TRUST ME

AUTHORS POV

Riana looked ethereal, her wet hair cascading down her shoulders. And then there were her eyes. God, her eyes. Under the light, the green in them seemed deeper, revealing tiny flecks of gold he hadn’t noticed before.

They looked like emeralds holding sunlight captive. She was simply unreal.

That was all he could think about as he looked at her, her legs wrapped around his torso, their private parts brushing against each other. The friction made her bite her lip to hold back any moan.

His left hand came up, ghosting over her bruised lips, subtly touching them.

“Never abuse your lips again,” he said, still using his hand to soothe the pain there.

He slowly kept grinding their bodies together, trying to draw out her moan.

Riana was already wet, and he knew it. The last thing she wanted was to embarrass herself, so she subtly tried to pull away from his hold.

He immediately pulled her back by the bra, her nipples perking up at the sudden cool air.

His eyes landed on them, throat bobbing as he leaned down, wanting a taste of her buds.

Stopping on each of them, Matteo looked up at her.

“May I?”

It was as if the connection between her brain and her mouth had been cut. She could only stare into his eyes as she slowly nodded.

A sly smirk formed at the edge of his lips as he immediately took one bud into his mouth, sucking and swirling his tongue around it.

His other hand played with her second breast, squeezing it and flicking her nipple. The sensation was amazing.

He was doing things to her that no one had ever done, slowly bringing her to cloud nine.

She didn’t know when her hands slowly came up and wrapped around his head, pushing him closer to her nipple while she silently bit her lip to hide her moan.

He bit down harder on her nipple, making her let out a loud moan. He stopped to look at her face.

“Looks like someone is enjoying this a little too much.”

Her ears immediately turned pink.

“I…”

He descended on her other breast, cutting off her sentence and giving it the same attention he had given the first.

At this point, Riana no longer cared how loud her moans were. He was really that good, and she was so close.

It didn’t take long for him to push her over the edge. She spilled into the pool, clinging to him as her only support while she shook from the intensity of her release.

After she came down from it, he brought them out of the pool, sat her on the edge, and slowly cleaned her with a wet towel.

He carried her downstairs, covering her with a towel, his hold tight and possessive as he walked through the corridors past some maids.

By the time he reached the room, Riana was already passed out. He carefully laid her on the bed after changing her into nightclothes, pulled the covers up to her chin, and gave her a quick peck on the forehead before leaving the room.

---

Riana had been wandering around the house for a while before she finally found the kitchen. She had woken earlier because her stomach had grumbled, reminding her how hungry she had been before she fell asleep.

She was walking down the stairs when she heard voices at the base.

She immediately stopped in her tracks, seeing Matteo and another man she had never seen before talking in hushed tones.

She tried to stay quiet as she hid behind a curtain to eavesdrop.

“Sir… the issue has been resolved, but we still need to make an appearance tomorrow, and also with her,” the unknown man said.

“I know,” Matteo sighed, running a hand through his hair, his anger at the situation becoming more prominent.

They suddenly stopped talking. She couldn’t hear anything else.

“You can come out now, Ri,” Matteo’s voice called, deep and resonating.

She peeked out, her eyes immediately locking with his.

She slowly stepped out, standing in front of them like a guilty thief caught red-handed.

“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. I was just walking toward the kitchen and heard you two talking, that’s all,” she said quickly, her heart pounding so loudly she was sure they could hear it.

The unknown man quickly whispered something into Matteo’s ear before leaving.

“Ri, you can come out now.” His voice left no room for argument.

Riana took slow steps toward him, her mind telling her to run. She couldn’t read his expression and had no idea whether he was angry with her.

She created different scenarios in her head. When she finally stood in front of him, she expected him to shout or punish her somehow.

Instead, he lifted her off her feet. Her arms immediately wrapped around his neck for support.

Matteo carried her steadily toward the kitchen and set her down on a stool. He put on an apron and began chopping and preparing food for her.

Riana had expected anything but this. He had been unexpectedly caring these past few hours, and she didn’t want to get the wrong idea or fall into any fantasies. Maybe this was simply how he treated his temporary companions.

She continued to overthink until the scent of the food hit her and made her mouth water.

In front of her was a freshly made steak and cheese quesadilla. She couldn’t wait to dig in.

When Riana took the first bite, it was as if she had been transported to another universe. The flavors blended perfectly; she could taste both the steak and the melted cheese stretching as she ate.

It was so good she couldn’t help finishing everything.

When she set the plate down, she finally looked up at the man who had been watching her for the past twenty minutes. She had been too focused on the food to notice.

Matteo simply carried the dishes to the sink and washed them. Afterward, he lifted her into his arms again and headed upstairs toward the bedroom.

“I can walk,” she muttered, trying to get down. That only made him hold her tighter, leaving no room to escape, even as they passed numerous guards. His hold grew more possessive.

Once inside the room, he set her down first before lying beside her. His arm immediately wrapped around her waist, pulling her against his chest.

Her heart fluttered at the gesture. He really should stop if he was only playing with her. That was the only thought she had as she drifted off, his body forming a warm, comforting shield around her.

By the time morning arrived, his side of the bed was cold. Riana felt a pang in her chest; she had wanted him to still be there when she woke up.

“What’s that frown for?”

Her head snapped to the left. Standing in front of her was nothing less than a Greek god.

Her eyes followed the water dripping from his lush brown hair, down his sculpted face and well-defined abs, along the V of his torso, disappearing beneath the towel.

“Calm down, Ri. I’m all yours,” he said, looking directly at her. “You look like you want to devour me.” He chuckled.

She immediately disappeared under the covers, burning with embarrassment.

“A maid will be here soon with clothes to help you get dressed. We have somewhere we need to be,” he said, putting on a clear sky-blue three-piece suit that matched his eyes perfectly.

The embroidery on the suit was unique, almost royal, reminiscent of something from ancient Greece. He looked nothing less than significant.

After dressing, he walked over to where Riana still sat on the bed, gave her a quick peck on the forehead, and left the room.

Without wasting time, Riana began preparing. The maid had already left the clothes by the time she stepped out of the bathroom, and she was impressed.

The dress was a vintage sky-blue gown with gold embroidery along the edges and a slit that ran from her legs up to her thigh. It was truly magnificent.

The maid returned to help her into the dress and applied light makeup.

As she came down the stairs, Matteo waited for her at the bottom. The moment his eyes found her, it was as though time itself had stopped.

For a moment, he could do nothing but stare, silently questioning whether she was truly real.

Her blonde hair was swept into an elegant bun, exposing the delicate curve of her neck while framing her face with effortless grace.

Against the golden softness of her hair, her green eyes stood out like fragments of an enchanted forest—bright, rare, and far too beautiful to belong to someone like him.

And Matteo, a man who had seen beautiful things and destroyed even more, found himself utterly speechless.

She looked like something heaven had created on a day it was feeling particularly generous.

When she stood in front of him, he brought her hand to his lips and kissed it carefully before looking at her. She was truly magnificent.

---

As they reached the top floor of the mansion, where a helicopter was already waiting, Riana couldn’t help wondering where they were going as she stared at the aircraft in front of her.

Matteo gently offered his hand to guide her in. Taking it, she entered the helicopter and sat beside him.

He placed the headphones over her ears as she held her breath.

“Are you the one piloting this?” she muttered.

“Why, you scared?” He smirked. “Don’t be scared, Ri. Just trust me.”

Trust me. The words echoed in her head as he started the helicopter. How could she trust the man who had taken her against her will on their first meeting?

She didn’t know when she drifted off to sleep.

By the time she woke, Matteo was already landing, and a blanket was draped over her.

They had traveled all the way from Turkey to Greece. By the time they arrived at their destination, the guests had already begun to gather.

The event was taking place at a glamorous marina in Greece, surrounded by enormous private yachts floating on the dark crystal-blue waters of the Aegean Sea.

Riana didn’t need to be told; she could see it with her own eyes. This type of event was reserved for the heavily privileged.

Their clothes shimmered and glittered; even the jewels on their bodies were probably worth millions.

Some dirty stares were thrown her way. She couldn’t help clinging to Matteo more tightly.

As if sensing that she needed his comfort, his hand tightened around hers, a quiet, reassuring gesture that oddly brought her ease. For this night, maybe she would trust him. Just maybe.