Chapter 4 - The Safehouse on the Cliff
The SUV pulled through heavy wrought-iron gates hidden behind a dense forest of pine trees on the rocky coastline outside Newport. The house was not an ordinary estate; it was a fortress of concrete, bulletproof glass, and dark timber perched high on the cliffs, overlooking the churning black waves of the Atlantic Ocean.
Dario killed the engine and stepped out, sweeping the perimeter with a drawn weapon before giving the all-clear. Matteo didn't wait for Vivien to step down into the cold ocean wind. Before she could protest, he slid his arms under her knees and back, lifting her effortlessly against his chest.
"I can walk," she protested faintly, her cheeks burning hot despite the freezing salt air.
"You lost blood, you’re in four-inch heels, and your dress is ruined," Matteo said bluntly, carrying her up the stone steps into the warm, dimly lit foyer. "Stop arguing with me for five minutes, Hart. It won't kill you."
He carried her directly to the second-floor master suite, kicking the door open and placing her gently onto the edge of a massive, leather-framed king bed. The room was minimalist, masculine, and smelled faintly of cedar and Matteo's familiar sandalwood cologne. It was clearly his personal retreat, a place Vivien had never known existed during her years of managing his corporate properties.
Matteo walked into the adjoining bathroom, returning a moment later with a thick wool throw blanket and a clean glass of water. He set the water on the nightstand, draped the blanket over her lap, and knelt down in front of her. Without asking, he took her right foot in his hand, unbuckling the emerald satin heel and sliding it off, repeating the process with the left.
Vivien sat frozen, watching the most feared man in Rhode Island gently massage the arch of her foot with his scarred, powerful thumbs.
"You shouldn't be doing this," she said quietly, her voice trembling slightly. "You need to figure out who betrayed you. Russo wouldn't have moved unless someone on the inside guaranteed you'd be vulnerable."
Matteo looked up from the floor, his dark eyes burning into hers. "My men are already hunting the rat. They will find him, and I will deal with him before sunrise. But right now, Vivien, my only concern is sitting on this bed."
Vivien swallowed hard, the warmth of his hands sending shivers through her tired limbs. "Why? Why did you tell Russo I mattered? You could have said I was a hired companion. You could have told him I was just staff. Claiming me made me a target."
Matteo stood up slowly, towering over her, his presence filling the quiet room until the sound of the crashing ocean outside faded into nothing. He unbuttoned the top two buttons of his dress shirt, tossing his black bow tie onto a leather armchair.
"Because he would have seen through the lie," Matteo said, his voice dropped to a gravelly whisper that made her breath catch. "Russo is a snake, but he understands hunger. If I told him you were nothing, he would have looked at the way my hands couldn't leave your waist and known I was lying."
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Vivien looked up at him, her hazel eyes wide with disbelief. "You told me to pretend."
Matteo leaned down, bracing both hands on the mattress on either side of her hips, trapping her within the cage of his broad shoulders. "I told you to pretend because if I admitted out loud how long I’ve wanted you in my bed, Hart, I would have killed Russo right there on that ballroom floor just for breathing the same air as you."
