Eighteen (18)(55)

It’s only then that I notice a large group of people dressed in suits in the back of the room. They are smiling and clapping for Mateo as he takes my hand and raises it up with his in triumph.

They are the representatives, I realize. From other planetariums around the world. People he’s counting on to buy his new educational software. His very expensive educational product that came from the fruit of all his years of hard work and research.

And they are sold.

I f*ck the shit out of Mateo Alesci that night on the beach outside our room. I f*ck the shit out of him every night we spend there. And every morning. And during our afternoon naps. I cannot get enough of him.

I do love him. And I never want this to end.





Chapter Thirty




“Stop it,” I say, pushing Mateo off me. “I’m working, dammit.”

He bites my shoulder and I can’t help but smile. “School’s out.”

“Not until next week. I need to finish this assignment.”

“The only assignments that matter are mine,” he growls, taking his nibbles to my earlobe.

I shake my head and try not to giggle. “Not true. Your mother is expecting mad skills for her website and I’m not even done with my own site yet.”

“Play with me, Shannon,” he whines. “Please. I’ll let you suck my cock.”

I look at him from the corner of my eye. “Behave now and I’ll let you spank me later.”

His gaze goes all drifty as he pictures it. He likes to play Bad Little Schoolgirl with me. He has a paddle with my name on it and everything.

I can only roll my eyes. But I’m more than willing to put on knee socks and a tartan skirt and let him bend my bare ass over his lap.

He hits hard too. He leaves red palm prints on my cheeks and then he takes a picture of them so I can see when we’re done. But just picturing myself spread open for his inspection, my long hair dangling down his legs, my hands grabbing on to his suit pants…

Jesus. I close my laptop and say, “What do you have in mind?”

“Hmmmm,” he moans, letting his hands explore my body. They leave my shoulders and grab my breasts. I’m already naked because it’s a kitchen work day. “I want the whole neighborhood to hear us,” he whispers. “Everyone. I want to f*ck you in the front yard.”

“Oh, no,” I say. I don’t tell him no often, but no. “I’m not having sex in your front yard.” I might be sitting naked in his kitchen, but I have to draw the line somewhere. Plus, the blinds are closed and it’s late. So no one is looking in here.

“No?” he says, taking my hand and pulling me up from my seat.

“No,” I say, but I’m already smiling because he’s sucking on my nipple and there’s no chance he’s not getting his way. I might say no, but it never works. Mateo always gets his way.

“I want everyone to know, Shannon,” he says, taking his kisses up to my shoulder again. “I’m tired of hiding you in here.”

“We’re not hiding.” Not really. We stopped hiding after Hawaii. But there’s nothing to hide anyway. I finished my last trig test two weeks ago and Mateo turned in my grade. Even Mr. Bowman couldn’t stop us now.

“I want to flaunt you. Make you come so hard, everyone within two blocks hears you scream my name. But I want to do it my way.” He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a yellow silk scarf.

“Really?” I ask. “I mean, I get the whole blindfold thing, but yellow? It’s probably see-through.”

“Let me put it on you and find out.”

I throw up my hands, unimpressed. Mateo’s ten years on me have not gone unnoticed. He’s got a lot more experience than I do in the sexual imagination department. “Give it your best shot, cowboy.”

He chuckles as he places the soft silk over my eyes and ties it tight at the back of my head. “Now follow me.”

“Wait, we’re not going outside.”

“Define outside.”

“Mateo—”

“Shannon—”

“I don’t want to f*ck in the front yard.”

“You do,” he whispers, biting my ear again. “Trust me.”

When he says trust me he really means it. It’s not a flippant joke or something casual. He’s serious. He’s asked me to trust him a lot over the past few months. “Fine.” I give in. I always give in.

He takes my hand again and leads me forward, flipping out all the lights in the house as we pass through rooms. The scarf is see-through, but only when the lights are on. So by the time we make our way to the front of the house, I can’t see shit. It’s got to be past eleven at night right now, and the porch light isn’t on when we cross over the threshold, him giving me a little warning about the lip of wood trim that separates the house from the porch.

“Does this excite you?” I ask. “Fucking me on the porch in the dark?”

“Should I turn the lights on?”

“No.” I laugh.

“Then don’t jump to conclusions about what we’re doing.”

I bite my lip, nervous. What did I agree to this time?

“Stand right here.”

I take a deep breath and let it out as I listen to the creak of the screen door on the porch. “Mateo?”