Page 40 of Entangled With You
“Is everything okay?” he asks, worried at my restlessness.
“Me? I’m perfectly fine. It’s just you don’t realize how sexy those tattoos of yours are. They drive me insane.” A wicked grin appears on his face, and he starts undoing the buttons of his shirt, ever so slowly.
“Why don’t we start with this one?” he says as he points to his right bicep. It’s the name Yelena. “She was my maternal grandmother. I used to love going to her house, she would bake cookies before we arrived and then she would let me help decorate them. All the extra frosting was for me, since I was her little helper,” Mati says with a beautiful smile on his lips.
“Oh, grandmas are the best. I love my abuelita, too.” He gives me a peck on the lips and continues telling me the stories of all of his tattoos. A total of twenty-one.
“Wow, I only have this one,” I say as I point to my ribcage, “but I definitely want more.” Mati leans down and places a kiss on my tattoo, and I almost melt on the spot—this man is so effortlessly hot.
“I should have known it was you the moment I saw this tattoo on OfficialCherub. I mean, a soccer ball and angel wings? You were made for me.” I smile at his compliment, I need to tell him the reason why I chose this design.
“So remember our second night in Playa Blanca?” Mati nods, completely focused on my words. “When we were cuddling, you kept calling me mi ángel. I’m not sure if it was intended for me to hear or not, but because I’ve had a crush on you since then and soccer is my life, I decided to combine my two favorite things in a tattoo.” The moment I finish the sentence, I’m lifted from the ground, and Matías is taking me to my bedroom.
“Damn, Cattleya. How are you even real?” I chuckle at him because I honestly don’t know how to answer.
“So you know I have this dark angel tattoo on the back of my neck, right? Well, I got it during Marco’s bachelorette party thinking of you. You’re my angel, but I thought I’d never be worthy of you. So I made the wings dark, as a reminder that if I touched you I could taint you.” Tears run down my cheeks hearing how this incredible man became so broken that he didn’t think he could have me in his life.
“You’re the most amazing man I’ve ever met in my life, Mati. And being broken doesn’t make you unlovable or not worthy. It simply means you have to work a little harder to get where you want to be.”
“I love you,” we both say in unison, and that’s all it takes to get lost in each other again.
Tuesday morning, Mati drove me to the stadium to pick up my car and we had a long conversation about his work. At first, I didn’t understand why it was so important for him to tell me about his job. I know he’s an engineer, but when he mentioned there’s a rule against fraternization with members of the Golden Warriors organization, my eyes grew big as saucers. Of course, nothing can be smooth sailing in life. Now we have to keep our relationship a secret so that Mati doesn’t jeopardize his job. Part of me wants to buy the team so that stupid rule can be removed, but I also know that’s not how life works. So until we’re one hundred percent certain we are in this for the long haul, we’re going to keep things private.
Not to mention, he finally told me what went down while he was in Chile with the boys. Sure enough, now he’s had a falling-out with Franco. Ugh, I appreciate my brother-in-law looking after me, but it was not his place to “defend my honor,” especially when I was a willing participant. Now I’m dating the very man who “took advantage of me.”
The game this week will determine if we end up at the top of the scoreboard. If we win, we’ll be the first seed for the playoffs and play home games the entire time. After training, I feel a small pain in my lower abdomen, a telltale sign that my period is coming. I decided to take ibuprofen and double down on practicing my long-distance shots. When I finally get home, I’m beyond exhausted, but the smell coming out of the kitchen is downright divine.
“Cattleya, mi ángel.” Mati greets me with a kiss and a glass of ice-cold mango juice, and I drool at the sight in front of me. Since we can’t be seen out together, I decided to give him a key to my place, that way he doesn’t have to wait for me to get home if he gets here before me. My man has an apron tied around his waist, his dark wash jeans molding that delicious ass of his. A simple white shirt hugs his muscles, leaving his sleeve of tattoos on full display.
“Hey, bae. What’s all this?” I say as I take a sip, the sweetness of the mango sending signals of pleasure to my brain.
“Well, you said you were going to workout extra today, so I decided to get one of those foolproof meals at the store.”
I put the glass down as I go to hug him. He’s so damn thoughtful.
“Aw, are you taking care of me, bae? That’s sweet. But what do you mean by a foolproof meal?”
He kisses my neck before going back to cooking. “Well, I can’t cook to save my life so I found a store that has meals that are everything you need in one pack; already measured and ready to be cooked. Look, it even comes with the instructions and a packet of spices.” He shows me the package with a triumphant smile. I wonder if that’s how hunters in the Stone Age felt when they came back home with game to feed their family.
“That’s amazing, I’ve never seen it at the store I go to.”
He cuts a small piece of salmon from the frying pan, and after blowing on it to cool it down, he feeds it to me.
“Hmmm, so good. Maybe we need to look into a meal service like this.” He nods his agreement; sharing life with Mati has come way too easy. I wonder if it was like this for my sister, as well. I make a mental note to text her.
He plates the salmon and veggies he removed from the oven and leads me to the dining table, where he refills my juice. I feel like I won the lotto with this man; he is so attentive. He even pulled out my chair.
“Thanks, bae. I’m feeling so well cared for right now.” Even though I feel like crap, I keep it to myself.
He lowers himself as he sits down next to me, and gives me a sweet kiss. “You’re welcome, mi ángel. It’s my pleasure.”
I take a bite of the veggies, and they’re delicious, too.
“A warm meal is exactly what I needed tonight.” Mati looks at me, a wrinkle marring his handsome face. “I’m having cramps and I feel like crap,” I tell him honestly, and his face softens immediately.
“Oh, babe. I’m sorry. What do you say we snuggle on the couch with Tinta after dinner and watch a movie?” I squeeze his hand at his thoughtfulness.
“That sounds great,” I say as I eat another bite of salmon.