20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Cattleya Cardona

W e've won the first match of the playoffs, and I'm on cloud nine. We're one step closer to playing the final—of getting my first trophy with the Golden Warriors. Training has slowed down now that the season is coming to an end, which means I have more time to spend with Mati. But as much as I enjoy being here at home, I feel trapped not being able to go anywhere together. This thing between Matías and me is getting more real as the days pass, and my heart feels like it's about to burst every time I'm with him. But I need to go out with him. I've never been a homebody, and I don't see that changing anytime soon. I want to explore the city with him, see his country through his eyes. I never thought feeling this much for one person was possible, but here I am, head over heels for my forever crush. I want to do everything with him and only him.

" Mi ángel ," Mati says as soon as he comes inside my place. I love how easily we've fallen into a routine together. Whomever gets home first, starts preparing dinner. We found a food service that allows us to choose the meals we want each week. Everything comes portioned and ready to cook. It's the perfect solution for two fools who have no clue about cooking.

"Hi, bae. Dinner is almost ready," I say as I give him a kiss. He seems stressed and anxious. I haven't seen him this restless since the time we met at the confitería . "Did you have a good day?" I ask nonchalantly, trying to see if there's anything upsetting him at work. I know he's mentioned they're making progress on the construction site, but I'm not sure why that would stress him out.

"Yeah, it was an okay day. I found some mistakes in the materials we had to order for the stadium, and that's strange because it's something that has never happened before."

I plate my favorite food, and Mati's eyes grow big, surprised to see rice, beans, beef and maduros.

"You got this from the food service?" I shake my head no as I take a bite of maduro and beef in my mouth. I'm immediately transported to my family's farm in Tamarind Valley. I can't wait to be on break and ask Matías to go home with me.

"Sofi brought it over today. They're leaving soon on a surprise trip Franco planned for her birthday, so she wanted to see me before they left." Mati's face turns more troubled at the mention of Franco. "Have you talked to him lately?" He shakes his head as he takes another bite of food. "Bae, look at me." His eyes lift up to me. There are so many emotions running through him right now. I need to help him calm down. "Remember what you learned during therapy? What did Dr. Sosa suggest you do when you are feeling overwhelmed by a situation?" I'm thankful he told me that going to therapy is actually what pushed him to put himself out there, and create a profile on OfficialCherub.

Mati puts the fork down, and taking a deep breath, he looks at me in the eyes. "To hit every single situation, no matter how small, with the facts."

I reach for his hand, and squeeze it gently, letting him know I'm here for him. "Okay, why don't we start with your job. Are you sure that mistake wasn't there before and you forgot about it?" Getting another mouthful of delicious beans, I wait for him to reply.

"Nah, mi ángel . I have spreadsheets upon spreadsheets, just to make sure my numbers are correct. I know one simple mistake can cost us tons of money, or a structural failure that could potentially cause a catastrophe. I know I didn't make any mistakes."

I nod my head, processing what he just said. I knew he was meticulous, but I didn't realize it was to the level of making several backups of his data.

"That's good. It means it wasn't you who made the mistake," I finally say.

"I know, and that's precisely what has me on edge. When I went to alert my boss about the inconsistency, he wasn't surprised by it. He looked almost upset when I brought it up."

My eyes grow as big as my mouth, and my jaw hits the floor. "Shut the front door, do you think he's possibly trying to steal?"

Mati closes those gorgeous dark brown eyes of his, as if trying to shield himself from that possibility .

"I hate to even consider that, but when I checked the amount of material we wouldn't be getting, it was a difference of a little over $35,000 dollars."

Holy shit, that's not petty cash. "Yeah, babe. That's a lot of money here in Argentina."

After a sip of my mango juice, I say, "Yeah, bae. It'd be a lot of money back home, too. Imagine if he's trying to do that on a monthly basis. You need to be smarter than him, and have receipts of everything so you won't have to take the blame when all this becomes public knowledge. Because you know it will."

Sooner or later, shit like this always comes to light. And I'd hate for Mati to have to take the fall for someone else's shortcomings. I'd actually burn the world down before I let him take the blame for his boss as a fucking thief when I know how painstaking he is.

"Yes, mi ángel . I've been thinking about it all day, and there's no way I'm going to become a thief or corrupt just to keep my job. I've already set up a system at work to track any changes to the budgets that were originally approved."

A big smile forms on my face. My man is so damn sexy when he's in control. Ugh, I love when he's in control of me.

"As much as I love that smile on you, I know it has nothing to do with my job. What are you thinking about?" I motion for him to wait a second. I don't drink during the season, and I am even more careful about what I eat and drink with the tournament so close to an end. But I want Mati to let loose a little and forget about all this ordeal. Reaching for the Fernet in the upper cabinet, I prepare him a Fernet con cola, and when I go back to the table, Mati is petting a needy Tinta on the couch.

"Bae, what happened?" I ask as I make my way to the living room .

"Well, our furball here decided he wanted some attention and started rubbing my leg. So I brought him back to his spot and sat down with him." Offering him the drink, I sit down on his lap, straddling him.

"Are you sure you aren't Argentinian? Look at you, making me a Fernet after dinner," he teases, and I bite his ear lobe. "Oh, mi ángel wants to play. Hmm?"

I continue trailing kisses down his neck, his jaw, and his cheek until I get to his lips.

"I want you to forget about everything but us tonight. You can catch up with Franco when they come back; you guys have been friends since you were little. And once he sees how good we are for each other, he'll have no other option but to accept what I already know deep in my heart," I say against his lips as I feel Mati's magic dick hardening under me. It takes every ounce of self-control to finish this conversation before we can get to the good stuff.

"Yeah, I know I need to talk to him. I don't think we've ever been estranged for this long, and it just feels wrong. You know?"

I nod at him as I play with his hair behind his neck.

"Okay, enough adulting for tonight. We won't solve everything tonight, but at least we were able to talk about it. Now, I want to get the Magic Mati treatment." His head drops back in laughter, his movement puts his dick closer to my pussy. All I want is to feel him so deep inside me that I have no option but to beg him to make me come.

"You're killing me, bae," I say, pressing down against his hardening cock.

"You're the one who's making me feral here," Mati says as he gets up from the couch and throws me over his shoulder, placing a possessive hand on my ass. "I hope you're ready, Cattleya Milena because you're not getting any sleep tonight," he says as he reaches for my leggings and lowers them down ever so slowly.

"Well, good thing tomorrow is my day off."

I wake up with a delicious soreness in my pussy. True to his word, Mati edged me for hours. He gave me such a powerful release that I woke up Tinta with my screams. Poor furball.

"Good morning, beautiful. Are you ready for our special day today?" Matías says against my ear while playing with one of my nipples. This man never tires. Pushing my ass against his morning wood, it's his turn to moan. We have a quickie before getting into the shower and— I can't help it. I go on my knees. I love the feel of his strong thighs under my hands as I bob my head back and forth, sucking his cock to the back of my throat until I choke, and tears run down my cheeks. I might be a warrior on the pitch, but being at his mercy in bed, his huge cock choking me. Never have I felt more powerful than bringing this man to his undoing.

"Are you really not telling me where we're going today?" I say as Mati starts driving.

"No can do, mi ángel . It's a surprise." I know it's a lost cause; the only thing he told me as I was getting ready was to dress casually. Hence, my flowy dress and tennis shoes. I take charge of the music—playing the new Shakira album on repeat—as Mati drives out of the city. As beautiful as Buenos Aires is with its imposing architecture and abundance of plazas (parks), I'd always prefer to see the endless array of green vegetation of smaller towns. And it looks like that's exactly what we're doing.

Sunny skies, sunrays warming up my skin, fun music in the background, and Mati rubbing small circles on my wrists with his thumb while he holds my hand. This is bliss, and I never want to leave this moment. After about half an hour of driving, we arrive at a town called Tigre. Mati takes us to the marina, and I can't get enough of the sight in front of me. There's a huge river, with boats in all colors and sizes bobbing up and down; It's like a canal surrounded by beautiful, lush vegetation. I'm mesmerized by the beauty of this little gem and can't wait to find out more about this place.

"Are you ready?" Mati asks as he opens my door. Giving him my hand, I hop out of the car and give him a peck on the lips.

"Yeah, bae. I'm ready. Are we taking a boat?" I ask, hope evident in my tone.

"Yes, mi ángel. I figure this is something different from anything we've done together, and chances are low that we'll find people who know us here."

My chest deflates like a balloon, of course we're still hiding, even though we're in plain sight.

"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.