Mateo rolls his eyes, but he can’t really say much to that.
“I just wanted to make sure,” I tell him. “I know we like to joke about you being hard to handle, but I have a tendency to wear on people, too. Rodney used to come home at night instead of gambling,” I say, lightly.
This sobers him. A protective flash that excites me moves through those gorgeous brown eyes of his and he catches my chin again, leaning down for a deeper kiss. His tongue sweeps into my mouth, sending my blood rushing through me, and I forget for a minute we’re in public.
After a minute, he pulls back, but he’s dead serious when he tells me, “That is not what this is. You are not wearing on me. Rodney was a dumbass; I’m not. I know a good thing when I’ve got it.”
“Good,” I say, relieved.
“Now I just have two good things,” he adds, lightly.
I roll my eyes, but it doesn’t incite jealousy. I rest my head on his shoulder. “We just got your karma straightened out; you shouldn’t fuck it up again with all this arrogance and greed.”
“That’s true,” he says, wryly. “It didn’t go so well last time.”
“Mia can take the next bullet for you,” I offer. “It’s only fair.”
“How generous,” he murmurs, holding me a little tighter.
“I’m a team player.”
“Heart of gold,” he agrees.
Chapter Twelve
Mia
While Meg and Mateo go out on the town, I get to spend the night in Hell.
Literally, it’s Hell. I’m sort of relieved it’s Colin with me. He doesn’t actually work for Mateo, so he doesn’t have any vested loyalty to him. But I also kinda wish I had Adrian. I feel more comfortable with him than this merciless stranger. In the event Vince blows up and mentions the dumb-ass thing he tried to do, Adrian already knows about it. If Colin overhears that, I don’t know if he will sell me out to Mateo. Considering he’s a mercenary, I’m thinking yes.
I’m still committed to not knowing, if push comes to shove.
But I’m really dreading this talk with Vince tonight.
I’ve spent the last three nights in Heaven, falling asleep in Mateo’s arms, sated and happy, happier than I’ve ever been. And now I have to break up with Vince. Tomorrow I will have to sit at the dinner table next to Mateo with Vince there beside me. It’s going to be a living nightmare. Memories of what that was like before spring back up, memories of me in the lovely white dress I threw in the garbage after that night, of Mateo making me serve him, Vince vibrating with rage and then taking me back.
I wanted to be taken back then, but nothing is the same now. I’m terrified of Vince going up against Mateo. I’m afraid of making Vince lose his temper, which he’s bound to, because he’s going to be hurt.
I’m just scared. Just all-around scared. Everything about tonight is going to suck.
Colin is driving me over, per Mateo’s orders. I don’t mind this part. I couldn’t really focus on anything else right now anyway. When we leave, I fully expect to be crying and unable to drive. My stomach is a mess of knots and anxiety. I’ve been ulcer-free since Mateo told me he was mine to share, but now it’s all catching up to me. He may have had Meg’s blessing, but I sure didn’t have Vince’s.
And like a coward, I haven’t come back home since.
Vince has texted me a few times, wanting to know when I would be home. But I’ve spent enough nights with Meg at this point when we’ve fought that it didn’t seem like such a big deal.
I have given him no indication I was with Mateo through any of that. I wanted to, just so he knew what was coming, but I didn’t because I had no clue how he’d react.
We’re almost there, so I decide I should start telling Colin what I want. “I know Mateo said you have to go inside with me, but I really need privacy for this conversation. Vince tends to have an explosive temper, and this… this is going to be really bad. I don’t want to make it worse by making it look like Mateo sent me with a guard.”
“He did,” Colin points out. “He knows who’s sendin’ me, lass.”
“I know he does,” I admit. “I just don’t want him to feel like I’ve completely turned on him. I’ve done something really awful here and I don’t want to make it worse than it has to be.”
Colin’s eyebrows shoot up, but he doesn’t bother arguing with me.
“I just… I was thinking maybe you could stay on the porch, and we could talk inside.”
“Nope.”
I didn’t figure that would fly, but I tried. “Then you can stay in the living room and I guess we’ll go to the bedroom.”