Page 45 of Entangled With You
“Hey, what’s wrong?” he asks as he lifts my face with his thumb and forefinger.
“Ugh, I understand why we need to keep this a secret, but to be completely honest, it’s getting old.” His face contorts like he’s in pain. The telltale sign his mind is spiraling. “I don’t want to break up, so erase that thought from your mind. These past months with you have been amazing, but I feel trapped only being in my apartment, and now that we’re finally out and about, we still need to be careful.”
He releases a long breath, I can see the wheels turning before he speaks. “Yeah, that’s fair. I also wish we could go out more. I’m actually looking forward to the day we can go dancing. I haven’t danced since that night at Playa Blanca.” I’m surprised because even though I haven’t really dated anyone in the last four years, I went out with friends plenty of times. Dancing is a big part of who I am.
“Bae, we really need to fix that. How can you live without dancing?”
He chuckles as he holds my hand, and we start walking toward the pier. “I’ll dance with you anytime you want. Just remember, you’ll have to teach me.”
Now it’s my turn to chuckle. As hot as my man is, he wasn’t blessed with a sense of rhythm.
“Look, I know it sucks, and I’m hoping I’ll be able to talk to Luciano soon. I just don’t want to jeopardize my job when I just found those discrepancies in the data. I want to make sure it was an honest mistake on Luciano's part before I bring this up.” He motions between us, and I nod at him. I know it makes sense, and it’s the right thing to do, but it still sucks.
“But today, we’ll be the loving, hot and heart-eyed couple we are when we’re at your place,” Mati says as he kisses me behind my ear, and my knees go weak at the shot of electricity running through me, landing straight on my core.
We board a boat that was waiting for us, clearly marked with a “Moreno” sign at the front.
“Welcome aboard, I’ll be your tour guide and captain today. The tour will last around three hours, and we’ll stop at a restaurant with one of the best views and food along the Luján River at the Tigre Delta.”
Mati and I lie down outside on a very comfy lounge bed, a charcuterie board full of cheeses, delicious fresh fruit and small desserts, and sparkling water wait for us on a side table.
The captain takes us through smaller rivers and creeks where the locals keep their boats. The views are breathtaking,
“I was actually born and raised here in Tigre. My house is right over there,” Ernesto shares with us as he waves his hand to a beautiful woman who’s in their backyard—I’m assuming it’s his wife.
We continue exploring this picturesque town and even pass by the Tigre Art Museum, which was originally built as a private club, Club Tigre, for the upper class. It looks straight out of Europe with its French architecture and grandeur. The vegetation rivals that of home, but the company is unbeatable. Mati plays with my hair as he shares stories about growing up in San Miguel and all the shenanigans he got into with the boys. These four guys were a menace together, and I feel so lucky to be able to get to know this quiet, amazing man better. I just hope there are many dates like this in our future.
Chapter 21
Matías Moreno
Cattleya’s team won their second playoffs match, and I’m so fucking proud of her. Part of me is pissed at myself for putting us in this secrecy situation; I want to scream to everyone who’ll hear that my girlfriend is a kickass soccer player who’s about to win her first championship in Argentina. During her first season here! And don’t get me started on her call to join Colombia’s national soccer team; this woman is unstoppable. I feel so damn honored to be able to share her bed every night and be her rock when she needs to rest the weight she holds on her shoulders. I’m proud to be her man.
My morning routine has changed a little since I basically moved in with Cattleya—it’s like one day she invited me over, and I never left. I go back to my apartment for clothes and whatnot, but I sleep with her every night. When I wake up in the mornings, the first thing I do is kiss mi ángel’s lips.
“Good morning, beautiful. How did you sleep?” I say against her mouth. She rewards me with a gorgeous smile.
“Good morning, bae. I slept amazing; I love the way you hold me at night.”
My dick twitches in appreciation at her praise. I wish I had time to get lost in her this morning, but it’ll have to wait until tonight. There's a planning meeting this morning at work, and I want to arrive before everyone else so I can prepare my data without interruptions.
“What the actual fuck?” Cattleya hisses, and I immediately jerk in her direction.
“What happened?” I ask, confused.
“Have you read Bleacher’s Pulse this morning?” she asks in a murderous tone. I know she’s not mad at me but I don’t want to be in the wrath path when she decides to combust. “Somehow Romina got pictures of us yesterday at Tigre, and in her article she’s wondering if this is the end of my career. Apparently, female soccer players can’t focus at work if they’re in a relationship. I honestly don’t know what on Earth I did to deserve the lies and toxic attention this woman pays me. But I’m reaching my limit.”
Cattleya gets up from bed, her phone on her ear, as she goes to the living room, I’m assuming to check on Tinta. I take my phone out and pull up the article. My eyes go big at the title, “Cata Cardona and her mystery man. Is this the end of her focus and commitment to her team?” Who the fuck reads this shit and thinks, oh yeah, Cardona is throwing away her career? It’s not like having a partner is a sin. I toss my phone to the side and decide to get ready for the day instead.
“Good morning, everyone. I want this meeting to be short and beneficial. I want to hear personally about the progress we’ve made on the stadium, not just read the reports you all submit at the end of the week. The Golden Warriors’ board wants an update. They want to see numbers and the progress that matches those numbers. Matías, why don’t you start.”
Everyone in the room turns to look at me, and I can’t help the heat rising through my skin. Taking a few deep breaths, I give myself a quick pep talk. I worked on these numbers. I made sure they were correct. I’ve got this.
“I’m in charge of overseeing the purchase of all the materials, and ensuring that we have everything we need at any time during the construction. We’re currently in the foundation and columns phase, and as you can see here, I have made a graph that shows the amount required for cement, gravel, and steel per column. I made the same graph for every cubic meter of foundation,” I say as I show the presentation on the projector. My coworkers nod at me, and I even get a couple of pats on the back as I go back to my seat. “The numbers you see on the screen are the amounts recommended by the Civil Engineering Board of Argentina as the minimum standards of materials needed to produce safe and stable structures.” I barrel on as I glare at Luciano.
This is common knowledge among us, so I’m just covering my ass and reminding Luciano we will be in deep trouble if we mess with these numbers. I might have to work on being more subtle because the look Luciano is giving me is downright deadly. The meeting continues, the rest of the team gives their report and, as expected, we’re on track to finish the construction in the next twelve months.
“Matías, my office. Now,” Luciano calls as I’m about to sit down in my cubicle. Even though I’m nervous as fuck for what’s coming next, I know I’ve done everything according to code, and I have documents to prove it. “I’m not going to sugarcoat it, Matías. I know you know what’s going on here.” Luciano starts as soon as I close the door behind me.