Mateo: A Dark Mafia Romance (The Syndicates Book 5)

by Raven Scott

  Panting when we pulled back, I kicked off my jeans completely, and warmth flooded my chest at the depths of Lucy’s eyes on me. Ducking to kiss her neck, I squeezed her breast, and she gasped as she arched into my hand. The perky globe fit perfectly in my palm, and desire stiffened my cock as her leg tightened around my waist.

  “Mateo . . . ” The way Lucy breathed my name was nirvana, and I groaned as we ground together like teenagers. I couldn’t stay away from her plump lips, and she arched into my touch when I tweaked her rosy nipple gingerly. My cock buried in her folds as she opened his mouth for my tongue, and my breath hitched when she cupped my face.

  Our movements devolved from the obvious, and my cock coated thick with Lucy’s juices as I thrust to the tilt of her hips. Making out shamelessly, the heat that weighed down the atmosphere settling on us heavily, and I left her breast to grab her ass and squeeze. Her little moan clogged my throat, and my cock throbbed as we reveled in just the feel of each other.

  I’m gonna write her a song.

  Pulling back to hiss, I shuddered when Lucy gasped to suck the heat from my skin. Her little moans and whimpers urged me on, and I rolled on top of her to brace my fists on either side of her head. Both her legs fell open, toes curling sharply against my calves, and a strangled groan escaped me. My heart threatened to burst from my chest as she writhed, throwing her head to the side, and I kissed the furiously beating pulse point she exposed.

  Lucy arched off the bed, her thighs clinging to hips as she shivered and gasped, and her tight expression was mesmerizing. The face she made when she came was almost enough to get me, and I clenched my jaw hard against the tingles assaulting my tail bone.

  “Shit, Lucy.” Gasping hoarsely, her eyes popped open, and Lucy sputtered as her nails scraped down my sides. That gnawing need that we’d ignored for so long rampaged through my veins, only growing more ravenous when she pushed at my shoulders weakly. When I drew back, holding myself on quivering arms, it wasn’t far enough, and she struggled to push herself up from her elbows.

  She pulled her legs under her, and my sluggish brain connected the dots- but not until after Lucy pumped my cock firmly. A sea of gold cascaded down her back as she hovered over me, and I gathered it up in trembling, clammy palms while she practically drooled with hunger.

  31

  Lucy

  “You’re so good to me.” Smiling at the gruff grumble as powerful, warm arms slithered around my waist, I zipped up the package of roast beef while Mateo kissed my shoulder. “I’d starve without you, Lucy.”

  “I made us both a sandwich. I was only making one for myself, but I thought that wasn’t fair.” He laughed at me, an explosive burst of laughter that sent spittle flying, and I tilted my head as he squeezed me playfully. “You deserve a bonus for all your hard work.”

  “Oh, thank you. I’m capable of hauling my ass downstairs and making us a sandwich. Obviously, I didn’t do my job if you can still walk.” My brows rose at that, and Mateo frowned under furrowed brows as he pulled back, confusion masking his face. “What?”

  “You do know that’s stupid, right? It’s almost four a.m., and we’ve been lying in bed for an hour. That’s more than enough time to come down.”

  “Yes, I do. I have never screwed a woman into being a paraplegic, and that’s terrifying to think of.” Gasping in surprise, goosebumps swept down my legs when Mateo smacked my butt playfully. His easy smile, so familiar and tender, stretched his lips, and his brow eyes sparkled with content. “Thank you for the sandwich.”

  “You’re welcome.” I passed Mateo his sandwich, wrapped in a paper towel, and he kissed my cheek as he took it. He only had whole grain bread, which was fine, and I put the roast beef and Swiss cheese back in the refrigerator before grabbing my own and shuffling to sit at the island. His shirt bunched up around my hips, and goosebumps washed my legs as my butt connected with the cold, wooden seat.

  “I was thinking of going to find a music store and get some instruments today.” Pausing as Mateo just casually threw out that declaration, my brows rose in interest, and he stood across from me to catch my eye firmly. “Do you want to come?”

  “Yeah, definitely.” I answered immediately, and excitement blossomed in my chest as I took an animated bite of my sandwich. The taste of mustard and roast beef and cheese pulled a groan from behind my lips, and Mateo smiled, satisfied, before taking a bite of his own. “So, what instruments can you play?”

  Mumbling around my bite, I slumped a little to hold my cheek on my palm, and he hummed in recognition. For a moment, I couldn’t taste my own mouthful as Mateo visibly enjoyed what I’d made him, and warmth suffused my chest. He chewed slowly, and I forgot to chew at all as I watched him in the early morning gloom. Only the light on the stove illuminated the kitchen, and shadows danced on his face before he swallowed.

  “Ah, piano, guitar and drums, but I’m actually the best at electric violin. I went to college for four years for it, so I better be good at it.” He smirked a little, and I continued chewing even as my heart fluttered at the idea of him playing such a romantic instrument. “I can play the standard violin pretty okay, I think.”

  “I would love to hear that.” Swallowing my bite, I licked my lips of mustard while Mateo nodded, and the memory of that brief moment in Hawaii floated through my mind. “You have a beautiful voice. If you put yourself out there, you’d be a rock star, easy.”

  “Professional music takes way more than I’m willing to put into it. I could’ve done it, but, eh.” Mateo shrugged, and I smiled as I took a bite out of my sandwich while he leaned on his elbows. His face twisted in disdain, and my brows furrowed even as he opened his mouth to continue. “I don’t like all that attention. Maybe, it was growing up knowing that secrets are really hard to keep with the spotlight on you constantly. Also, some people are real jerks that manage to hide it really convincingly, and that’s a lot of pressure in itself to have a public image.”

  “Yeah.” The kitchen descended into a peaceful silence, and I knew just from the way Mateo spoke that he’d put a lot of effort into deciding whether or not to go for it. During college, maybe, or even beforehand. Growing up the way he had, he knew that money for the sake of money was hollow, and musicians had it rough.

  “I like this peace. I don’t want to lose it.” Tender, brown eyes met mine, and my heart ached as I smiled around my bite. “No one gets lucky like this often.”

  “Once things settle down, it’ll get even better.” His cheeks picked up in a smile, and I swallowed my bite to sigh in utter bliss. “I’m going to go online and find a good camera for Seth. I talked to him a few days ago. Apparently, Meredith went on a rampage about the wedding, but really the only thing you did was destroy the dress, so he wrote her a check for it and threw it at her and told her that he hoped thirteen grand was worth him as a son. He even showed me a video of their fight that his sister took. It was really nice to see him stick up for himself.”

  “Good for him. We can have a housewarming party or something- maybe next weekend. I like Seth— he’s a great guy.” But as quickly as that affection infected his tone, Mateo frowned. “Are you going to have a serious talk with Mikayla about what happened at the store yesterday?”

  “If I have to say anything more, I think that speaks in itself. We’ll see what happens when I go back later.” The truth was, I knew Mikayla was probably tearing herself to shreds. She acted so bubbly, but she was probably really worried about me, and people do stupid things when they’re worried about someone. Sex with Seth had never been meaningful . . . enjoyable, sure, but not anything more . . . and she knew how important tonight was to me.

  We’ve been friends so long, and she’s never seen that side of me. It was a side I didn’t know I had, and I didn’t like it. Being told off over superficial stuff, I could handle, but . . .

  “I think you two will be fine, Lucy.” Everything was coming together, slowly but surely. Like this house, I would gradually be filled with wonderful experiences
, and I’d have my family here— the family that proved itself to me, Seth, and his sisters, and their husbands, and Mikayla. Despite everything, Mateo wouldn’t keep me from them. He accepted that they were permanent fixtures in my life despite the engagement and the breakdown.

  They were bumps in the road, and he didn’t try to smooth them over for me. I held on to what I could, and he embraced the beautiful parts and ignored the rest.

  And that was why I loved Mateo. Even when we were stuck in that room, when he was in terrible agony and suffering, he brought out the beauty in it.

  Free Gift For You

  Thank you for reading Theo. If you’re looking for more of my mafia romance, check out my FREE Book Cruel Romeo!

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  New Raven Scott Series

  Chapter 1: Ophelia

  Shivering as the door flung open, gushing cold air into the room, I curled up tighter. This concrete box wasn’t a place I’d ever expected to find myself in. Exhaling shakily, I could almost see my breath— or was that just simple delirium? My thin clothes weren’t designed to protect against the cold, and I scowled lightly as I forced my eyes off my knees.

  Aleksander Makovich was leaning casually on the doorframe, arms and ankles crossed…the absolute epitome of power seeping from every pore on his skin.

  He looked exactly the same as the last time I’d seen him, but now— I was his enemy. Now, his demeanor was closed off, eyes sharp and guarded heavily.

  His stubbled jaw set hard, his gaze throwing daggers on my frigid skin as he scanned the small space. “Get up.”

  My body moved even as my mind clung to the floor. I just wanted to melt into concrete and hope Aleksander didn’t notice me. Goosebumps rose long my bare arms and under my jeans, as my toes flexed in my sneakers. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that my dad held my mom around the shoulders, but I didn’t dare look directly at them.

  What kind of terrible parents put their children in mortal danger knowingly? Bitterness clouded my eyes and stained my tongue. How could two old people who had a good lot in life just ruin it so damned easily? This was a question I’d never have the answer to, I knew. In a few short hours, my parents were only going to be memories.

  “So… I’m just curious, which one of you actually took the shot against Vyachaslav and missed?” Aleksander asked.

  I kept my head down, not even trying to push my hair back in the hopes of keeping Aleksander’s attention off me. His eyes could kill and I ground my teeth hard at the edge in his tone.

  The loaded question hung in the air, suffocating my parents and brother.

  If someone spoke up, ratted out… it wouldn’t matter and everyone knew it. Most likely, Aleksander knew the answer to his question already. He just wanted to see what would happen if he dangled hope in front of our eyes.

  “If you get the answer right, you get a prize,” Aleksander spoke again.

  “I did it.”

  My eyelids fluttered closed at my dad’s declaration bouncing against my skull. Leaning against the wall, my skin burned from the cold, and I puffed out a thick sigh. The silence that followed was torture in itself, and my gut tightened into knots. An icy sweat slickened my skin, but there was no reason to be anxious.

  Here, in this room, I had only two outcomes. I walk out or I don’t. All because my daddy decided it’d be a good idea to connive and try to move up the oiled pole.

  “Is that your way of protecting your son from his own idiocy?” Aleksander queried in a dry tone. “As far as I’m concerned, the only person here that’s not heading for the chopping block today is Ophelia.”

  The sound of my own name fired off signals in my brain, and I cracked my eyes open. Blearily glancing up, I bit my inner cheek.

  Aleksander scoffed loudly, “Please, don’t insult me more than you already have,” he went on. “Don’t you think the Avernisk’s tried to give me information to save their own lives? It didn’t work, of course, but it made things go by quicker. I know Yysev pulled the trigger. It’d be even more impressive if he hit his actual target, not the body double.”

  “Don’t take out our mist—“

  Aleksander held up a hand to silence my dad, his lips twisting into a nasty sneer.

  I felt so tired; there was absolutely no reason to say anything right now. Aleksander Makovich probably plotted out his course of action on the train to Moscow, long before we’d ever met in person. Despite however long it’d been, I still couldn’t wrap my head around what my parents had tried to do.

  I mean, who tries to kill any Makovich, let alone the Patriarch, and fails?

  “You’re going to kill us, so just do it. But I’d appreciate it if I could call my boyfriend and tell him I love him,” I finally spoke as my voice scratched my throat.

  Those hard, brown eyes turned to me to flash in curiosity.

  Straightening to smooth my shirt, I nodded more to myself than to him. The incredible sadness I felt only struck my eyes, the ache unbearable as I blinked hard. “If you’re not going to kill us in this room, I would like to call my boyfriend.”

  “You’re thinking of that plokhaya krov’ at a time like this! Ophelia!”

  My mother’s strangled hiss fell on deaf ears, as I held Aleksander’s gaze firmly.

  Slowly, the spark of interest brightened in those dark eyes.

  I knew—I knew I had no right to ask him anything, but this was better than pleading fruitlessly for my life. If the most powerful man in Russia wanted me dead, I was in no position to argue.

  “Envre, your cell phone.”

  She handed it to him. He then held my phone out to me.

  Tears welled in my eyes at this and my throat tightened to block my lungs. My trembling intensified even as the cold vanished from my scope of comprehension. Shuffling across the room, I carefully reached for the smartphone offered to me.

  Aleksander snatched it back slightly, almost playfully. He smirked grimly to thicken the goosebumps blanketing my skin. “Three minutes, Ophelia.”

  “Three minutes.” For the first time, I let my mind wander to Sascha. His handsome, strong jaw, his thick beard that ruffled my hair when he drew me close. His bright, brown eyes twinkling whenever they caught mine. Taking the phone, I tapped in his number and closed my eyes to picture him.

  Sascha… the love of my life; the man I wanted to hear my final words. If I truly was about to pay for the mistakes of my family, I needed him to know my heart was his. The ring on the line tightened my chest, as I struggled to breathe under the weight of what might very well be my final conversation with him.

  And we couldn’t even have this talk face to face. How deplorable. My family despised Sascha; he wasn’t Russian born, but he’d lived in Russia almost all his life. He spoke our language, ate our food, taught at our universities…

  “Dr. Matheson,” Sascha answered.

  Leaning heavily against the wall, I stuffed my free hand into my mouth at the sound of Sascha’s voice. So deep, soft, but filled with confidence and authority.

  “Hello?” he spoke again.

  “Sascha—” I croaked hoarsely and sniffled hard as I wrapped my fingers around my throat. The action did nothing to relieve the burning, the pressure, and I licked my lips heavily. My face grew so hot, I exhaled stale air as dread roiled my stomach. “Sascha… I h-have to go, now.”

  “Ophelia? What’s wrong? I’m worried about you…you haven’t taken any of my calls or anything for two days.”

  The relief in his tone sent sharp, icy prickles down my sternum and I smiled sadly. Why did I ask to talk to him? I had no idea what to say now when he was on the phone. “I just want—I want you to know— Sascha, I love you so much—” My voice cracked harshly, and I sniffled viciously. “I love you.”

  “What did your parents do this time, Oppie?” he asked.

  A horrendous sob burst from my throat, and I practically threw the phone at Aleksander. Cr
umpling to pull my knees to my face, I covered my head and buried my hands in my hair. Blood drummed in my ears so loud that I couldn’t hear my own cries or ragged breaths. The sting in my throat intensified as my heart beat out of control. Why— why— why didn’t I accept Sascha’s offer to run away? We could’ve eloped and gone to America… we could’ve gotten away from my ugly family and been happy!

  Tremors assaulted my spine as snot and tears stained my face and jeans. The heat in my face threatened to melt my cheeks as it seeped down my neck. After four years of trying to separate us, my parents finally succeeded. Now, though, there was no use for anger.

  But this didn’t stop it from forming a dense, writhing ball in my chest, knocking my heart out of rhythm and squeezing my lungs until they were useless. Everyone around me was more concerned with their plans than my happiness. My mom and dad were more focused on where Sascha was born than what he grew up to be.

  “Ophelia…” Aleksander’s called to me. He, at least, had the decency to look sad for me. “Let’s go.”

  I swiped at my throbbing, reddened eyes with the back of my arm. Sniffling harshly, I struggled to stand, alone, even as Aleksander’s henchman flooded the room. Shouts and struggles were drowned under the ache in my head. Getting dragged out of the room, my parents and elder brother yelled and begged while I stayed silent. Like so many times before, the differences between us were obvious. I seemed to be the only one who could face reality.

  When they decided this attempt on Vyachaslav Makovich’s life was a good idea, they’d sealed their fates. The only real issue for me was… I wasn’t involved at all. I didn’t know anything was going on behind the scenes. I’d been too caught up in Sascha and our life together to notice something was amiss. Maybe, because I didn’t want to shatter my beautiful moment— the unfiltered happiness that had filled me to bursting.