“Mia’s staying here tonight,” he tells me. “She and Vince fought at dinner. She’s in Francesca’s room.”
“Okay,” I say, a little unsure since he doesn’t seem to be finished with his thought, but that sounds like the end.
“I told Adrian to bring her in here.”
“Oh. Remember how we just agreed about no immediate pouncing?”
A slight smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. “I’m not pouncing. You two need to work out this little… whatever. This might help.”
“So… another sleepover.”
He comes over to the bed, climbing up on it in his sexy, prowling way. “No pouncing, I promise.”
“I should probably put on clothes,” I realize, pushing the blankets aside and climbing off the bed.
I didn’t brush my teeth either, so I head to the bathroom to get dressed and get ready for bed. I doubt Mia’s tired either, but she’ll probably just lie there enjoying being so near Mateo. I’d roll my eyes at the thought, but it’s unkind, because I do the same damn thing.
When I get back to the bedroom, Mia’s already there. I think she just came in, because she still looks damned uncomfortable.
I stop by the dresser and pull out some pajamas for her, offering them with a little smile.
“Thanks,” she says, accepting them. She doesn’t look at me, just studies the soft fabric. “Um, Adrian said I was going to stay in Francesca’s room tonight.”
“You were. But Adrian also said you had a rough night,” I tell her. “We thought you could use a snuggle.”
She looks up at me then, blinking in surprise. “A sn…?”
She can’t even repeat what she just heard. She’s so confused. I smile and turn away, heading to the bed. “Get changed and come on back.”
Mia heads into the bathroom, looking a little lost. Once she closes the door, I straddle Mateo, who’s sitting on the edge of the bed, and lean down to kiss him.
“Is it weird if I think it’s a little sexy that she’s going to sleep on the same sheets where you just fucked me?”
He groans, and I lean in to kiss his neck. “You’re adamantly against a threesome tonight, right?”
I laugh a little, pulling back to look at his handsome face, to brush my fingers through his hair. “Yes.”
His dark eyes twinkle with amusement. “Fine. But I know what I’ll be dreaming about.”
I rake my fingers though his hair, kissing him again. His hands slide around my waist and I sort of wish Mia would’ve waited a little longer to come in, because I kind of want to fuck him again.
The bathroom door opens and his gaze moves away from me, back to Mia. He immediately releases his hold on me, so I climb off him and across the bed. Stealing a glance at Mia, I see the stricken look on her face, like she did just walk in on us having sex, and my doubts about this whole thing resurface.
Impulsively, I roll over to Mateo’s side of the bed. He’s still seated on the edge, watching Mia. She’s looking at him now, her cheeks a shade pinker.
“I think Francesca’s room might be—”
Mateo interrupts before she can finish, his tone authoritative, accepting no argument. “Get on the bed, Mia.”
Her objections die on her tongue and she obediently approaches her side of the bed, pulling back the blankets and crawling in.
Mateo walks over and hits the lights, since apparently we’re all going to bed early tonight.
“My phone is in Francesca’s room,” Mia murmurs. She’s clutching the blanket in her hands like it’s the horn of a saddle, and her horse is suddenly running way too fast. “I don’t have an alarm.”
“I’ll set one for you,” Mateo says, walking to his side of the bed. His phone is on the end table there and he fiddles with it for a minute without asking when she needs to get up. After taking care of that he puts a knee on the bed, but I don’t move over to make room for him.
“Am I allowed to sleep here?” he asks lightly.
“Why don’t you take the middle,” I suggest.
Approval flits across his features, and even though I don’t crave it the way Mia does, I can sorta see why she’s so into it.
Mia stares at the ceiling, like she wishes the ground would open up and swallow her. Mateo’s arm brushes hers as he moves into the spot between us, and Mia actually winces at the contact, her gaze fixed firmly above her.
“Relax, lady friend,” I tell her, since I’m a little worried she might have a heart attack. She glances over at me, but now that means looking past Mateo, lying next to her in bed. She does not relax.
Once he’s comfortable, I turn and snuggle up against his side.
Seeing that Mia is still so stressed out she looks like she might snap in half, Mateo reaches over and snakes his arm underneath her, tugging her against his other side. The breath rushes right out of her and she stares up at him for a moment like he’s lost his mind. Then her gaze jumps to me, like I’m even more alarming than he is.