Matteo walks back across the room and reaches out his hand and I jump, but only find a tissue in his hand and he looks at me.
"Stop flinching. Why are you scared of me?" he says as I take the tissue cautiously as he sits back down on the couch beside me but not too close.
"I..I hit you" I say and dab my eyes that watered with tears of fear after I struck him across the face for pulling me on his lap.
"So shouldnt that make ME scared of YOU ?" he teases leaning back, slinging his one arm over the couch behind me.
I roll my eyes.
"No, I didnt almost kill a guy in the ring" I say.
Matteo chuckles.
"That rumor still floating around?" he asks.
I sniff. "So it's not true?"
"Not entirely....It wasn't on purpose...and the guy had a fucking heart condition...he shouldn't have been in the fucking fight to begin with." he says.
"Oh." I say.
"So you thought, what? That I was going to hit you back?" he asks , and I can tell by his face he's offended.
i shrug. "Maybe....I...I don't know you." I say.
"Fair enough." he says.
"But just so you know...the only time I lay my hands on a girl....it's for her pleasure." he says.
I swallow and nod. "Got it."
He gives a small smirk.
"I can go, so you can...you know...find a girl to...do your thing" I say.
He let's out a slight laugh.
"How about you stick around for the after party, let me hit on you some more?" he says with a slight upturn on the corner of his mouth.
"So you ENJOY being slapped then?" I ask.
He laughs. "By you? Sure." he winks and stands.
I sit on the couch as he pulls out his phone and calls someone.
"Yeah....." he chuckles. "No...." he looks to me and grins. "This one's a tough nut to crack" he says and I roll my eyes.
He laughs again. "Yeah,...uh huh..." he laughs harder. "She can come up. It's fine. Yeah Max too." he says and I look at him, he winks again.
"yep...see ya in a few" he says hanging up his phone and sliding it onto the coffee table.
"Apparently there's a feisty elf down stairs with red hair that demands to see you're safe and sound" he says. I laugh slightly at him calling Gianna an elf. Poor girl is 4'11.
"That'd be Gianna...my friend" i say and he smiles and nods and sits back down on the couch with me, flinging his arm over the back of the couch.
I chew my lip and his eyes are on my mouth as I turn to look at him, he eyes flip up to mine and he leans in as we hear the sounds of several people coming up the stair way from the three floors down.
"Do me a favor Bella?" he whispers leaning into me, my lip falling from between my teeth.
I don't answer only hold my breath as he gets close his green eyes glinting and he looks down at my mouth.
"Let me be the one to bite on that lip for you before the end of the night?" he asks. I instinctively lick my lips and lets out a low groan.
"you might have to slap me again soon if you keep biting and licking those lips" he whispers, and the door opens, people pouring in from the hall. He grins as he leans back in his chair, some guys walking over and I catch my breath when I finally remember to breathe again. The guys reach down shaking his hand, give him fist bumps and congratulating him on the win and I jump up when I hear Gianna shriek my name.
"Oh god!" she yells and flies around the coffee table and grabs me.
"I tried to get up here! Nobody would let me! oh my god! are you okay?!?!" she shrieks.
"I'm fine" I let out a tiny laugh, and am so grateful for her and her concern.
"I'm not though, she smacked me" Matteo says from behind me. I laugh as Gianna grabs me by my arms and peeks around me. to him.
"Good! You deserve it asshole!" she yells.
"G!" I laugh and place a hand on her shoulder.
"You little ones always have the biggest balls" Matteo says as he stands, towering over me, and towering wayyyy over Gianna.
To her 4 foot 11 inch credit, she doesn't cower in the least and stares daggers at him.
"Matteo" he says reaching out his giant paw to her tiny little hand. Gianna scowls.
"I see you're not a fan of me either" he says.
"Not right now I'm not!" she says, craning her neck up at him.
"G..." Max says from behind her, obviously scared of Matteo , of his crew. Cause he tries to hush her by pulling her back.
"Let's go" Gianna says grabbing my hand and pulling me.
"G" I laugh as she pulls me.
"It's fine...I'm fine...we can ...stay" I say and look over my shoulder at Matteo who looks like a giant puppy honestly for a moment, looking after me, hoping I don't leave him behind.
"What, with....with these creeps?! They fucking kidnapped you!" she shrieks.
"Okay...no...." I laugh at her dramatics. "Well..." I say thinking about it. "Ok...yes...they kind of did....but...I promise you....I wasn't hurt...I'm fine....and.." I lift my hand and look over at Matteo.
"I have full permission to smack him whenever I want" I say.
Matteo smirks.
"You're weird A" she says and I laugh and pull her tiny body into mine and hug her.
"I'm sorry you were worried. but i'm fine." I say as she wraps her arms around me.
Matteo is shaking hands with Max and Max's friend, as Hyde comes up with two unopened beers.
"Truce?" he asks me as he pops the caps off in front of me, handing one to Gianna, who takes it with ease, and hands the other to me.
I can't help but fight back a little smirk at him remembering I don't accept already open drinks.
"Truce" I say narrowing my eyes teasingly. He smiles and nods.
A few guys are talking to Matteo and I follow Gianna and Max over to Max's other friend and a few other guys, and some girl. I try not to keep looking at Matteo, because when I do, his eyes are already on me, watching me, and it makes me blush.
Sven the guy who is Max's friend and has been giving me sleaze vibes, confirms the sleazeness when his dangling hand beside me reaches over and cups my ass through my dress,his hand then skirting down the curve of my ass. I jerk my head to him and he looks at me and grins. I shove his hand and arm away and he laughs with a little shrug.
"Had to try babe" he says. I roll my eyes and as I'm about open my mouth to say something.
"Is there a fucking problem?" his voice rumbles in my belly, creating heat that pools low inside of me and between my thighs.
Sven jumps and look at Matteo, who only stands a few inches taller than him, but dwarfs him in size when it comes to his muscles.
"huh?" Sven asks.
"No, there's no problem" I say. Max and Gianna catch on. Max bats Sven upside the back of his head and leans in whispering something to him.
"Shit man..." Sven says. "I forgot dude.." Sven throws his hands up back away from Matteo.
"No problem King...sorry" he says.
Matteo looks at him, his nostrils flaring and then to me and I raise a puzzled brow. Then he turns and walks back to the guys he was talking with.
"What the hell?" I say and shake my head.
"Yeah...you're off limits now" Max says.
"Huh?" I say.
"You're Kings" he says.
"Excuse me?" I say.
Max shrugs. "They literally told every dude before coming up here, hands off. That the Morelli girl was King's" he says.
I throw my head back. "That's rich" I say shaking my head and tossing my chin over my shoulder and looking directly at the barbaric caveman that has apparently claimed me , and my palm itches to give his annoyingly gorgeous face another smack.