Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Matteo’s mind was a storm of confusion and pain as he glanced down at the woman resting against him. Who the hell was she? It had been nearly an hour since she’d fallen asleep, her head nestled against his chest, after he’d finally managed to corral the wild chaos of his grief. The day had been one of the darkest he’d ever endured—second only to the day he learned that his mother and Antonio had been brutally murdered. Watching their caskets lowered side by side, right next to his father’s gravestone, had sent his thoughts spiraling into a furious, vengeful haze filled with rage and bloodlust. He longed to hunt down those responsible and make them pay in the most brutal way imaginable, tearing them apart piece by piece until nothing remained but empty husks.

Bonnie stirred slightly, mumbling softly in her sleep as she tried to pull away from his tightening embrace. Matteo forced himself to loosen his grip, and after a brief pause, she relaxed again, sighing contentedly as she pressed her cheek against his neck before slipping back into a deep, peaceful sleep. He couldn’t resist running his fingers through her rich, mahogany hair once more. She was breathtaking—stunning beyond words. The only drawback to her being asleep on top of him was that he couldn’t see those mesmerizing ice-blue eyes of hers, the ones that cut through his carefully constructed mask and ignited a fire deep within his chest.

If this had happened just a week ago, and she had come to him like this, he wouldn’t have hesitated for a second. He would have dragged her to the bar’s bathroom and taken her with fierce abandon until she swore to be his forever. Even if she turned out to be a venomous viper, he could have handled it—for the claim of her curvy, feminine body that called to his primal instincts. But now, knowing she possessed a heart of gold and a wit as sharp as his favorite knife, he was completely undone. Still, he understood what this was—a one-night thing. She had said it herself. She’d only come home with him to avoid facing another payment. His eyes drifted to the ring on her right hand; he’d noticed her fiddling with it all night as he watched her from the corner of his eye. When she’d approached him to offer a light, he’d thought perhaps fate was showing him a shred of mercy.

Of course, he had recognized her the moment he saw her with Mallory and Louis’ fiancée. It was standard procedure when one of his men planned to marry—to conduct a thorough background check on the future in-laws. He’d skimmed through the report his second-in-command handed him, until he came across the picture of the step-sister. He couldn’t quite recall her name, but those eyes? He would recognize them anywhere. The photo showed her tightly embraced by a man, and Matteo had stared so intently at the man with burning jealousy that he was surprised the paper hadn’t caught fire.

“You’re still awake,” she whispered suddenly, making him flinch. She tightened her arms around his chest, her hands slipping between his back and the soft mattress beneath them.

“Mhmm,” he answered softly, exhaling slowly to conceal the chaotic thoughts racing through his mind.