The Sweetest Temptation
Chapter 238: May I

Chapter 238: May I

After the meal, Stella headed back to her room, which was just Matteo’s room assigned to her by him. For some reason, she could not bear being away from him, but since he had just gotten back home, she needed to give him time to have his rest – wherever he had it.

Ever since her compulsory stay in his mansion, he had alienated himself from his original bed space, only coming into the room whenever he had need for something like clothing and accessories. Not once did he disrespect her or invade her privacy, at some point, she began to feel guilty that she had somehow taken over the house as hers.

And what’s worse, she was beginning to grow into it. It disturbed her that when the time would come for her to leave the house, she would miss it very dearly, wishing that somehow, she would have a chance to stay longer. In such a case, she would have to be someone special to Matteo in order to be granted such a favor.

Matteo’s girlfriend.

The thought lingered in her mind as she made her way toward the balcony. It would be a lovely thing to imagine, having someone such as him hug her when she was feeling lonely, not only during those times, but other times as well. She sighed and leaned against the terrace, willing her mind to silence.

There was no good in thinking about things that would never be.

But what about the compliment he made at the table?

Now that she thought of it, he had said ’she was stunning as always’, which meant that he had always noticed her from the beginning. But it was only a friendly compliment, nothing linked to romance as she half expected.

She held her palm to her chest and sighed deeply, "At this point, I’m overthinking it."

"What are you overthinking?" The familiar seductive baritone that vibrated in her chest resounded in the space around her, startling her out of her reverie. She turned to face Matteo who was walking towards her.

Dressed in a plain white t-shirt and black cotton pants, he looked every bit the husband who had just taken a shower after a long day at work. His wet hair was tousled roughly, likely from the use of a towel. He had no care for the way he looked, which surprised her even more.

How did a man who evoked such forbidden thoughts and feelings care less about what he looked like? If only he took his time to see just how blessed he was, he might just take advantage of it. Or maybe he did take advantage of it – she probably never saw him indulging in any lascivious activities with other women. Either that or –

"What are you thinking?" He asked her again, his lips tilting to a smile as he beheld her.

"What – oh, was it that obvious?" She blushed and turned away from him. She had been gawking at him the whole time, making it evident that her mind was filled with thoughts of him.

"It was obvious that you were thinking about something, but it was not clear what it was."

"Oh, well, in that case," She breathed a sigh of relief and rose her gaze to meet his, only to meet his inquisitive gaze fixed on her. She shifted slightly on her feet and leaned against the terrace, once again, hiding her face from his line of sight.

"What’s the matter? You seem rather relieved that I am not able to read your mind, don’t you want to tell me what it is?"

Her heart rate quickened to an unusual pace, one that was sure to make her faint. Matteo had finished his routine and was out here with her, all clean and looking refreshed, as if it was a normal routine.

It made her want to draw close to him and bask in that fantasy that somehow, he was hers. But she was not about to bare her thoughts at him, and give him the idea that she was the clingy sort.

Better to enjoy what I have while it lasts, instead of asking for more.

She sighed in resignation and turned to face the expanse of land that served a great view from where they stood – a worthy distraction from the tempest of emotions that swirled inside her.

"Well, it’s nothing important." She started.

"Don’t you think you should let me be the judge of that?"

His inviting statement made her heart grow warm with need. She turned to look at him and saw that his eyes matched his invitation. Now, more than ever, she wanted to throw herself in his arms and feel that warmth in every other part of her body.

What harm would it bring if she let herself feel, just this once? She had nothing but her job to lose. Should it come to that, she came to the conclusion that it was going to be a worthy loss in the case of Matteo. Having made her decision, she spoke up.

"I was just thinking," She dropped her gaze to her feet, sliding her hands to the hem of her shirt and began to fidget. Matteo noticed the gesture but decided to feign ignorance, peering into her innocent eyes instead.

"We’ve been together for so long," The statement, although incomplete, triggered an awakening in him. He straightened and began to close the distance between them.

"And,"

"I’m getting awfully used to staying with you, and I fear that I might –"

"Get used to it?" He finished the sentence with a question and brought his finger to her chin, tilting her face to meet his.

Her heart seemed to skip several beats as he drew even closer, reducing what was left of the space between them to but a few inches.

"W-what – what are you –"

"Forgive me, Stella, it’s just – your eyes, so enthralling. And your lips – I wanna kiss you so bad, may I?" his confession caused her heart to pick tempo, slamming hard against her chest and awakening a different kind of sensation that caused her entire surface to tingle.

Her cheeks almost went numb from the uneven clash of chill from the night air, and heat from the way he made her feel. Her skin prickled with a primitive awareness that made her want to plant her fingers firmly on his shoulders and give him liberty to drive her to endless heights.

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