Surviving Mateo (Morelli Family 2)

“You’re really a beautiful man,” I inform him.

“Men aren’t beautiful.”

I roll my eyes. “A lot of them aren’t, no. You are.”

“Why are you buttering me up?” he teases, though with him, I can’t be sure he’s teasing.

“I’m not,” I say innocently “Am I not allowed to express appreciation without an ulterior motive?”

He gives me a playfully suspicious look, closing his eyes again.

“See, I did want to ask you for something on an unrelated note, but now I can’t because you’ll think you were right.”

“Ha,” he says, tugging me down on top of him. “I knew it.”

“I wasn’t buttering you up. I really do find you very sexy and beautiful and, at this current moment, a ginormous pain in the ass.”

He snorts with amusement. “No one’s ever called me that before.”

“To your face,” I say, poking him in his perfect chin.

“What do you want?”

“A phone.”

His amusement disappears, his face going blank. “Why?”

“Well, because Adrian took mine and now I can’t even take pictures of Lily. Today the girls put on a fashion show for me and Ju in Little Paris, and I desperately wanted to take a picture, but I couldn’t. Sometimes she falls asleep and she looks all adorable. Or that freaking adorable dress Ju let her have, the rose one that used to be Isabella’s? Oh, my god, it makes my heart ache how cute she looks in it, and I can’t take pictures of any of this stuff. I’m a mom; I need to take pictures.”

Nodding, he says, “I’ll get you a camera.”

“But I still want a phone.”

“I told you no phone.”

“Not to call anyone from my life,” I tell him. “I don’t even know anyone’s number. I always just transfer over from my old contacts. If they don’t transfer, well, nice knowing you. But it would be nice to be able to call Mia from time to time, or even maybe send you texts. I could send you pictures from the shower,” I say, wiggling my eyebrows.

Frowning, not even scooping up my offer of shower sexts, he asks, “Why would you have to call Mia?”

“Well, I wouldn’t have to. But I’d like to.”

“Why?”

“Because we’re friendly?”

I would expect him to be pleased I’m building relationships inside the house, since relationship outside of the house are forbidden, but judging from the look on his face, I’m wrong.

Finally, he says, “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

I resume tracing his chest, watching my finger instead of his face. I’m really not a jealous person in the least, but obviously I’m the newcomer in their life, and I have no idea where they left off. “Why? Do you still have feelings for her?”

This startles him so much he sits up. “No. Why would you think that?”

I shrug, glancing at him. “Why else wouldn’t you want us to be friends?”

“Mia… We have a complicated relationship. She likes me, but she doesn’t. I don’t want her to say anything to you that…” He stops, scowling, and doesn’t finish his thought. “How did you even know Mia and I had a history?”

“It doesn’t seem like a secret,” I comment. “Everyone knows.”

“Don’t play detective, Meg,” he advises me. “Don’t pry into my past. You may not like what you find.”

I shrug, watching him. “You could just tell me, then there’s nothing I could find.”

“Or you could do as I say. I’ll just tell everyone not to talk to you,” he tells me, shrugging. “They won’t tell you anything.”

Frowning with concern, I sit back. “What are you so afraid they’ll tell me?”

“Nothing,” he says promptly, meeting my eyes. “I just don’t want you investigating me.”

“I’m not. I wasn’t. I just like Mia, and I don’t get to talk to anyone I used to know. Am I really not allowed to have a friend here, even someone in your own family?”

“I’ll talk to her. Then I’ll get back to you.”

“You have to screen her before I get the okay?” At this point I’m wrapping the sheet around myself and pulling away, confused and a little alarmed. “You’re starting to freak me out more than anything she could possibly tell me.”

“Fine, I’ll get you a phone. I won’t talk to her,” he says, way too easily for the fight he’s just put up.

“Yes, you will.”

“I just said I wouldn’t.”

I’m not going to accuse him of lying, but I cross my arms, totally not believing him. I really wasn’t too worried about whatever had been between him and Mia, but now that he’s on a mission to silence everyone, I feel like I need to find out.

“I know you do bad things. Did you do something bad to Mia?”

He doesn’t flinch. “No.”

“Then what’s the issue?”

“No issue,” he says, shrugging. “Like I said, I’ll get you a phone.”

“Fine,” I say, dropping it. I know he’ll warn her off before he gets me a phone, and that’s too alarming to ignore. I’ll just have to make sure I talk to her before he gets the chance. “Well, I should probably get back so I can put Lily to bed.”