She had no clue what sort of boldness she had been injected with, but all Alia felt was the thrilling rush of adrenaline and the ache that blood right below her belly button. Perhaps it was due to all the stress from setting up the charity and having to deal with the wedding planning, but Matteo’s offer was very tempting.
Wrapping her arms around Matteo’s neck, Alia squealed when he bent over and picked her up from the other side of the couch. The strong muscles of his back rippled and flexed as he did, easily hoisting her up with one hand before adjusting her so that she would be more comfortable in his arms.
His feet padded against the floor as he headed straight for the rooftop terrace that ca with the penthouse, sliding the glass door open to reveal the city skyline.
Alia gasped in surprise when she noticed the fairy lights that had decorated the terrace area were now lit up — Matteo usually kept them switched off as no one would frequent this part of the house other than the housekeeper — and the hot tub was running as well. There was also a chilled bottle of wine at one side, along with so small snacks that were set on the side table, just within reach of the tub.
"You had it all planned!" Alia exclaid in delighted surprise, beaming.
As she turned to face Matteo, tearing her eyes away from the romantic setting, she was surprised to see a small smile had decorated his face as well.
"The hardest part was convincing you to abandon your work for the night," Matteo said. "It’s seemingly all you’re up to these days."
Alia looked down sheepishly.
Between the charity, wedding planning, and her normal day-to-day work as one of Matteo’s assistants, Alia truly hardly had any ti to socialize with anyone. Cherry had shot her a couple of ssages inviting her out, but she had to decline them due to their conflicting schedules. Every ti Matteo tried to set up little surprise dates, it could not be longer than lunch or dinner.
She had gotten so used to preoccupying all of her ti with work because of the need to secure a better inco that Alia had forgotten she neededn’t stretch herself so thin anymore.
"If the assistant position is taking up all your ti, perhaps I should assign Ronan more work," Matteo said as he walked towards the hot tub with Alia in his arms.
"Heavens no!" Alia said. "Ronan will skin you alive. Besides, if I am taking a paycheck, I will need to do my fair share."
"Ever the hard worker," Matteo teased. "You’ve not changed one bit."
Alia’s lips parted as the mory of what Matteo had said before to her in the hospital flitted through her mind. She was just about to ask again when he lowered her to the floor. He reached for the towel and swimwear that had been set aside for her, handing it over in one smooth motion.
"You’ve even chosen a swimming costu?" Alia teased. She didn’t own any decent ones, as far as she could rember, and certainly not one of this color.
"Just in case you used it as an excuse," Matteo charmingly said.
Alia laughed before heading over to the bathroom right behind so that she could get changed.
Then, she looked down and examined it properly. Instantly, heat blood in her cheeks. This wasn’t just ordinary swimwear, but a two-piece bikini that she definitely would’ve never bought for herself!
But what was a little bit of skin when Matteo had already seen all of her in her naked glory?
Alia swallowed her hesitance before quickly changing out of her clothes and slipping into the bikini. It was a white two-piece― simple, standard, with no frills or additional attachnts that would’ve made it gaudy. She quickly changed before wrapping the towel around herself.
By the ti she erged from the bathroom, Matteo was already in the hot tub. He had poured out two flutes of champagne and was lounging in the tub of water, the bubbles hiding his lower body from view. His gaze was fixated on the Sol City skyline, and he hadn’t even noticed Alia had erged until she stepped a little closer.
The second he looked over, Alia wore a teasing smile. She dropped the towel to reveal what she wore underneath and stepped into the hot tub, one leg at a ti, tantalizingly slow. Matteo’s Adam’s apple bobbed, which caused Alia’s courage to grow.
"A two-piece?" she teased. "I didn’t think you had it in you." Matteo had always been respectful; she would’ve assud he had picked her a swimwear set that was so covered she could practically be mistaken for a nun.
He coughed. "Cherry picked it out," Matteo said, his voice a little scratchy as he stole a few looks over at her. "I thought she might know the sizes better."
By now, his face had already turned into the color of tomatoes. Alia wasn’t sure if it was due to the heat of the water or because she had a part to play in the ripening of his cheeks. Either way, she was a woman on a mission tonight.
She reached for the other flute and chugged the contents, sighing at how the bubbly champagne tickled her throat on the way down. Then, she straddled Matteo’s waist and settled herself right on his lap.
He moved dutifully as well, his hands coming over to hold her by the waist so that she wouldn’t fall backward into the water.
Alia hadn’t even done anything yet, but she could already feel the bulge that was growing under the water and the bubbles, pressed against her own heated core. She clenched tightly in response, resisting the urge to lose all her inhibitions right this second and devour him whole.
"Gosh," she murmured, staring deeply into Matteo’s eyes and finding that he was doing just the sa. The alcohol he had consud shouldn’t have been enough to have him inebriated, but the way he looked at her gave her the impression that he was drunk through and through. "What have you done to ?"
"What have I done?" he asked in return, his voice low and barely above a whisper. Matteo had leaned in, and their lips were now inches apart. If Alia bent down just a little more, they would’ve kissed.
What a tempting thought.
"I don’t feel like myself anymore ever since I’ve t you," Alia said in reply.
"Neither have I," Matteo said.
His grip tightened around her waist and she could feel him grow even further as he adjusted himself, closing the distance between them even further. Right now, they were but a hair’s breadth away.
"You’ve left a gaping hole in my heart ever since we t that only you could fill," Matteo murmured against her lips. "Every other day, I am starved of you."
Alia’s heart skipped a beat. She grinned, placing a hand on his cheek tenderly.
"Shall we ease that hunger then?" she muttered.
Matteo did not reply. Instead, he leaned in and closed the distance between them, engulfing her lips in a ti-stopping kiss.
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