Chapter 8

Don Mateo's POV. 

Ever since I offered Amelia the contract, I'd noticed the unsettling fear surrounding her. 

She moved like she was scared of me. 

Usually, that would never bother me, since everyone who worked with me feared me. But for Amelia, it was different. 

The last thing I wanted was for her to be scared of me. I wanted her to feel comfortable around me, for reasons I found too ashamed to admit. 

When we reached the room, Amelia still had the look of a scared woman on her face. I had no idea if this was about the contract, or what she'd seen. All I wanted to do was to wipe it off her face.

“Amelia, you don't need to be scared of me. I won't hurt you,” I started, making sure to give myself a good distance away from her, even as we stood in the room.

She quickly shook her head, “no no, I'm just nervous. I'm not afraid of you.” 

She was saying that, but was still clutching onto the sides of her dress, and looking everywhere but my face. 

“Do you think I'd offer you the contract if I wanted you dead?” 

She shook her head in the negative. But that wasn't enough.

“Look at me.” 

Beautiful, blue eyes met my green ones and for a moment, the burden of being a Mafia Don eased off my shoulders. I felt like a man staring at the only woman who had the power to ruin him. And she didn't even realize it. 

I'd spent years admiring her, even when she was with my son. It wasn't like any other lustful feeling I've felt towards previous women in my life. 

This was love. I'd watched Raymond mistreat her, treat her like she didn't matter and even cheated on her, and I never felt more ashamed to affiliate myself with him. 

When I discovered Raymond wanted to turn her into a whore for money, I decided to step in fully. 

The contract wasn't just about her mother's health, it was about Amelia's happiness, it was about correcting the mistakes of my careless son. No one deserved to be treated like that, especially not the woman I love. 

She meant–

“Does Raymond live with you?” Her soft voice snapped me out of my thoughts. 

“No.” 

Of course not. My rebellious son thought it would be wise to cut ties with his father, because of his mother's death. 

I didn't kill her, but Raymond didn't care. Instead of being by my side, he chose to go against me. And it was strange that my biggest enemy was my own son. 

Crazy. 

I returned my focus to the girl in front of me, who happened to be crossing her arms, now slowly looking up at me. The fear in her features were slowly disappearing, and that brought me a strange kind of relief. 

Then she curled her hair behind her ears–the same way she'd done when I first met her at that charity event a year ago.

 She'd not noticed me, but I still recall the pink satin dress she was putting on. I recalled everything, including the jewelry on her, and this room in my home became history. I'd yearned for her ever since then, and now I finally had her here, even if it was for a while. 

“Um..but you're sure he can't get any close to this place?” She asked again.

“He won't be able to reach you, Margherita,” I assured her. 

Raymond had actually broken into my home before. But that was before Amelia arrived. Now that she was here, I wouldn't mind hiring a thousand more guards to protect her. 

She was currently rubbing her elbows on either side of her arm, and this looked like the perfect time to let her know why I called her up here. 

But as I walked towards her, aiming to close the distance, I felt my chest tighten with an anxious feeling. I wanted to touch her hand, and many other places but would she be okay with that? 

Noticing how her eyes widened as she saw me, I decided to kill the idea. I would ignore everything I felt–the desire, the heat, and the blood flow increase moving down my legs.

I took a turn instead, aiming for the bed. When I took a seat, she came closer with twitched brows, “Are we–we going to share a room?” 

A smirk appeared around the corner of my lips, “You're mine Margherita, even if it's on paper. We have to plate the role perfectly.” 

“But–but I don't think that's needed. I mean, the public doesn't see us here,” she pointed out.

“If you're this uneasy around me, how would you be able to get used to my presence in public?” 

My question seemed to do the trick as she pursed her lipos as if trying to bargain with herself. 

I was busy undoing the buttons of my black shirt, when her eyes flicked towards my chest. I noticed the burn in her cheeks, and the way her eyes sparkled with something close to admiration.

That reminded me of how she'd been gaping at me during dinner. Did she find me attractive? I hoped so.

Before I could question her staring, she turned around, rounding the bed, and then I felt her weight press against the mattress. 

I pulled my shirt off me, laying on the bed in my pants. Her back came in view as I turned, and I noticed how her gown had shifted a little up her thighs. I swallowed hard, hating how easily my cock started swelling. 

Heat pooled across my belly as I stared at her, wondering what her skin would feel like. She looked delicate, like a treasure I wanted to unravel and cherish at the same time. 

Oh God.

Would I be able to resist her long enough for her to express her intentions? 

As my eyes focused on her soft skin, my cock stretched painfully against my zipper. 

Shit.

I had to do something about this. 

Holding that thought, I rose up from the bed, heading towards the bathroom in big steps. When I reached, I turned on the shower, hoping the cold water pouring down in sheets would help what I felt.

But my cock still bounced in the air, growing harder as it stood at attention. The thought of Amelia came to mind, her soft voice, her beautiful face and her curves. It had to be unhealthy to long for someone this much. 

As if on cue, the recall of the night I had sex with her at the club came to mind. The head of my cock glistened with pre-cum, the feel making it really hard to ignore.

I curled my fingers around myself, but even as I gripped myself tightly, this didn't feel like the kind of pleasure I wanted. 

The only person who could quench this fire was Amelia. So I stepped out of the bathroom, wrapping a towel around my waist, with my mind on no one but Amelia.