Easy choice.
Tossing the plain one in the back of the closet, I get dressed, grinning to myself because I can almost see Mateo’s jaw hit the floor when he sees this later.
The smell of coffee is coming from the kitchen by the time I’m ready, and I follow the smell.
I find Mateo in the kitchen, standing behind my ironing board wearing gray dress pants. Excuse me, wearingonlygray dress pants as he irons a white dress shirt. The muscles in his arms and chest flex as he works the iron over the shirt, and the sight of it is enough to break my brain. I can’t bear to tear my eyes away, so I just stand there like a gaping half-wit.
Mateo glances up and smirks at me. “You ok, Jules?”
“Yup,” I say, turning my head to the side and watching him shamelessly. He runs his thumb over his lower lip and smiles down at his shirt, clearly pleased with himself. Tuna is crouched on top of the fridge. Her emerald eyes peek over the top, her butt wiggling in the air and her tail twitching as she stalks Mateo like a tiny panther.
“I poured you a coffee,” he says, pointing at a steaming mug on the counter.
“I’m sorry, are you auditioning for one of those little Porn for Housewives books?”
He laughs and shakes his head at me as I pick up my coffee and take a sip.
“God, that’s good,” I moan.
“Keep making those noises and I’m going to drag your ass back to bed.” Mateo reaches up to pet Tuna, who, to my surprise, leans into his touch. She even starts purring, the shameless hussy.
“No time. Put your shirt on or I’ll have to fend the other women off with a stick.”
He laughs like I’m ridiculous, but even with a shirt, I might have to get that stick ready. I watch him shrug the shirt up over his shoulders and button it and really, it’s just so unfair. Getting dressed shouldn’t look that sexy, but here I stand, worried about the state of my panties before I’ve even left the house.
We pull out of the driveway just in time. The map app says we’ll be arriving at exactly 8:59 am, and as pleased as I am not to be late, I’m still wishing there had been enough time for at least one of those promised orgasms. Because every time I glance over at him, I get an eyeful of bulging muscle-y forearm and rolled-up shirtsleeves and all I can think about is the way they rippled when he fucked me.
Mateo’s face has gone all serious and brooding again. It’s almost like the last twenty-four hours of smirks and grins were all in my head. Now that we’re out in public, they’re nowhere to be seen and I’m surprised at how much I miss them. I want to say outrageous things just to force a smile out of him.
I find a parking spot in front of Janelle’s office building and we walk in together. Mateo holds the door for me, eyes sweeping our surroundings as if he’s expecting an ambush at any second. It’s overkill for sure, but it’s also insanely sexy so I don’t say a word.
Mateo steps behind me as we enter the reception area, his hands clasped in front of him. Janelle is speaking with the receptionist and when they see Mateo, they both cock their heads to the side, staring at him like they’re willing his clothes to disintegrate.
Janelle gets herself together faster than the receptionist who is still staring at Mateo, jaw slack, as my lawyer steps up to shake my hand.
“Hello Julia, who’s the bodyguard?” She stage-whispers the last part, eyeing him with marked interest. I squeeze her hand just a little too hard.
“This is my—Mateo,” I say awkwardly. He snorts behind me but covers it up with a cough.
Well, fuck.
I guess we could have solidified some kind of story before venturing out in public. But no. I had to “see where this goes” and now I sound like an idiot out of a made-for-TV rom-com. Not my brand.
“Lucky you,” Janelle mutters under her breath before speaking up. “Come on back.” She gives Mateo a saucy look as she turns on her four-inch heels. I roll my eyes behind her back and try to keep my scoffing sounds to a minimum.
Mateo places a hand on my lower back as we follow Janelle down the hallway, leaning down to whisper in my ear. “You’re sexy when you’re jealous.”
Just having his hands on me is enough to make me shiver, but combine that with his deep voice and I’m a veritable puddle of need.
“I’m not jealous,” I whisper back. “I just don’t like her looking at what’s mine.”
18
Mateo
Ijust don’t like her looking at what’s mine.I’m grinning so hard my face hurts. The way she bristled up at her lawyer was sexy as fuck. The very thought of another woman drawing my attention is laughable, but If Julia wants to get territorial, who am I to stop her?
The lawyer leads us to a conference room and sits on one side of the table, gesturing for us to sit at the other. I pull Julia’s chair out for her and walk back around the table, standing against the wall near the door.