Danny nodded stiffly. “Of course. It won’t happen again.”
Just like that Danny swore his allegiance to the new Miami boss. He left the office without another word.
Mateo turned his focus to Thomas. "I need you to go back to the store where the attack happened. Find out who in the area has security cameras and if there are any CCTV cameras in the vicinity. Get as much footage as you can. Take it to Sotza, he and Vee can look it over. It’s time to put this bitch in the ground."
Thomas seemed to hesitate as if he wanted to say something. Mateo waited, but Thomas shook his head and left the office. Mateo frowned. Thomas had been acting strange lately, inconsistent and indecisive; two things that could easily get a man in security killed. Mateo would have to talk to him. Perhaps America didn’t suit the native Venezuelan. He might need to be transferred back to Sotza.
Mateo called his former employer. Sotza picked up on the first ring. "Mateo, what can I do for you?"
Mateo launched straight into an explanation of the day's event, bringing Sotza up to date on everything that Mateo knew so far. "Thomas will come straight to you once he has the video footage."
"Good. We'll look it over, let you know if we find anything. For now, stay home, take care of the girls."
He hung up and minutes later the doctor arrived. Mateo escorted him upstairs to see Raina first. She sat up with a frown when they entered the room.
"Have you seen Angela yet? How is she?" Raina asked hurriedly.
"The doctor will see you first, then Angela." Mateo used a stern voice so she understood there would be no argument. He turned to the doctor, Shane Wilson. "You've been filled in on her condition?"
Dr. Wilson nodded as he approached the bed. "I was told that Ms. Duncan had kidney failure as a child and was given a transplant. That she now has one functioning kidney. May I?" He asked Raina, indicating her head. "I was informed that you sustained a bump to the head. Can you tell me where it is?"
As he looked her over, Raina said, "I've been doing great since the transplant. I don’t have any problems as long as I take my medications on time."
"You're on the antirejection meds? Are you on any other medications?"
She shook her head and he continued the examination. "I understand you were shot recently." His words were said with professionalism, as though there was nothing unusual about treating a gunshot victim. She wondered if he worked for the mob.
"Yes, I was shot." She twisted on the bed and lifted the bottom of her shirt, showing him the puckered red wound on her lower back.
Dr. Wilson continued to look her over until he was satisfied. He spoke mostly to Raina, though he occasionally directed his words toward Mateo. "You had a nasty shock today. You’ll want to rest and take it easy. Have some Tylenol if your head hurts, otherwise you're in perfect health."
Raina smiled at him. "Thank you. Are you going to go check on Angela now?"
The doctor smiled indulgently and nodded. "She's next on my list."
"Take good care of her."
Mateo walked the doctor out. Once the door to the bedroom closed, he spoke. "When is the soonest you can run tests on her."
"Tests?" The doctor asked.
"For her kidney," Mateo said, a hard edge to his voice. "Make sure she’s as healthy as she can be. I want to make sure that her body is strong and that it remains that way. I am in need of a full-time on-call physician. I want Raina checked regularly. I want to know the second anything is wrong."
The doctor looked at him thoughtfully and nodded. "I run a private clinic with two other doctors. It’s definitely within my capabilities of doing this service for you. There will be a retainer fee and it won't be cheap."
"Send me the bill."
Chapter Forty-Four
Later that night, Raina was getting ready for bed when Mateo entered the room. She held her night shirt up against her chest, but it didn't cover much. She felt shy around him. Awkward.
"I want you to hear this." Mateo didn't seem to notice her nudity. He sat down on the edge of the bed and held his phone out, tapping the speakerphone icon.
"Tell Raina what you told me earlier." Mateo's voice was grim and Raina's heart sped up in reaction. She sank down on the bed next to him, her near nakedness forgotten.
"Raina, how are you?" Raina was surprised to hear her stepfather's voice. She didn't converse with him often, but she liked him. He was a stern and serious man, but he made it clear that he would always have a soft spot for Raina.
"I'm doing okay, a little shaken up. How are you?"
"Perfectly fine. So is your mother, she's here with me."
Vee spoke next. "Raina, honey, I'm close by if you need me. I can be there in a few minutes. Say the word."
Mateo stiffened next to Raina and she gave him a sidelong glance. Obviously, he didn't approve of Vee's plan to come riding in on a white horse. Raina hadn’t realized her mother was still in town and that Sotza had joined her, but she felt better having allies nearby. Not just for herself but for Mateo too.
"Sotza, tell Raina what you told me." Mateo interrupted their small family reunion to get the conversation back on track. That was his style though, no nonsense, no extras, business as usual.
Sotza switched gears, his voice becoming more serious. "We were finally able to get our hands on some video footage that showed Daniela's face. We know who she is. Her name is Desiree Navarro, companion and second-in-command to the late Nicolás Garza."
Raina frowned as she felt the air grow noticeably more chill. A heavy silence descended, and she dared a glance at Mateo. His brows were knitted in concentration, his face frozen in anger.
"This is on me," he finally said, his voice a low growl. "I decided she didn't constitute enough of a threat to occupy my time, even after I killed her lover. It was a mistake, one that has put Raina’s life at risk. Desi’s motive is revenge toward me."
"I would imagine that you are correct," Sotza said in a drawl. "But don’t be hard on yourself. You were given the task of retrieving Raina and keeping her safe as well as bringing Miami back under control. This is a monumental undertaking, one that has required your entire focus. Though, collectively we should have thought to put someone on her trail. She is strong and intelligent, we underestimated her."
Raina heard some kind of muttered comment on the other end of the phone and assumed her mother was trying to speak, but it was clear Sotza didn't want her to. Raina smirked. She could guess what Vee was saying about the woman who had targeted her daughter.
"I have Danny on home security until Angela is well enough to take over. For now, I’ll put twice the manpower on the mansion and a personal bodyguard on Raina." Raina shuddered at the reason for the extra security. She had come within seconds of death today. Mateo slid his hand up to the nape of her neck beneath her hair and squeezed, the gentle touch comforting. "Thomas will join me as I search for Desiree. We’ll leave no stone unturned this time. We won’t stop until she's been found."
"We can pool resources on our end," Sotza assured him. "You’re not alone in this. Keep our daughter safe and we’ll have your back."
They hung up and Mateo tossed his phone onto the side table. He leaned an elbow against his knee and rubbed a hand over his face, his exhaustion beating at him. Raina's heart melted. He was such a tough guy all the time, her gangster, but he was also vulnerable. As vulnerable as her in some ways.
She put a hand on his arm and squeezed. He looked at her over top of his fingertips.
She smiled tentatively. "I'm not afraid, you know. You'll make sure I'm safe. I have no doubt. But please, let me know if there's anything I can do to help you."
His eyes took on a strange gleam, one that she couldn't decipher. They seemed to convey a lot, at the same time as shutting her out. His body language was closed off, but she sensed he needed her, needed to reach out to her. She wished she knew more about relationships, and men, so she could give him what he clearly needed.
Finally, he spoke. "You are t
ruly a treasure, mi amor. I have harmed you in a grievous way. Taking your dignity and using my lifestyle as an excuse. I have consistently put you in positions where you were vulnerable to attack. Yet still, you worry more about me than you do yourself."
Raina didn't know what to say. He wasn't wrong. If anyone else had done to her what he’d done, she would hate them. She would be actively trying to find a way out and pulling in every connection she had to make sure he was wiped off the planet. But he wasn't just anyone. He was Mateo. And no matter what he’d done to her, he still belonged to her, like she belonged to him.
Maybe theirs was a twisted relationship. Maybe she should run as far and as fast as she could get, but for now, she was going to follow her heart, which was running full tilt toward the man sitting next to her.
"Will you kiss me?" she whispered, her words shaky. She was so used to him taking what he wanted that it felt weird for her to ask for something intimate.
His entire demeanor seemed to change, to relax and loosen. At the same time, a predatory gleam entered his eyes as he turned to her, his big body hovering slightly over hers since they were sitting so close together.
He took her chin between his fingers and tilted it up. "Always," he said, his lips descending to hers.
The moment was sweet, a greeting of their souls after a long and hard day. A reconnection. She hesitantly lifted her arms and wrapped them around his neck. He shuffled closer on the bed and pulled her body against his, deepening the kiss. They explored each other at a leisurely pace, gradually igniting the sparks that always hovered in the air around them.
Mateo lifted her off the bed and turned her until she was sitting on top of him, her knees on either side of his hips. He buried his hand at the back of her hair, clutching the strands. It hurt, but the pain felt good. It felt like the reaffirmation of life.
He broke the kiss and buried his face in her neck, inhaling deeply. "You smell so fucking good all the time. How do you smell so good?"
Raina giggled and buried her fingers in his soft hair, then ran her hand down the back of his neck. "I shower regularly, using soap and body wash. Then lotion after. Most of it’s non-scented."
"Mmmm, then it must be your natural scent."
Raina knew exactly what he was talking about since he also had a scent, one that she would recognize anywhere. The first time she smelled him, she'd been flat on her back on the university campus after attempting to fight him. The first time that he kidnapped her. She’d been breathing heavily and had inhaled his scent of leather, man and aftershave. It had immediately gone to her head, though she desperately fought the attraction. Who had a thing for their kidnapper? Stockholm wasn’t supposed to happen that fast.
Raina was beyond trying to understand her attraction to Mateo. He was a gangster and he did gangster things. He’d done terrible things to her since she'd met him, but the way he loved her, the way he held and protected her. It was more than she could resist. Besides, she wasn’t exactly innocent herself. She produced high-end forgeries, and though she was discerning in choosing her clientele, she often worked for criminals.
Mateo lifted her in his arms and twisted, dropping her on the bed on her back. He crouched over top of her, his muscular forearms on either side of her face. Raina reached up and clutched his wrist, her breath puffing out in a gasp. Her heart sped up in fear, a fear that he read in her eyes.
Mateo gently removed the strands of hair from her forehead. "I won’t hurt you. I promise. Please, let me do this."
Raina lay beneath him staring up at the ceiling above. If she let him have sex with her, was she giving him blanket permission to have sex with her anytime he wanted? She wasn't sure that’s what she wanted. After their first time… she'd been so hurt and confused. It would take time to get over that completely. In fact, if it hadn't been for the attack today, she wouldn't be remotely close to forgiving him.
Yet, her body cried out for his. Something primal was telling her that this man was her mate, her partner. Something was begging her not to reject him.
"Okay," she whispered. "But only this once. Because I need you. I'm not sure if this is what I want."
Mateo's eyes hardened for second as his alpha instincts told him not to allow her leeway. But she could see in his eyes that his humanity was winning out, his desire to have his future wife love him back as much as he loved her.
"Please," she begged.
"We'll talk about it later," he assured her. "For now, I want you to feel good. I want to take away all the fear and pain."
"I want that to," she whispered.
After that, they didn't speak again. They didn't need to. Their love language was touch and he touched her everywhere. Starting at her face, trailing his fingers over the delicate skin there; her forehead, her eyelids, nose, and lips. He followed the soft touches with his mouth, kissing everywhere he touched.
He tugged the camisole that Raina had been clutching to her chest away and tossed it on the floor. Then he buried his face in her neck and licked and sucked gently as he trailed kisses down to her breasts. Flutters of sensation were rippling through her body, stealing her breath and making her feel giddy with every touch. Mateo's attentions gradually turned from gentle to more urgent as he sucked one of her small breasts into his mouth, rolling her nipple.
Raina gasped and clutched his head to her, arching her back and pushing her breasts up. He lavished first one with attention, then the other. She could feel the wetness gathering at her thighs, soaking her panties beneath her sleep shorts.
Mateo worked his way downward but didn’t forget to worship every inch of her skin. His hands were everywhere, in places that his lips had been, igniting small explosions of yearning within her. Raina moaned her pleasure out loud, telling him exactly what she loved.
He dipped his tongue momentarily into her navel, causing her to gasp and lurch up in an attempt to shove him away. He grabbed her wrists and pushed her back onto the bed.
"You will take my kisses, no matter where I decide to place them." His words were possessive, but his tone was one of love.
He continued his path down, hooking his fingers into her panties and sleep shorts and dragging them down her thighs, exposing her. Raina dropped a hand between her legs, but he gently took it, flipped it over and pressed a kiss to her palm. Then he placed her hand on the bed next to her.
"You don’t need to be shy with me. Every part of you is my definition of beauty; from your nearsighted eyes, to the scars on your skin, to this pretty pink pussy, to these ridiculously small feet." He dropped his hand down her body as he spoke and finished by gripping her foot. She laughed and yanked her foot away. But her laughter fled as he pinned her with a look. "Every part of you is mine, every part of you is beautiful."
Raina blushed. He was so intense, it was difficult to know what to say or do. But he didn’t leave her hanging, he took control.
Mateo kissed her knees and then worked his way up her thighs, biting down gently on her flesh. Her breath sped up as he approached her pussy. She had to fight the urge to cover herself or to push his head away. She’d never done this before, what if she wasn't good at it?
And then she no longer had time to worry, because his face was buried between her legs and his tongue was exploring her most intimate parts. From the first touch of his tongue against her clit, Raina came unglued. How had she not known how fucking good oral sex was? Her education had been woefully neglected and if this wasn't a very awkward conversation to bring up, she'd be discussing this with her parents.
Raina could do nothing but clutch at the blankets underneath her and try to force her body to remain on the bed as she virtually levitated into Mateo's face. He gripped her hips and used his shoulders to force her legs wider as he ate her out. He lashed her with his tongue, drawing her out like a bowstring and then forcing her back before she could reach the edge. She was a mess of wiggling, wet, sweaty and begging woman. If this was what sex felt like, then she would become his willing slave.
He dipped his head back down and ran his tongue through her folds before concentrating on her clit. As he sucked and swirled, drawing her higher and higher towards a precious peak, he slid a finger into her body, penetrating her. That finger, combined with his magical tongue, sent her spiraling over the ledge.
She thought at first that she was screaming out loud, then realized most of the noise was in her own brain. Her mouth was wide open, whimpers spilling from her lips, her hands knotted so tightly in the blankets that her knuckles would ache later.
Her heart pounded as she drifted down from the most intensely explosive orgasm she'd ever experienced. She rolled her head to watch Mateo as he climbed off the bed. She reached out, intending to call him back, but then realized he was undressing. His movements were hurried but precise. Each item of clothing was tossed onto the chair until he stood completely, gloriously naked in front of her.
Mateo really was built using the marble of the gods. He was hard and muscular, but every proportion was perfect. Even his penis, which was erect and curving upward toward his belly from a nest of dark pubic hair.
As he climbed back on top of her, Raina clutched at his shoulders and dragged him down for a kiss, thrusting her tongue into his mouth. He kissed her back with equal passion, sliding an arm underneath her waist and lifting her up against his body. He entered her in one smooth thrust. It hurt more than Raina was expecting. After their first encounter, she didn't know what would happen, but had hoped it wouldn’t hurt again.
She knew she was wet enough to take him and didn't understand why it hurt. She whimpered and wiggled her body, trying to adjust. Mateo smoothed her hair back and said, his lips inches above hers, "It will only hurt for a few seconds, your body isn’t used to this and needs time to adjust. Lay still, soon you’ll feel good."
Born a Queen (The Queens Book 3) Page 24
