Page 36 of The Chameleon

Giving him the cockiest grin, Ares took Matteo’s hand and walked him back to the cabin he had rented.

They made love that night. Tender at first, quickly turning into rough and violent. It was rare to find a guy so in tune with Matteo’s needs and body, but Ares was a master. Skilled and patient. At one point, Ares pounded into Matteo so hard that they broke the tiny table they were fucking up against.

It was only after the sun was rising over the trees that Matteo decided he should head back to his hotel.

Ares offered to walk him, but Matteo didn’t want the man knowing where he was staying… not just yet. The truth was, until Matteo got a chance to know Ares a bit better, he didn’t want him to know just how rich he really was.

Matteo had been down that path before. Never really knowing who wanted to be with him for him and those who were only after his money.

But there was something about Ares. Something in the depths of his eyes. The way he looked at Matteo. Kindness and loyalty. He felt safe and cared for when he was with the man. It was because of that feeling that Matteo gave Ares his telephone number as he left.

Downing the rest of his wine, Matteo got up and walked to the kitchen to open another bottle.

11

MATTEO

Matteo’s eyes shot open. He stared up at the ceiling, momentarily lost in his surroundings. Then he remembered.

The cabin.

He was at the cabin.

The light from the fire that had burned most of the night had dimmed and now resembled nothing more than a few struggling ambers trying to keep their last bit of hope burning.

He should have added more wood to the fire hours ago. Instead, he’d chosen to sit and drink and torture himself with memories of the past. God, he hated himself sometimes.

Slowly, he sat up on the couch and shivered.

Yeah, he definitely should have thrown a few extra logs onto the fire.

Standing, he stretched, rubbing his lower back to loosen a kink that was beginning to twitch.

Naked.

He was naked.

Oh, yeah. At some point last night, he’d decided that it was too hot to wear pants and a T-shirt, so instead, he opted to losethem both and continued to enjoy the fire with the heat pressing up against his balls.

Classy, Matteo. Real classy.

Bending down, he retrieved his underwear and quickly threw them on.

He turned and stretched out his back, looking like a sad, drunken man trying to do yoga in nothing but his skivvies.

Gone were the days when he could sleep on any surface and not wake up feeling like his body had been put through a grinder.

What possessed him to sleep on the couch?

Oh, yeah. It wasn’t a choice.You drank your ass silly, then passed out where you lay.

Stupid fool.

A noise over his shoulder made him jump.

Glancing around, Matteo suddenly remembered that something had woken him.

A sound.

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