Chapter 42
Aria’s POV
I should’ve stayed in bed
The rational part of my mind screamed at me to turn around the second I
pped into the lounge and saw them.
But I didn’t.
I stood there, frozen in place, because they weren’t just looking at me–they were devouring me with their eyes.
The air shifted, heavy with something I couldn’t riame, something that made my skin prickle and my pulse stutter.
Their attention felt like a weight pressing down on me, making me hyper–aware of every inch of my body–of the way the thin red silk of my nightgown clung to me, barely skimming my thighs. I hadn’t thought much about it when I slipped it on. But now?
Now, I felt bare.
Matten was the first to break the silence, his lips curling
into a knowing smirk. “Can’t sleep, gattina?” His voice was
smooth, teasing, like he already knew the answer.
I swallowed. “Neither can you.”
Dante, who had been sitting quietly with his elbows resting on his knees, tilted his head slightly, his dark eyes sharp and unreadable. “That’s different”
A shiver rolled down my spine at the way he said it–like he knew something I didn’t.
But Enzo…
Enzo didn’t say a word at first. He just leaned back in his chair, his strong fingers gliding along the rim of his glass, slow and deliberate. His eyes, stormy and intense, dragged over my body with a heat that made my breath hitch.
And then, finally–his voice, deep and commanding, cut through the thick silence.
“Come here.”
I should’ve asked why. I should’ve refused.
But I didn’t.
I moved.
Each step forward felt like I was stepping
ng into something dangerous, like once I crossed this invisible threshold, I wouldn’t
be able to go back.
Matteo’s smirk deepened as he watched me approach. “Good girl.”
Dante didn’t say anything, but his gaze followed my every movement, heavy and unrelenting.
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Enzo didn’t look away. He just potted his lap. “S.”
My pulse pounded in my ears.
This was stupid. Insane. A bad idea in every way.
And yet-
I obeyed.
Slowly, hesitantly, I lowered myself onto his lap.
The second I did, his hands came to rest on my waist–warm, strong, possessive.
I sucked in a sharp breath, my skin tingling where he touched me.
Matteo exhaled a slow, amused breath behind me. “Mmm, I don’t think she minds this.”
A fingertip ghosted over my cheek as he tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear, the barely–there touch sending a jolt
through me.
I clenched my hands into fists, fighting against the heat curling in my stomach.
Dante finally moved, shifting forward slightly. “You
u knew exactly what you
you were dol
doing when you walked down here dressed
like this, didn’t you?”
I parted my lips,
but no
words came out.
Because he was right.
I had known.
Not consciously, maybe. But deep down, I’d known.
Matteo leaned in, his breath fanning over my neck. “Are you nervous, gattina?”
Yes.
But not for the reasons I should be.
I felt trapped–surrounded on all sides.
And the worst part?
I liked it.
Enzo’s fingers flexed on my waist, his grip tightening just enough to make me gasp. His voice was a low murmur against my ear. “This is dangerous, tesoro.”
Dante’s voice followed, smooth as silk but laced with something darker. “And you’re playing right into it”
Matteo chuckled, dragging the back of his knuckles along the inside of my thigh. My breath caught.
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He hummied, mockingly sympathetic. “What’s wrong, dolcezza? Nothing to say?”
Matteo’s fingers trailed higher on my thigh, n slow, deliberate touch that had my breath catching in my throat. His voice was a dark pur. “You’re trembling, gottina… are you cold?”
I wasn’t.
1 was burning.
Enzo’s grip on my waist tightened, his chest pressing against my hack, making me feel small in his hold. “Or is it something else?” he murmured, his breath ghosting over my ear.
Dante, ever patient, tilted his head, watching me like a puzzle he was trying to solve. Then, slowly, he leaned in, his fingers grazing the bate skin of my arm. “You like this, don’t you? huh button?”
I shivered at the way his voice wrapped around me, at the weight of their attention pressing in from all sides.
I should say no.
I should push them away.
But instead, I swallowed hard and whispered, “I don’t know.”
Matteo chuckled, his lips barely brushing against my temple, “Should we help you figure it out?”
I wanted to say something.
I wanted to tell them to stop.
I wanted to tell them not to stop.
But all I could do was feel.
The heat of their bodies. The roughness of their hands. The way they surrounded me like a pack of wolves cornering their prey.
My pulse thrummed wildly in my throat.
Matteo exhaled an amused sigh. “Poor thing.”
Enzo’s fingers traced slow, lazy circles on my waist, his voice deceptively soft. “Go to bed, Aria.”
It took me a second to process what he’d said.
Go to bed?
That was it?
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They had me trembling, breathless, teetering on the edge of something I didn’t understand, and now they were just… dismissing me?
Dante smirked slightly. “You should rest.”
Matteo sighed, shaking his head in mock disappointment. “What a shame. I was starting to enjoy this.”
I stiffened, frustration bubbling up inside me.
They had played with me.
And I had let them
I pushed myself off Enzo’s lap, my cheeks burning. “You’re all-“I cut myself off, clenching my fists.
Matteo grinned. “Oh, don’t stop now. What were you about to say?”
I shot him a glare before spinning on my heel and storming out.
Their
low chuckles followed me all the way back to my room, curling around me like smoke.
I slammed the door shut.
But
even in the silence, in the dark, I could still feel them.
And I knew-
This wasn’t over.
Not even close.
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