are you feeling okay this morning?”
“Yeah,” she whispers, moving closer. “I still feel like I’m floating.”
I’m about to ask if she wants me to flip her over and make her float even higher when two sharp knocks rap against her door. Winter jumps off the bed to go investigate the sound, using my stomach as a spring board to launch herself forward.
I groan, burying the back of my head into my pillow. “Well, there goes our blissful morning,meraviglia. What are the chances that it’s your aunt or someone far more agreeable than your father?”
Anya draws her eyebrows in, her button nose scrunching up. “I don’t know.” Louder, she calls out, “Who is it?”
“Nico,” my brother grunts. “Open up. I’ve got news.”
“Go away,” I complain, loud enough for him to hear.
Anya tsks at me and jumps out of bed. She’s fully dressed for the day and apparently doesn’t mind being interrupted. Sighing, I throw the bedding off my body and sit up, rubbing a hand down my face. Since it’s just my brother, I don’t need to worry about putting on a shirt. Sweatpants are dressed enough.
When the door swings open, I hear Anya suck in a breath. “Oh, oh hi.”
Confused at the surprise in her voice, I turn my head to see why she would react to Nico in such a way. She’s forced my brother to become her friend and always greets him happily. He announced himself, I don’t know why she would be shocked to see him.
But I quickly realize that my brother isn’t alone. He doesn’t have news to share, he has a bomb to drop. My stomach feels like it’s jumping all the way up to my throat as I process who Anya has just opened the door for.
“Dad.” I stand up, swallowing at the sight of him. His familiar face seems so out of place here, but this isn’t some weird crossover dream where my two worlds collide. He’s real and he’s here. “Nico, a little warning would have been appreciated.”
“I said I have news,” my brother drawls, looking bored. “Dad’s here—there’s your news.”
“Hi, Mr. Moretti,” Anya says softly, gesturing for him to come inside.
“Dante, please,” he reminds her. “How are you, Anya?” Dad steps over the threshold, while Nico remains outside of it.
“I’m good,” she replies, looking back at me. “We weren’t expecting you. We could have come downstairs…”
“No need,” Dad assures her, lifting up a hand. “Would you mind if I spoke to my son alone for a few minutes?”
