Page 54 of Entangled With You
“Cattleya, why didn’t you tell me anything? If something ever happens to you…” His voice breaks. I hug him tight, not knowing how to say what’s playing in my mind nonstop.
“Bae, I’m sorry. I didn’t really think. All I had in mind was to do right by my team. I needed all of us to be on the same page. I know it sounds lame, but it’s the truth.” The way Matías is holding me, so tight and close to him, it’s like he’s afraid I’d disappear if he lets me go. It makes my chest ache for him. “Bae, look at me.” And he does, those dark eyes full of emotion and so many unsaid words. “I feel like an idiot for not telling you, sometimes I forget I’m only human and not the warrior I transform into on the pitch.” That earns me a chuckle. “It’s just that ever since we got those texts, I’ve been in denial.”
Mati keeps looking at me, so much love shining in his eyes. Our furball comes out of his perch and sits on my lap, and Mati and I immediately pet him. He gets comfortable as we continue our conversation.
“I mean, growing up in Colombia, you hear about everything that went down in the ‘80s and ‘90s, when soccer became a branch of the mafia. Even in the early 2000s, a Colombian player got death threats here in Argentina, but you never think that shit is going to happen to you. You know?”
Mati bites the inside of his cheeks. I can tell he’s deeply frustrated by this and looking for the best way to express it.
“Mi ángel, I know we haven’t been dating for a long time, but with every day that goes by, I fall more and more in love with you. I want to experience the world with you. Find our favorite places, taste all the foods, and create memories that we can share with our kids in the future.”
My eyes grow big. “Kids?” I ask, because we’ve been dating for two months, and with everything that has been going on, we haven’t had time to talk about the future.
“Well, yeah. I’d like to have kids with you at some point. No rush of course.” He chuckles nervously, and I think about what he just said.
Do I want kids? Yes. No hesitation. With him? Absolutely. He’ll be the best dad. When? I don’t know. I would like to play for as long as I can before I decide to have a family.
“I’m sorry I brought that up. That needs to be a conversation down the road and not right now as we discuss how we can keep you safe,” Mati says, gentleness seeping out of his tone.
“Yeah. Thank you, bae. I think I’d like kids at some point, but that’s not something I think about often.” I think he is going to be disappointed by my answer but a gorgeous, warm smile spreads through his face.
“So, how many police officers are in your detail?” Well, that’s a way to bring us back to the present.
“Only one. He’s supposed to be downstairs right now, patrolling.” Mati smacks his lips together, and a rush of desire hits my core. I shouldn’t be aroused when we’re discussing death threats here, but the chemistry I have with this man is beyond any rational thought.
“Your dad will hire an entire company. I think we should be safe.”
I relax in his lap, feeling playful now. “Good, because I want to feel your cock inside me.” Mati’s eyebrows shoot to the sky, and if I were drinking anything, I’d have spit it out.
“You don’t have to tell me twice. Let’s go release some stress.” He gets up from the couch with Tinta, and me in tow without breaking a sweat. Ugh, he’s so fucking hot even when he isn’t trying. I can’t wait to see the way his tattoos move when he’s flexing his arms, holding his weight off me.
Chapter 26
Matías Moreno
Cattleya’s game is tomorrow, and I’m at the construction site having an internal dilemma about whether to quit today or wait until Monday.
My mind goes to my last appointment with Dr. Sosa. I was finally able to get to the root of my anxiety. The moment it clicked in my brain, I was able to see everything crystal clear.
“Tell me, Matías. How has it been sharing your life with a high-profile person like Cata Cardona? How does all the attention she attracts make you feel?” Dr. Sosa’s question catches me by surprise. I’ve never thought about Cattleya as a celebrity, even though she is. Maybe it’s because we haven’t really hung out like a normal couple, and most of our time together if not all, has been in her apartment.
“To be completely honest, Cattleya is just Cattleya in my eyes. Not the soccer superstar she is to others. Even though I’m completely and utterly in love with everything that she is, at the end of the day, she’s just my amazing woman.” Dr. Sosa takes notes on her little pad, and then she smiles, and I relax a little—I feel like I’m taking a test or something.
“So if you’re comfortable with someone, your anxiety doesn’t get triggered. Do you think you can use that to your advantage?” Dr. Sosa asks, and my brows furrow in question.
“Yes, what would happen if every time you see your anxiety rising, you think about the person in the situation as Cata? As someone you trust and know for a fact isn’t judging you?” My brows rise to the sky now.
“I mean, Cattleya is Cattleya. No one has ever made me feel the way she does. Maybe that’s why I’m so at ease with her.”
Dr. Sosa nods at my response. “True, but have you ever thought that you have more people in your corner than you realize? You’ve mentioned your friends who are like brothers to you. How about your parents? Are you close to them?” I nod my head but don’t make eye contact with her.
“Oh, is there anything we should discuss regarding your parents?”
I keep my gaze trained on the floor as I contemplate how to talk about this.
“I mean, what can I say? They’re my parents. They love me,” I answer, my gaze still not reaching Dr. Sosa.
“As much as parents love us, they can also hurt us too. Sometimes even without realizing it.” I take a deep breath, really internalizing her words. I know that my parents love me, I know they do. They’ve shown me time and again that they have my back.