Fatal Alliances [✓]

39

CHAPTER THIRTY NINE

MATEO

I HADN'T SEEN HER FACE IN SIX MONTHS. Six months. At the sight of her, my breath hitched a little, and a silver tightness swamped my throat, stomach, and even my slacks, much like the first time I encountered her.

Malia Sofia barely acknowledged me, only Vincent Bonanno, who shot me a lop-sided smirk and took to pulling out a chair for himself as the game started, buying in.

Though I sat by him and participated, I was sure I was paying little attention from the beginning. The first two hours dragged, despite the increasing bets and players being eliminated already, and by the third hour there was only a few left surrounding the table itself.

Vinnie and I, Malia, and two other men.

The older one out of the two, had introduced him as Timothy, and the one he sat by, Dino. Though he was the one I was trying to avoid looking at, because it was the only way I could stomach my pulsing aggression, knowing all he was doing was watching Malia like she was a plate of food and he was a starved bastard that wanted to ravish her right there.

Fantasising about shredding his head through a food processor kept me entertained for a good few minutes, until she blatantly began to flirt with him right before me.

"Nervous, Dinosaur?" Malia winked at him.

Dinosaur? What the fuck sort of nickname was that?

"No baby, you?" He grinned, revealing a lone gold tooth among white.

"This is a child's game to me." Malia taunted him. "We both know what's on my mind right now, don't we?"

"Yes." He smirked. "I know exactly what's on yours."

She reacted with a blush and a smile. A smile. Pink splurging her cheeks at the mere presence of him. It wasn't fair that she was giving him that, gifting him with such a colour and tilt of the lips that should have only been reserved for me. If she smiled at him again, genuinely smiled at him —I'd lose the will to behave well.

Timothy was currently examining his cards, he wasn't even sure whether it was adequate, but he pondered if he could use it. Malia was caressing her chips with her nude nails, which I instinctively wanted wrapped around my cock —and she was undoubtedly ready to make a bold move.

Dino was attempting to appear cool, which was an obvious indication that he had nothing and would soon have to fold. He sipped his whisky and folded his hand, a wise move. Math was merciless, and analytics were even more so.