Adriana

I could have sworn Matteo had been lying beside me before, but when my eyes fluttered open I found myself sprawled naked across the jet’s bed.

The sheets clung to my skin, damp from sweat and sex, while he sat nearby, watching me with that hawk-like stillness he carried even when he was at rest.

His eyes roamed over my body slowly, not just with hunger but with something heavier possessiveness, protection, maybe even guilt.

Every part of me ached.

My middle throbbed where he’d driven himself into me over and over, my nipples were raw from his teeth, and angry red handprints bloomed across my skin like proof of the way he’d claimed me.

Bite marks scattered over my chest and shoulders, bruises rising in shades that told their own sinful story.

And still, when I looked at them, heat crawled up my neck. God help me… I blushed.

“Princess,” Matteo’s voice cut through my haze, low and rough, and my gaze snapped to him. He had that look, the one that undid me every time.

I pushed myself up quickly, clutching the thick blanket around me. “What happened? You were lying next to me before… why are you over there?” Concern edged into my voice before I could stop it.

He looked… not restless, exactly, but unsettled.

His lips curved into a smile, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I’ve got a lot on my mind, baby. We’ll be landing in a few minutes.”

The words should have been casual, but something in his tone tugged at me.

I gathered the blanket tighter around my body, slipped off the bed, and padded toward him.

My knees almost gave at the soreness between my thighs, a delicious ache that made me remember exactly how merciless he’d been.

I sank onto his lap, straddling him with the blanket wrapped around me, and brought his face close enough that our noses brushed. Goosebumps rippled over my skin when his eyes met mine. so intense, so searching.

“Are you worried about Gabriel?” I asked softly.

Matteo’s jaw tightened. His hand found my hip, thumb brushing absent circles over the bruises he’d left. “Baby, I don’t know,” he confessed, voice roughened in a way I’d never heard before. “What if he’s not ready? He knows nothing about war. Nothing about what’s coming. And… what if he doesn’t want to take my side at all?”

The air shifted between us, heavy, raw. Tears stung at the back of my eyes, but I swallowed them down. I wouldn’t let my heart overwhelm me now, not when he was laying bare the doubts he never showed anyone else.

Hearing him question himself cracked something in me wide open.

I cupped his face in both hands, forcing him to look only at me. “Don’t you dare talk like that,” I whispered fiercely. “Of course he’ll take your side. Who wouldn’t? You’re strong, Matteo. You’re capable. You were born for this. Gabriel knows it, too. Sure, maybe it won’t be easy to convince him, but I know you.”

My thumb traced over the sharp line of his jaw, lingering at the corner of his mouth. “And I know he’ll budge. He’d be a fool not to.”

His eyes closed for a moment, like he was breathing in my certainty. When he opened them again, the storm inside had calmed, just slightly.

He leaned in, brushing his lips against my forehead, and murmured, “You’re the only one who makes me believe that, Princess.”

His smirk was soft, but his kiss against my fingers was delicate, almost too tender for a man like him. “I love you, my princess.”

The words made my heart flutter, but I saw it. Sadness shadowing his icy eyes, like the weight of everything waiting for us in Miami was crushing him already.

My chest ached, and I hated it. I wanted to take that edge from him, to make him forget, even if only for a moment.

So I gave him a small smile, bit my lip, and let the blanket slip off my shoulders.

Naked, bared under his gaze, I shuddered. It always made me nervous. The way he looked at me like I was prey,like he already owned me. but it made me ache too. His eyes widened, his nose flared, and I felt the air thicken between us.

On instinct, I dropped to my knees. The carpet was soft, the jet humming under me, but all I focused on was him… his belt, his cock, the way his body sprawled back like he knew what was coming.

My hands trembled as I unbuckled him, staring up into those piercing blue eyes. He adjusted himself in the seat, spreading wider, giving me room like I was exactly where I belonged.

The second his briefs came down, his cock sprang free. I gasped.

I always gasped. I’d never get used to the sheer size of him. He was thick, swollen, dark pink at the tip, veins running along the length that made it look even more intimidating.

More dangerous. More his.

I pressed a soft kiss to the head, almost innocent, though we both knew what I was about to do was anything but. Then I wrapped my lips around him, inch by inch, until the weight of him filled my mouth. The stretch burned, his cock nudging my throat, and when I gagged I froze, my chest heaving.

“Good girl,” he rasped, and that praise broke me open.

I hollowed my cheeks and sucked harder, bobbing my head, spit dripping down his shaft until I was a mess. Every time his cock hit the back of my throat, my eyes watered, but I didn’t stop.

I couldn’t.

The sounds rang all over the jet.the wet slurps, the gags, his low grunts, the way he whimpered when my tongue swirled around him.

I pumped the base with both hands because one was never enough for the monster in his pants, and my whole body burned when I saw his jaw clench, his eyes twitching at the sensation.

“Fuck, princess,” he groaned, voice low and filthy. “Your sweet mouth feels so damn good.”

Heat pooled between my legs at his praise, and I went faster, sloppier, spit stringing from my lips as I swallowed him down.

I couldn’t stop staring at him, how sharp his cheekbones looked from this angle, how powerful he seemed, the way his chest rose and fell as he lost control.

Then his growl cut through me. His hand shot down, fisting my hair, forcing my eyes up to meet his. “If you keep looking at me like that, I’ll fuck your damn mouth Adriana.”

A desperate moan vibrated around his cock.

I wanted that.

I wanted him to use me, ruin me, do whatever the hell he needed.