Ruthless Monarch - A Billionaire Enemies-to-Lovers Romance - Ava Harrison Page 0,77
in his position ever need to lie?
There’s no need. If he doesn’t like something, he kills it. If you want something, he takes it.
Look at me, case in point.
I’m not stupid. I know why this marriage happened, but I still want to get to know him. I’m not sure what the future will bring. I’m not sure if I could ever give my heart fully to him. I know for a fact he’ll never give his heart to me. He says he’s not capable, but I listen to the way he talks about his parents. Matteo is capable of love. I just don’t think he’s capable of allowing himself to love.
He sees it as a weakness.
Which is ridiculous; it’s a strength.
“What’s going through that pretty head of yours?” he asks, cutting through my inner rambling.
“Just how good this tastes.”
“Well, I’m happy you are so impressed because I have other tricks up my sleeve.”
I know he’s talking about food, but for some reason, it sounds like there’s a sexual innuendo wrapped up in that comment. I playfully narrow my eyes at him.
He laughs, then holds up his hands in surrender. “I was talking about dessert.”
That makes me give him another playful look. This one includes an eye roll, telling him I’m not buying what he’s selling.
“Okay, I’ll bite . . .” Now it’s my turn to be playful. “What’s dessert?” I place my index finger on my lower lip and seductively trace the fleshy skin.
Matteo’s pupils dilate, and I know I’m about to win this game.
His gaze traces my movement, and I’m sure he’s about to strike. Instead, he stands from the chair.
I’m about to ask where he’s going, but he turns to face me.
There is no hiding the desire swimming in his eyes.
His hand is on his gray sweats.
Those damn gray sweats that if I don’t throw out will end up being the death of me.
“Open your mouth,” he orders, taking a step closer. With where I’m sitting, there is only one reason he wants me to open my mouth.
I’m directly in front of him.
Directly in front of my favorite part of him.
I do as he says, opening my mouth, and I swear as he lowers his sweats, drool collects on my lips.
There is something so sexy about this man.
He fists himself, and then when he’s hard and ready, he feeds me my dessert.
I can get used to waking up beside Matteo.
Yesterday morning, he was gone before I woke up. Today, I’m snuggled into his chest. My hair is fanning across his skin.
His soft breathing echoes through the room. It’s like a soft, calming fan. This is the first time since I’ve met Matteo that I’ve seen him so peaceful. Normally, even when he’s laughing, there’s a sense that he’s holding something back. His jaw is still tight. Or sometimes his eyes don’t match his smile. But right here as he quietly snores, he truly looks at peace.
He looks younger.
Without the small wrinkles that line his eyes and the tiny line that forms when he frowns, he looks younger.
He’s a beautiful man. Complicated, though.
It’s so very hard to figure him out. Last night again, he was insatiable. Like no matter how many times he took me, it was never enough.
Over and over again, he ravished me as if when he stopped, I would disappear.
It’s a strange feeling to be wanted by a man like Matteo.
I could see how someone could get greedy from the way he looks, greedy for the way he touches, greedy for more of him.
It’s going to take everything inside me not to give in to it. Not to allow myself to fall into the trap.
Because that’s what it is.
It’s a trap.
How else can you describe it?
If I give my heart to him, I’ll get nothing in return. I’ll be stuck in the cage without a way out. But if I don’t . . . if I accept a loveless marriage, how is my life different from my mother’s?
He stirs in his sleep, and then his eyes start to open.
“How long have you been up?” he asks, his voice rough and gravelly.
“Only a minute or so.”
“Are you hungry?”
That makes me smile. He’s always concerned about my appetite. This time when he says it, I don’t think there’s any other meaning. I think he truly wants to feed me.