Chapter Eighty-Four

Genevieve’s smile faltered slightly as she watched Matteo hand his suitcase to a tarmac worker. The morning sun cast a soft glow, making his eyes appear more green than brown, and they pierced right through her carefully maintained facade. She tightened her grip on the strap of her bag just as he turned back toward her.

“Come here,” he murmured, extending his hand. Without hesitation, Gen took it, allowing him to pull her close against his chest. “It’s only two days,” he whispered reassuringly.

Genevieve exhaled deeply and stepped back, a touch of vulnerability in her voice. “Believe it or not, I’ve gotten used to having you around.”

Matteo’s thumb gently brushed her cheek, his smile warm and genuine. “That makes me happy to hear. I plan to stick around for quite some time. Two days is nothing.”

Before she could respond, Frankie’s voice cut through the moment. “Yo! Pilot says hurry your ass up!” he called, swaggering off the plane as if he owned it.

Matteo rolled his eyes with a smirk. “Jeffrey has manners. He would never say that to me,” he assured Gen.

Frankie shrugged, strolling past them toward the waiting car. “Maybe not, but it’s freezing out here, and I’m not about to sit on the tarmac for half an hour while you two get all mushy and cry.”

Matteo’s glare could have easily warmed the chilly air around them, his eyes burning with quiet intensity.

“Why are you leaving me with him?” Gen whispered teasingly, a playful glint in her eyes.

Matteo chuckled softly. “Leo isn’t fully recovered yet. It’s better he stays with me than here. If anything happens to you, I need my best guy close.”

Frankie grinned, waving a hand dismissively. “Don’t worry, Donna. I’ll be right there with you. Promise you won’t get lonely.”

Gen spun in Matteo’s arms, shooting him a pointed glare. “You’re not staying with me.”

Frankie held out his hand, picking at his nails nonchalantly. “Nah, I’ll just camp next door like always.”

“No, you won’t,” Matteo said firmly.

Frankie looked up, surprised. “What then? Should I curl up on your doormat like a damn dog?”

Gen glanced at Matteo again. “Seriously, why can’t he stay at the old apartment? I’ve cleared out most of my stuff from there anyway.”

Matteo’s jaw twitched as his glare shifted from Frankie to her. His eyes softened as he stepped closer, lowering his voice to a whisper near her ear. His hands slid down her upper arms gently. “Remember when I told you the walls were thin, Weakness?”

Genevieve’s cheeks flamed instantly. “Frankie’s made some comments that make me doubt he’d be as gentlemanly as I’ve seen you be before. He might actually overhear you fantasizing about me while I’m gone.”

“Oh.”

His lips brushed her forehead, and he pressed a tender kiss there. “Are you sure you still want him next door?”

She looked up into his eyes and smiled, giving him a playful shrug. “I guess I’ll just have to fantasize about you in the shower.”

Matteo groaned, and Frankie did too—though for entirely different reasons.

“I tell you what,” Frankie started, grinning mischievously. Matteo sighed, releasing her arms. “Why don’t you two go have some fun in the jet’s bedroom, and I’ll go grab breakfast. That way, everyone’s happy.”

“Shut up, Frankie!” Gen snapped.

His eyes widened in mock surrender, hands raised. “Alright, alright. I’ll just wait in the car. Damn.”

As Frankie climbed into the driver’s seat, another SUV rolled up beside them. Leo stepped out, his gaze flickering between Frankie’s car and the couple standing nearby with sharp expressions.

“Ready, Boss?” Leo asked.

Matteo sighed heavily. “I guess I have to go. Are you sure you don’t want to come?”

Gen laughed softly. “No, I’ll be fine. I’ve got two weeks of backlog waiting for me anyway. I’m actually looking forward to some uninterrupted time alone—no distractions, no obligations. Just me and the office.”

She noticed Matteo’s eyes flicker over her shoulder toward Leo. His expression grew tense; he squinted and shook his head slightly. Gen turned just in time to see Leo nodding subtly in response.

“What was that about?” she inquired.

“Nothing,” Matteo answered quickly.

“Nothing?” she pressed.

“Really, nothing.”

She narrowed her eyes, unconvinced. “Come on, tell me.”

He shrugged nonchalantly. “I had a surprise planned, but since you want to work, I guess I’ll cancel it.”

“What surprise?” When Matteo stayed silent, she looked to Leo.

Leo opened his mouth to speak but snapped it shut abruptly, his attention caught by something behind her. Gen spun around to meet Matteo’s warning glare.

“Matteo Accardi,” she said, narrowing her eyes.

“Genevieve Sinclair,” he replied, equally serious.

Deciding to change tactics, Genevieve softened her expression and stepped closer. Matteo’s right eye narrowed suspiciously at her sudden shift in mood. She reached up and twirled his tie between her fingers, the silky fabric cool beneath her touch.

“Matteo, remember last night when you were begging me to give you what you wanted?” she whispered. Matteo’s entire body tensed, clearly recalling how she’d had him restrained, unable to take anything unless she allowed it. “Remember how you said you’d do anything if I just let you…” Before she could finish, his hand gripped her waist firmly, silencing her in front of Leo. “I gave it to you, didn’t I? Without asking for anything in return?”

His stern face cracked into a smirk. “Requests don’t carry over to the next day, Genevieve. You untied me.” His voice dropped lower. “Besides, I already got exactly what I wanted.”

“I know, I know,” she murmured, biting her lip as she continued to toy with his tie. “But I wasn’t talking about that favor. I was thinking about how you’ll be gone for two days, and then, when you come back…” She shrugged, the implication hanging clearly between them.

Matteo’s hand lifted to cradle her chin, tilting her eyes to meet his. His smile was predatory, full of challenge. “Remember those thin walls, Gen? I know exactly how much you need me too.”

“You don’t think I can hold out?”

“I know you can’t. Especially without your little friend to help. You still haven’t found him, remember?”

Suppressing a triumphant grin took every ounce of self-control she had. Matteo’s smug smile twitched at the corners. Gen tugged on his tie until his face was close to hers. She rose on her toes and whispered into his ear for once.

“Hidden drawer behind your black dress socks, right next to a rolled-up joint and three Playboys from the ’90s. Your first ones, I’m guessing? I never thought you’d be so nostalgic, Matteo.”

She let go, stepping back as he staggered slightly, shock and a flicker of fear flashing across his features before he masked it. She knew it wasn’t the magazines or the weed that unsettled him—it was the fourth object she’d discovered tucked away in that drawer. The very thing that had sent her heart racing, caught between nerves and exhilaration. His eyes darted between hers and his mouth, opening and closing like a fish out of water as he tried to read her reaction.

“If you’re not going to tell me about my surprise, I guess me and my purple friend will have plenty of time to catch up,” she teased, raising her eyebrows playfully. Turning to leave, she felt more powerful than Aphrodite herself.

“I called Abigail!” Matteo shouted after her. “Fuck!”

Genevieve froze. She caught the disappointment flicker across Leo’s face as he shook his head at Matteo’s lack of resolve. She turned back, her smug expression vanishing, replaced by genuine surprise.

“You what? Why?”

Matteo rubbed his face, still processing her revelation. “Leo told me about your call with your roommates the other day. Said it sounded like you really missed them.” He took a few steps toward her. “I found Abigail’s number in your phone and called her. She and the others will be arriving on a plane this evening so you can spend the night together. I wanted it to be a surprise, but then you mentioned wanting to work, and I thought…”

Matteo grunted softly as Genevieve threw herself into his arms, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck and burying her face in the crook of his shoulder. He sighed deeply, cradling the back of her head gently.

“I can’t believe you’d do that for me,” she whispered, her voice muffled by his suit jacket.

“I didn’t want you to feel lonely,” he replied softly.

Pulling back, she opened her eyes to meet his. He brushed tears of happiness from her cheeks.

“Sir!” a voice called from the plane. Matteo held her close as he turned toward the pilot. “Sorry to rush you, but the tower has asked us to clear the tarmac.”

Matteo sighed and gently set Gen down. “I have to go, Weakness.”

“I know. It’s okay.”

“You’ll be good. Stay with Frankie. Enjoy your time with your friends. And don’t do anything stupid,” he instructed, his tone firm and leaving no room for argument.

“I’ll be good,” she promised.

He bent down, cupping her face in his hands and pressing a kiss to her lips. When he pulled away, he rested his forehead against hers. She grasped his forearms tightly, closing her eyes as she breathed in his scent one last time.

“I have to go,” he repeated.

Matteo began to pull away, but her grip tightened.

“The plane could go down,” she said quietly.

He jerked back, startled. “What?! Why would you say that when I’m about to—”

“I just…” Gen reached out, holding him close. “I want to tell you something.”

“What?” he asked, raising a skeptical brow. “Want to explain how a bird can get caught in the engine and we plummet 30,000 feet to—”

“I love you,” she whispered softly.

Matteo froze completely.

“Before you get on the plane, I just wanted you to know that. I love you, Matteo.”

His shocked expression melted into a radiant smile, his dimple deepening as he bent down once more and claimed her lips with a fierce, desperate kiss. When they finally broke apart, both were gasping for air. He shook his head, a huge grin stretching across his face.

“You’ve never told me that, Genevieve. Only ever implied it.”

“I know. I wanted to be sure first.”

“And you are?”

She smiled, eyes closed, savoring the moment. “I love you.”

He kissed her again, tender and sure. “And I love you, Genevieve. I’ll never be able to stop.”