ISABELLA

Chapter 8

Third Person POV

Most of the family had retired, but one wing of the house was not as silent as it seemed

Aria slipped into her room, shutting the door with a soft click. She leaned against it for a moment, her long dark hair spilling over her shoulders, chest rising and falling with anticipation. She was dressed in silk—white, delicate, clinging to her frame in a way that spoke of someone too accustomed to luxury. Yet her restless eyes betrayed her.

Because she wasn’t waiting for sleep.

She was waiting for him.

Moments later, another sound—the faint scrape of her balcony door opening. A tall figure slipped inside, moving with the kind of calculated silence only a man who lived in the shadows could manage. Matteo.

Aria’s lips curved into a smile as she crossed the room in swift steps. “You’re late.”

Matteo closed the balcony door behind him, his sharp suit jacket still on, tie loosened as if he had come straight from Leonardo’s office. His eyes softened the moment they landed on her. “Leo kept me longer than expected.”

She scoffed, though it was playful. “Leo always keeps you longer than expected.”

Before he could respond, she pulled him close, her mouth finding his in a desperate kiss. Matteo responded immediately, hands wrapping around her waist, grounding her against him.

When they finally pulled apart, Aria’s cheeks were flushed, her breathing unsteady. “Do you know what would happen if Leo found out?” she whispered, though the spark in her eyes made it clear the thought only excited her more.

Matteo’s jaw tightened. “I know.” He brushed his thumb against her cheek, his other hand resting on the small of her back. “But I can’t stay away from you, Aria. You know that.”

She leaned into his touch, almost defiant. “Then don’t.”

He chuckled softly, but his gaze was serious. “You like tempting fate, don’t you?”

Aria tilted her head, smirking in that effortlessly dangerous way only a Deluca could. “I was born a Deluca, Matteo. Fate has always been tempted around me.”

The entire house—her family, the guards, the staff—believed Matteo’s loyalty belonged solely to Leonardo. And in a way, it did. But here, in the privacy of her bedroom, his loyalty bent, broke, and reformed around her.

She kissed him again, slower this time, savoring it. “Promise me something,” she murmured against his lips.

“Anything.”

“No matter what happens, no matter what my brother does or says… you won’t let go of me.”

Matteo’s hand slid up to the back of her neck, steady and firm. “Even if it kills me, Aria, I won’t let go.”

Her smile returned, soft and victorious. She pressed her forehead against his. “Good. Because I’m not letting go either.”

He kissed her again, harder this time, his hands sliding down her back as he lifted her with ease. Her legs instinctively wrapped around his waist, drawing him closer, refusing to let him go.

With steady steps, he carried her to the bed, never breaking the kiss, his mouth moving with a hunger that made her shiver. He laid her down gently, hovering above her as their lips clashed again, desperate, lingering.

His shirt was the first to go, tossed aside carelessly, his chest bare and taut beneath the dim light. He helped her out of her clothes, their movements urgent yet careful, until nothing separated them anymore—skin against skin, heat against heat.

She straddled him, slow and deliberate, her lips trailing across his chest, lower and lower, her touch leaving fire in its wake.

When her eyes met his again, they were dark with mischief, a seductive glint that made his jaw tighten.

“Don’t look at me like that,” he muttered, voice rough, strained with control.

Her lips curled into a wicked little smirk.

Her hand slid lower, teasing him until her fingers wrapped around his length.

A low, guttural sound escaped his throat, his head tipping back.

“Aria…” he breathed, the way her name left his lips laced with both warning and desire.

She smirked, lowering herself, and without hesitation, took him into her mouth. The sudden heat made his eyes roll back, his grip tightening on the sheets as she moved—slow, then faster, deliberate, her tongue working him with skill.

Soft moans and sharp breaths filled the room, mingling with the wet, slurping sounds that made his control unravel. His hands found her hair, guiding her, yet she kept her pace, relentless, enjoying every reaction she pulled from him.

When she finally stopped, she crawled back up, her lips swollen from her work as she kissed him again—deep, messy, claiming.

He pulled back just enough to smirk against her mouth.

“My turn,” he growled, flipping her onto her back with ease.

She giggled softly, her breath already unsteady.

His lips trailed down her stomach, slow and teasing, before his fingers slipped between her thighs. The moment he brushed her c**t, a jolt of pleasure shot up her spine.

“Ah—” she gasped, arching her back.

He smirked at her reaction, then lowered his head, his tongue flicking against her with maddening precision. The sensation made her thighs tremble, her fingers tangling in his hair as helpless moans spilled from her lips.

“Matteo…..” she whimpered, the sound breaking into another moan as he kept going, unrelenting.

“Shhh,” he murmured against her, his voice husky with amusement. “Someone’s going to hear you.”

Her body shivered at his words, but she didn’t care. “Just—f**k me already,” she pleaded, her voice raw with need.

He chuckled darkly, licking her one last time before dragging himself back up, his mouth crashing onto hers in a hungry kiss. “Anything you want, princess,” he whispered against her lips, his smile wicked as he positioned himself above her.