Accardi (Genevieve and Matteo) by Allison Franklin novel Chapter 42

Chapter Forty–Two

Genevieve tried to keep her wits about beras Matten Jeaned further into her body. His head dropped so his lips could graze over

or the soft

along the side

of her neck

“I didn’t realize I needed a five point plan to successfully escape a crazy bitch,” she argued

He chuckled. The vibration of it carried through her skin. Her breathing became Inbored as she fought her body’s reaction to him. She placed her palms acainst the cold glass at her sides to keep her grounded

“Escaping a crazy bitch? No. Trying to make one jealous, though, requires some strategizing,” he explained. She felt his palm slide along her hip and over her wrist. When it finally settled against her ass, she had to bite her lip to keep from moaning.

“I wasn’t trying to….

“Of course not,” he interrupted. “No, you chose to text me for help because my name is the first in your contacts, right? You ran in here and sent her a taunting wave just for fun. Then you backed yourself into the most visible spot in my office rather than anywhere else simply by mistake. Now that we’re here though…

“Matteo,” she warned as his lips brushed over hers.

“Just trust me,” he whispered.

The hand beside her head cupped her cheek and his body pressed against hers as their lips touched. In all of the times she’d felt his lips, they were never so gentle or deliberate as this kiss, He gasped slightly before cupping her face completely with both hands. He used his body to keep her pressed to the wall as his lips caressed hers. She moaned and his tongue swept into her mouth, delicately tasting her as if he were a man seconds away from starving and she was too delectable to devour all at once. There was no lust, or passion, only earnest devotion in the way his lips worked against hers. He pulled away and kissed her lightly twice more.

“Wow…” she breathed before she could stop herself.

His wide eyes stared down at her lips as if he’d surprised himself at the level of intimacy he’d just expressed in a single kiss. He blinked and licked his lips. before his arrogant smirk reappeared.

“Now that we have her attention…” he said while his lips twitched further upward. His right hand dropped and grabbed the fabric at her thigh. “Shall we drive the point home?”

“I think you’ve done plenty,” she said, shaking her head.

“Come on,” he teased. “I know something that’ll really piss her off.” He winked and she giggled. She raised her brow in challenge.

“Not as much as this,” she argued. She placed her hand on his chest and slowly pushed him two feet back. Matteo’s mouth dropped open at the audacity but to her right she heard an angry shriek in the hallway. She slugged. “Not only does she know you want me, she thinks I hold all the power. It’ll drive her crazy.” She looked upward, “Well, grazier.”

Matteo rolled his eyes and headed back toward his desk. “I thought the objective was to hurt her. Burlona.”

was, and it did. I had her pegged the second she picked you out at the bar. You turned her down over and over and she figured you’d do the same to me,” Gen said with a slight shrug.

Matteo laughed as he read over what he’d written on his laptop before closing it altogether. “I turn everyone down at that bar.”

1:05 am

Chapter Forty–Two

“Really?”

Mattes looked up at her and showed his hands in his pockets. “Do you remember the name of the har?”

Gen looked upward while searching her mind. Realization dawned. “Oh… Valentina’s,”

Matteo podled. “My father named it for my mother. I don’t go there to pick up women.”

“And vet…..” she said, picking at the edge of his leather guest chair,

“And yet.” he confirmed, his eyes glancing over her body.

Geneveive cleared her throat. “Back to the reason I really came in,” Gen said with a decisive slap to the chair.

He grinned. “So soon?” he started back toward her, his intent obvious.

“I actually came in here to ask you for a favor,” she said quickly.

He clicked his tongue and crossed his arms. “Is that so?

o? You’ve n

“What tab? I haven’t asked for any favors from…”

racked up quite the tab in the favor department, Miss Sinclair,” he told her.

He held up one finger. “When you came up to me at the bar and asked me to take you home,” he began.

Gen’s mouth dropped open. “That was mutually beneficial and you know it.”

He held up a second finger. “The next night when you came back and said you wanted me,” he reminded her with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

Her!

face heated.

ed at the memory. She put her hands on her hips. “Now that was definitely mutually beneficial. More than once.”

“Mhmm,” he agreed before flicking a third finger up. “When I let you leave the city with my favorite hoodie.”

Gen gasped. “I…”

A fourth finger went up. “When I gave your company its first million–dollar account,”

“Hey none,” she said, pointing a finger of her own. “I earned that account.”

A fifth finger went up and he held his palm outward in a sign of surrender. “When I gave you the key to my garden,” he said, taking a step toward her.

She rolled but

eyes. “A gaden I’ve spent a week weeding. You’re welcome.”

His second hand appeared along with the sixth finger. “When I let you come in here and take advantage of me so you could make another woman jealous.”

He was close enough for her to reach a hand nut to slap his arm. Instead, his lightning quick reflexes caught her wrist before she could hit him. He pulled her against his chest and barred her back with his other orm.

“Now, tell me, what is this seventh favor you ask of me?”

Her heart raced as his eyes shifted from a light gold to a dark honey while looking down at her. “Let me go,” she whispered.

:05 am

Chapter Forty–Two

His brown scrunched down and

She stepped back. “That was not

totally up all I’ve done for you?”

bos lips. “That’s a verind one, but okay,” he relented, releasing his hold

ti you want to talk about favors, how about ine helping you out in the elevator the other day, hm?

hm? You want me

“In as much detail as possible,” he said, his cater low and husky.

“Matico”

Matteo chuckled and walked away from her to start sorting through the papers on his desk, “What is it, Gen?” he asked, his voice filled with humor.

“Let Alexander have the weekend off,” she said.

He glanced up at her with a raised brow. “Seriously?”

“It’s his birthday.”

He stood straight and crossed his arms. “I’m aware it’s his bi

birthday. That’s why I invited him.”

“Oh,” she scratched her head. “Well, still. He was supposed to have a party and something was going to happen but now he’s canceled it so he wouldn’t

disappoint you.”

“He told you this?” he asked, his eyes filled with suspicion.

“No, I heard it from an unnamed source.”

He looked her over for a moment before a slow grin lifted his face. “Okay,” he said, nodding his head.

“Really? Thank you, I…”

“On one condition,” he interrupted, causing her to groan. “As you pointed out, our favors are mutually beneficial. So in exchange for letting him stay home, I’ll need something from you.” Matteo walked around his desk and leaned back against it while he waited.

“Okay, fine, what is it?” she asked, ready for battle.

“You’ll come with me instead, Ladruncola,” he said, his voice low and heavy as if he had been planning this for ages rather than the past five seconds

“I’m not going to come and be your assistant, Matteo,” she said with a shake of her head.

He smiled. “He wasn’t coming as my assistant. I was going to be his wingman.”

“His wingman? So, you want me to come instead so you can be my wingman? You want to help me get laid, Matteo?” Gen asked, trying and failing to keep herself from laughing

His eyes twinkled as he took her in. “Hell yeah, I do. And I have just the guy in

in mind-

1:05 am D

Accardi