He’s thoroughly unconcerned with my plans to sic Adrian on his fictional mistress. “Oh, would she?”
I nod fervently. “Adrian hates troublemakers.”
“That’s true, he does.” He grabs my hips and lifts me, pulling me into his lap so I’m straddling him He gazes at me warmly, running the back of his knuckles along my jawline. “I missed you too, by the way.”
I’m not really annoyed that Mateo didn’t text me back earlier. He doesn’t sometimes. For someone so important to so many people, he can sure be a pain in the ass to get a hold of.
He likes when I tease though, so I play with his tie and give him the doe eyes. “If you missed me so much, why’d you ignore me?”
His brown eyes glimmer with amusement and he wraps a strong arm around my waist, pulling me off to the side and climbing on top of me in a smooth, practiced motion. “Aw, you’re feeling ignored? I guess we’ll have to fix that.”
“You can try,” I tell him, raising my eyebrows haughtily. “I don’t know if it will work. I’m super offended.”
“And here I thought your playmate would keep you company. Is Rafe not stimulating company?”
His tone is playful, but bringing Rafe into our little game wipes the amusement right out of it for me. The lightness fades right off my face and I can feel his intense gaze on me. He’s paying extra attention to my response, and that only makes me less comfortable.
Since I don’t respond, my disinterest isn’t exactly subtle.
“What’s the problem?” Mateo asks, levelly.
“No problem.”
There really shouldn’t be. I believed his earlier assurance that he isn’t testing me with Rafe. I don’t normally flip flop on trusting Mateo; I trust him even when it’s insane to do so, but Rafe is a wrench thrown between the gears. Mateo and I have a system. Our dynamic is a well-oiled machine, built around the Morelli men I know—the only problematic cog removed when Vince left.
I can’t shake the feeling that Rafe is a problematic cog. I don’t want Rafe, but having him here, not knowing why he is here, throws me off. Adrian and Mateo complement each other perfectly. Rafe and Mateo do not. There’s not enough room for two lions at the watering hole—only one. Only mine.
Mateo sighs, sitting back and looking at me. He’s displeased and I don’t know why. Well, I guess I know why, but I think it’s a stupid reason to be displeased.
Eyebrows rising in mild self-defense, I shrug. “I’m sorry that I don’t want to talk about your cousin when we’re playing. We can tease about anyone else. How about Adrian? Why isn’t Adrian good enough to tease you with anymore? Why does it have to be Rafe?”
“Because Rafe still bothers you,” he states. “If it’s a non-issue, it shouldn’t bother you.”
“That’s not true.”
“Okay,” he fires back, immediately. “Then how about Vince? Want to tease me about him?”
“Of course not.”
“Because it’s weird,” he states. “And that makes sense—Vince is a sore spot for us. Rafe isn’t.”
“I just want him to leave,” I tell Mateo, blurting out honesty. “I’m sorry, I know you want me to be more sophisticated about this and I’ve tried, but I… he’s too much like you in certain ways and it makes me uncomfortable. I don’t like it and I don’t want to deal with it.”
He cocks his head and gives me a look I know he doesn’t mean to be condescending, but it is. “You’re allowed to find other men attractive, Mia. That’s perfectly natural. I know I’m the only one you need. I’m not threatened by Rafe.”
“You shouldn’t be threatened by Rafe. I don’t want Rafe. I just want him to go away so we can go back to living our lives without….”
He cocks an expectant eyebrow. I can’t even finish the sentence without proving his point.
Sighing, I tug my leg from where it’s wedged against the couch and roll off, pushing up to my feet.
“I don’t understand why you’re struggling with this,” he states, watching me stand, but not moving to follow me. “You were fine when he was here before. You got past it. Why is it a problem now?”
“Because you brought him here, Mateo. When he was here before, it was incidental. This isn’t. This is intentional. I know you say you’re not testing me, but you know what I’ve learned? If it looks like a test, sounds like a test, and feels like a test? It’s a fucking test.”
I’m frustrating him, I can see that. He sighs to himself, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose.
“And he touched my ass today,” I add, nodding. “I forgot to tell you that.”
He frowns, looking up at me. “What?”
“He was just being an asshole, it wasn’t like… but he did. He’s still being weirdly flirty and crowding my space. I don’t trust him and I don’t know why you do.”