CHAPTER FOUR : ONE NIGHT

MATTEO's POV

"Dude, seriously. I need to get laid. It's been like, three days." I groan, running a hand over my face. My best friend, Jaden, is sitting on the end of my bed, controller in his hand. He turns to face me as soon as the battle is over on the screen, his eyes lighting up with humor.

"You need to get yourself a girlfriend; the sex is like almost every day." Jaden grins, his smile lighting up his face. I roll my eyes and throw a pillow at his head, watching as it bounces off him.

"Fuck having a girlfriend. Girlfriends are a major pain in the ass. How many times has Emily messaged you since you've been at mine?" I question, my eyebrow raised at him. He drops his gaze to his phone, the cockiness disappearing from his features.

"Six? Seven?" I tease him, a smirk plastered on my face as I realize I'm right. My point is made exactly.

"It's actually eight times," Jaden mutters, grimacing before turning his phone off. I let out a loud whoop, fist pumping the air.

"See, dude? I'm always right. Girlfriends are crazy. She'll be driving herself insane thinking you're cheating on her when really, you're keeping my miserable ass company."

"I agree with you partially, but don't tell Belle that. She'll bite my head off." Jaden mutters unhappily, reaching over for another slice of pizza.

"Is your right hand not good enough anymore? The doctor said you need to rest; sex is not resting." Jake shot me an amused look, and I scowled at him in return.

"Shut up. Sex heals everything." I grin, reaching over for my phone.

"I need someone who isn't crazy. I can't have her going all Karma Sutra on me when I've just been stabbed."

We both turn to look at each other, thinking the exact same thing.

"Jenna?" I say, already scrolling through my contacts to find her. Jaden nods in agreement.

"She's your best bet, man. She isn't adventurous, but she'll get the job done."

I can't help but laugh at him, shaking my head at his thoughts towards girls. I couldn't judge him; I'm the exact same. There's never been anyone special enough for me; all they want is to sleep with me and move on. That's more than fine by me.

"He's too dangerous."

"He's not a family guy; he'll cheat and leave you brokenhearted."

"Matteo is bad news; stay away from him."

I've heard it all.

For women, I'm good enough to sleep with. But, a relationship? None of them have the guts for that. I send her a text quickly, something along the lines of missing her, wanting to meet up... blah blah.

"Done?" Jaden asks me, and I nod silently, placing my phone back onto my desk.

As I was waiting patiently for Jenna, nursing a glass of whiskey. Jaden sat beside him, talking about business; Matteo barely registered it. His eyes were fixed on the far end of the room.

"Rosa!"

She sat hunched over the bar counter, her shoulders slack, a bottle of tequila by her elbow, and her eyes clouded with pain. Matteo didn't need to ask—he knew something was off. She was burying something in liquor.

"She shouldn't be here like this," Matteo muttered.

Jaden followed his gaze and frowned. "She's not handling it; whatever is wrong with her is not well.

"But are you sure it's her?" Jaden asked,

Then Matteo saw them, two men, both clearly drunk, slithering through the crowd toward Rosa like wolves drawn to a bleeding lamb.

"Nope," Matteo growled, slamming his glass down. "Not tonight!"

He was up before Jaden could reply, storming across the bar just as one of the men touched Rosa's arm and whispered something into her ear. She recoiled, disoriented, barely understanding what was happening.

"Hands off," Matteo barked, stepping between Rosa and the men.

"Back off!" Matteo barked, stepping between Rosa and the men, their eyes blazing with fury. "We're just talking," one of them sneered.

"She's not in the mood for talking," Matteo snapped. Things escalated fast.

One man shoved Matteo. The other reached for Rosa again; that was all it took. Matteo's fist cracked into the first guy's jaw while Jaden swooped in like backup. Chaos broke out; glasses shattered, chairs fell, and shouts rang through the lounge.

By the time the bouncers arrived, Mateo and Jaden had handled it. The men stumbled away, bleeding and humiliated, while Matteo wrapped Rosa's arm over his shoulder and helped her to the door.

"Let's get you home," he murmured.

The drive was quiet. Rosa leaned against the passenger window, her breath slow and heavy. When they arrived at Matteo's place, she didn't speak, just let him guide her inside like muscle memory.

In his apartment, she sat on the edge of the couch.

Her eyes glassy, she whispered, "He said I wasn't enough. That I was too intense. Too complicated."

Matteo crouched before her, brushing hair from her face. "You're real, Rosa. The kind of woman who doesn't pretend. That scares weak men."

Her lips trembled. "I don't want to be alone tonight." She sounded tipsy and paled; it was as if she didn't recognize me as the man she saved a few days ago.

He hesitated, but her hand slid into his, her gaze raw and pleading.

"You won't be!"

Instead, I pull back and study Rosa, a smile on my face. Her blue eyes are drinking me in shamelessly, lips tugging upwards into a smirk as she knows what I'm thinking. I reach up and tangle my hands through the strands of her soft brown hair, loving how it feels between my fingers.

Our kiss was slow but urgent, like two storms colliding. I lifted her into my arms, carrying her to the bedroom. Clothes fell to the floor like forgotten doubts. In the heat of the moment, sorrow turned to fire, and pain into passion. Our bodies spoke what words couldn't.

She immediately yanks me further into her, my head dipping low. When her lips crash against mine, I long to access her mouth straight away. I let out a low groan, and I sigh against her lips, my muscles relaxing.

"I haven't stopped thinking about you, about this." Rosa murmurs down my ear, biting the skin and gently tugging it. I close my eyes and enjoy the moment, enjoy her, but I thought she was referring to another person.

***** ROSA'S POV *****

His kiss causes me to relax further into a sleepy state as I realize how exhausted I am. I rest my head against his shoulder, my eyelids fluttering shut. Matteo lets out a disappointed sigh before his arms wrap around me. I can't help but feel bad for him, but the events of the night have caught up to me.

I let him lie me back down onto the bed, placing a blanket over my body. Only seconds pass before I drift off into a sleep; Matteo's face was calm and ready to linger.

That night, they weren't just seeking comfort. We were clinging to each other in the wreckage of heartbreak.

But as dawn broke through the blinds, and as Rosa lay asleep in his arms, Matteo's phone buzzed violently beside the bed.

A single message flashed on the screen: "You've crossed the line. She was never yours to save, Matteo!""