Sofia POV

Matteo stood near the door, after scanning the small apartment like a predator, every muscle coiled, alert. I could feel the weight of him in the room his presence was heavy, all consuming.

“You shouldn’t have come,” i murmured, voice low but tense. “I didn’t even know where you were until Damian called.”

I froze. “Damian called you?”

He stepped closer, the faint light glinting off his dark eyes. “Yeah. He was worried. Figured someone might have seen you. He asked me to check in, make sure you weren’t hurt.” Matteo’s expression softened slightly, but there was no letting up in the tension of his stance. “And now I know your apartment, too. Lucky for me you didn’t try to hide anything.”

I swallowed hard. “I didn’t want you to worry.”

“You should know better than that,” he muttered, leaning against the wall near the kitchen. His gaze lingered on me like a promise and a threat at the same time. “I’ve waited three months to see you again.”

My chest tightened. His words, his proximity, made it impossible to breathe normally. I didn’t know if it was relief, fear, or the way my body remembered the touch of his hand, his lips.

He moved closer, silently, until he was beside me. I felt the warmth radiating from him. His hand hovered near mine, and when it brushed against my fingers, I felt a jolt like electricity.

The bed beckoned, a small island of privacy in the otherwise exposed apartment. Without a word, he gestured toward it. “Sit.” His voice was firm but not commanding. Not entirely.

I obeyed.

We didn’t speak for a while, letting the silence stretch between us. He studied me with those dark, penetrating eyes, and I couldn’t look away. Every detail my hair clinging to my wet face, the tremor in my hands, the faint trembling of my lips he saw it all. And I felt seen, truly seen, in a way no one else had ever looked at me.

Then, soft, fleeting touches. Matteo leaned closer, brushing his lips to my forehead first. Then the tip of my nose. Finally, a gentle kiss on my lips, light, almost innocent. My breath hitched. Nothing urgent, nothing demanding just a quiet, tender acknowledgment of what had always been between us.

I let myself melt into him, closing my eyes. The world outside the danger, the Mafia, my father’s reach disappeared. For the first time in weeks after knowing Cole men are in Ohio, I felt a measure of safety.

“You’re impossible,” he whispered, resting his forehead against mine. “I should have left you alone, but I couldn’t.”

“I wanted to see you again,” I admitted softly. “Just… to know you were real.”

His lips found mine again, slower this time, more deliberate. Light kisses that lingered, teasing, as if testing the limits of what we could allow ourselves. My hands tangled in his shirt, and his fingers found the nape of my neck. Nothing urgent, nothing rushed just connection, grounding, heat against the chill of the evening.

Hours passed without words. Matteo and I lay side by side, sharing the same bed, the same warmth. Our lips met occasionally, light touches of longing and comfort, but nothing more. It wasn’t about passion yet it was about claiming a moment of peace in a chaotic world.

Eventually, exhaustion took over. Matteo wrapped an arm around me, pulling me close. I rested my head against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart, a rhythm that chased away fear.

“Sleep,” he whispered, voice low, tender. “We’ll figure everything else out in the morning.”

I let myself drift, knowing that no matter what happened, I had him here, even for a little while.

New York 

Back in New York, Luca Romano’s sharp mind was already piecing together the puzzle. Reports had come in quickly: Sofia had disappeared, and the trail led all the way to Ohio.

His eyes darkened. The first thought that struck him Matteo. That man had always been close to her, always watching, always protecting. The idea that he might have been involved in her disappearance set a fire in Luca’s chest. He didn’t know the depth of Matteo’s loyalty, didn’t know how dangerous he could be, but he had a very good idea.

Orders would be given, men would be deployed. Plans would be made. But there was one uncertainty Luca couldn’t control: Matteo. The man wasn’t just a soldier. He was obsessive, reckless when it came to Sofia. He couldn’t be controlled, couldn’t be bargained with, especially over her.

Luca clenched his fists. His daughter was far from safe. But neither was Matteo if anyone tried to harm Sofia, Matteo wouldn’t just retaliate. He’d destroy everything in his path.

And that thought alone made Luca’s jaw tighten further.