His Tesoro: An Arranged Marriage Age Gap Mafia Romance (Empire of Royals Book 1)
His Tesoro: Chapter 33

Matteo insisted we bring my wheelchair to Central Park. It was a smart decision since our outing would require a lot of walking, but it was a surprise that he wanted to be seen in public with me and my chair.

A car alarm made me jump, and Matteo tightened his hold on the back of my neck. I glanced up at him, my eyes lingering on the hard lines of his jaw. He was in a suit today but no tie, and the top few buttons were undone, giving me a peek of his golden skin.

We were outside the apartment, which butted against the west side of the park, while we waited for our guards to finish securing the area. I had been sure Matteo would refuse this outing. Why would he want to flaunt his damaged wife? But as we were out in the sunshine by the edge of the park, I wondered if my husband had been hesitant to go out because he was worried about safety. My safety.

Matteo shifted even closer to me, his eyes sweeping the street and his hand twitching towards the gun under his jacket as if enemies were about to jump out at us. His concern sent warmth through my belly and helped wash away my impatience as we waited.

Noodle’s tail wagged as he took in all the people on the sidewalk. He was sitting by my chair like the good boy he was, showing off his vest. A group of school children screamed and laughed as they passed us, many of them stopping to wave at him. I petted his head, grinning at how proud he looked at the attention. How would he react if I had a baby? Would they be best friends? My heart ached with longing as I imagined a brown-haired baby with dark eyes.

I pushed the fantasy out of my head.

“Are we going to stand here all day?” I grabbed Matteo’s hand, feeling addicted to holding it after this morning.

My grumpy husband let out a long-suffering sigh, squeezing my hand tight as he ran his other through his already-messy hair. He glanced at Angelo, who gave him a nod. They must have decided the area was safe enough. “Fine. Let’s get… hot dogs.”

I snorted a laugh at his clenched jaw. He had tried to convince me to go to any number of highly reviewed restaurants, but I’d refused. I had always wanted to eat a New York City hot dog—it was on my Dream List. I had to let go of his hand to guide my chair towards the nearest hot dog cart, and I wished we could be like a normal couple and hold hands while walking. As if Matteo sensed my sadness, his hand lightly landed on my shoulder and gave it a squeeze. He kept his hand there, glaring at anyone who got in my way as we navigated the sidewalk.

“What do you want?” he asked me with a dark scowl as he took in the vendor’s picture menu.

“A hot dog with ketchup and a Coke.”

His expression turned incredulous. “You wanted a plain fucking hot dog with ketchup?”

“Yes,” I answered primly.

He slowly shook his head. “I’m not sure I can allow that, tesoro. I’m pretty sure it’s the law that hot dogs must be served with mustard and relish.”

My heart skipped a beat. My husband, the Mafia Don, had just cracked a joke.

“Good thing my husband isn’t committed to following the law.” I kept my face serious, but I felt like singing, dancing, pumping my fist in the air, especially when the corner of Matteo’s mouth twitched.

“Fine,” he huffed.

“Oh, we should see if Angelo wants one.” I looked around, catching sight of my guard about ten feet away. I waved him over as Matteo growled. I had asked Sienna why Matteo didn’t like Angelo, and she had looked so confused. She’d said Angelo saved Matteo’s life and that being assigned to me was a huge honor for the young guard. I had to conclude that my husband might feel slightly possessive of me, and the thought made me so happy I could levitate.

“What did you need, principessa?” Angelo asked, bending down so we were eye-level.

“I was just wondering if you wanted a hot dog.”

Angelo grinned, ignoring Matteo’s continued growling. “I already ate, but thank you.” He winked at me before stepping away, leaving me alone with my surly husband, who barked his order at the stand owner. I grabbed his hand, weaving my fingers through his, holding tight until our food was ready. Matteo ordered four hot dogs—three with everything, and one with ketchup. I reached my hand out to grab the two sodas and set them in my lap as my husband balanced our lunch in his hands. I signaled for Noodle to start walking as we headed into the park.

Instantly, some of the noise from the street faded away as we entered a corridor of trees and greenery. Matteo matched his steps to my slow pace, allowing me to take in all the statues and flowers.

“It feels like another world in here,” I sighed. Mila and I had always dreamed about the places we wanted to travel. We’d spent the last few years watching Friends reruns, so New York had been high on our list. I swallowed the lump in my throat that she wasn’t with me to see this.

He guided me to an empty bench. “Where do you want to sit?”

I eyed the bench. It didn’t look super comfortable. I decided to maneuver my chair to the end of the bench so we could still be next to each other. Matteo sat beside me and handed me my hot dog.

I let out a happy hum at the first bite.

“Is it all you dreamed?” Matteo asked dryly.

I nodded with enthusiasm. “Best hot dog I’ve ever eaten.”

“Try a bite of mine,” he commanded.

I wrinkled my nose as I took in the toppings on the hot dog he was holding out. I wasn’t sure what came over me as I leaned in and took a bite right out of his hand, keeping my eyes on his the entire time. His eyes grew dark and heated, and my cheeks flushed. I had meant the move to be teasing, but the air between us felt charged with need. God, was it possible my husband wanted me?

“How was it?” he asked, his voice hoarse.

I leaned back, chewing thoughtfully. “Disgusting.” I took a long sip of Coke, and Matteo snorted a laugh. I joined him, and it might have been the best moment of my life.

We ate quietly, and I pretended not to notice as my husband fed small bites of food to Noodle.

We finished our lunch and Matteo threw out our trash. “Did you want to explore more?”

For a minute, my mind imagined what it would be like to peel his clothes off and explore every inch of his body, allowing him to do the same with me. I cleared my throat. “Yes, please.”

I signaled for Noodle to get up from his spot by my chair, and he gave a cute little stretch as he came to my side. I had only had him a few days, and I couldn’t imagine my life without him. Without both of my guys.

Matteo’s hands hovered over my chair handles, but he didn’t grab them, didn’t take over and push me, and my heart warmed. He was listening to me, even though I knew he wanted to take over.

“Do you think…” I started before trailing off, suddenly nervous.

His hand cupped my cheek, his thumb caressing my jaw. “What is it, tesoro?”

“Could we try holding hands while we walk?” I hadn’t had a chance to really test out my motorized assist outside, but I only had to steer with one hand when I used it, leaving my other one free.

Matteo’s hold on my face tightened a fraction as some emotion flashed over his eyes so quickly I almost wasn’t sure it was real. He leaned down and pressed a tender kiss to my forehead. Then he straightened, took my hand in his, and we made our way through the park.