Chapter 64
Aria’s POV
The silence that followed Matteo’s departure was deafening. My pulse was still erratic, my skin still burning from his touch, from the weight of his words.
Because we want you. But not just for a night, Aria. Not like that.
I exhaled shakily, pressing my fingers against my lips as if that could erase the ache blooming in my chest. What did that even mean? What did they want from me? And more importantly–what did I want from them?
Needing air, needing space, I slipped out of the house and into the garden. The cool morning breeze did little to soothe the heat simmering beneath my skin. Everything about them–Matteo, Enzo, Dante–was dangerous, intoxicating. I was getting pulled deeper into something I wasn’t sure I could escape from.
The rustling of leaves made me stiffen. I turned, finding Enzo leaning lazily against a tree, his lips curled in a knowing smirk. “You’re thinking too much again,” he mused, pushing off the trunk and making his way toward me.
Before I could answer, Dante appeared from the other side, his gaze dark and unreadable. “She does that a lot,” he murmured, his voice a low hum against the morning stillness. “Always in her head.”
A shiver ran down my spine as I felt his presence before I saw him. Matteo had barely been gone for a few minutes, yet the space he left behind felt hollow. I turned, expecting the emptiness to linger, but instead, I found Dante watching me, his gaze dark and unreadable. He stepped closer, the air between us crackling with something I wasn’t ready to name. His fingers brushed my wrist–just a whisper of a touch–but it sent heat flooding through me. “You’re thinking too much,” he murmured, his voice low, intimate. “You don’t have to.” His thumb traced slow circles against my skin, grounding me, unraveling me all at once.
My stomach tightened as they closed in, their presence as overwhelming as ever.
Then, footsteps. Slow. Measured. Matteo.
He hadn’t gone far. Of course, he hadn’t.
He stopped just behind me, his presence pressing against my back without ever touching me. I could feel the heat radiating off him, feel the tension thrumming in the air between us.
“You ran,” Matteo said, his voice softer than I expected.
I swallowed hard, shaking my head. “I needed space.”
Enzo chuckled, brushing a knuckle along my jaw in a teasing caress. “Space from what? From us? Or from yourself?”
Dante’s fingers ghosted down my wrist, sending shivers up my spine. “We only bite if you ask us to, tesoro.”
I sucked in a sharp breath. They were playing with me. Testing me. And I wasn’t sure how much longer I could pretend this game wasn’t unraveling me from the inside out.
Matteo shifted, his hand finally settling at my waist, the contact light but searing. “We don’t want to hurt you, Aria. But you need to understand something. We don’t share easily, not when it comes to things that matter.”
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Chapter 64
My heart pounded. “And I matter?”
The air thickened, their gazes locking onto me like I was something precious. Enzo’s smirk softened, Dante’s usual amusement dimmed, and Matteo–Matteo just looked at me like I was something he was still trying to convince himself he
deserved.
“Yes,” Matteo finally said, his voice rough, raw. “You do.”
I didn’t have time to process those words before Enzo tilted my chin up, his eyes flicking to my lips. “Let us prove it to you, Aria.”
Dante’s fingers curled around my wrist, his grip firm yet gentle. “Let us in.”
My breath caught. I was standing on the edge of something vast and unknown, something that terrified me as much as it thrilled me.
And when Matteo’s hand tightened at my waist, when Enzo leaned in just enough for his breath to warm my lips, when
Dante’s touch steadied me like an anchor–I knew one thing for certain.
There was no running from this anymore.
Silence stretched between us, thick with expectation. My body trembled, though not from fear. My pulse hammered against my skin, my breaths uneven. They were watching me, waiting, but for what–I wasn’t sure. Permission? A sign?
Enzo moved first, his fingers tracing a featherlight path down my arm, his touch sending sparks along my skin. “You feel this too, don’t you?” he asked, voice quieter now, more serious.
I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly dry. “I don’t know what this is.”
Matteo made a low sound behind me, something between frustration and understanding. His warmth enveloped me, his hands now resting on my shoulders, grounding me. “Then let us show you,” he murmured, his breath brushing against the
shell of my ear.
Dante’s grip on my wrist tightened, his thumb stroking gently over my pulse point. “We won’t push you, Aria. But don’t lie to yourself. You want this as much as we do.”
I closed my eyes for a brief moment, inhaling deeply, trying to steady myself. When I opened them, I found Enzo’s piercing gaze locked onto mine, searching, waiting. And then–hesitantly, unsure yet unable to fight it any longer–I nodded.
That was all they needed.
Enzo’s lips curled into a slow, knowing smile before he leaned in, his nose brushing against mine. It was a barely–there touch, almost hesitant, as if he was giving me the chance to pull away. But I didn’t.
Behind me, Matteo’s grip on my shoulders slid lower, his palms settling against my waist, pulling me back against him. My breath hitched. Dante moved in closer too, his hand lifting to tuck a stray strand of hair behind my ear, his touch gentle,
reverent.
“We’ll take our time with you,” Enzo whispered, his lips grazing the corner of my mouth. “If you let us.”
My fingers curled into Matteo’s arm, my body betraying me, seeking more of their warmth, their touch. “I- My voice failed me, my thoughts a mess.
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Chapter 64
Dante tilted my chin up, forcing me to look at him. “No pressure, tesoro. We’re patient.”
I exhaled shakily, my walls crumbling under the weight of their presence. “I don’t know how to do this.”
Matteo’s lips brushed my temple, the touch so soft it sent a shiver down my spine. “Then let us teach you.”
The world around us blurred, faded, until all that remained was the three of them–the heat of their bodies, the steady strength of their hands, the unspoken promise lingering between us.
And as Enzo finally closed the distance, pressing his lips softly against mine, I realized something.
I had already fallen.
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