Chapter 79 JEALOUS?

Chapter 79 JEALOUS?

The birthday party finally came to an end a little after midnight.

After saying their goodbyes to Leone and Clara, Matteo and Aurora made their way toward the waiting car.

The moment they settled into the backseat, the familiar silence returned.

Aurora sat by the window, looking outside.

Matteo sat beside her, loosening the top button of his shirt as he leaned back against the seat.

Neither of them spoke.

The driver pulled away from the estate.

For several minutes, the only sound inside the car was the quiet hum of the engine.

Matteo glanced at Aurora.

She still hadn't looked at him.

He sighed before reaching over and gently touching her arm.

Aurora immediately flung his hand away.

Matteo stared at her hand for a second.

Then he chuckled.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Then why are you laughing?"

"Because you just slapped my hand away like I offended you."

Aurora rolled her eyes and looked back out the window.

"I'm tired."

"You're jealous."

Her head snapped toward him.

"I'm not jealous."

Matteo's lips twitched.

"I didn't even say Arabella's name."

Aurora's eyes narrowed.

"That girl was practically hanging off you the entire night."

Matteo tried to hold back his laughter.

"She's Leone's daughter."

"I know who she is."

"And?"

"And she needs to learn boundaries."

That did it.

Matteo burst out laughing.

Aurora glared at him.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing."

"You're laughing."

"I know."

"Matteo."

He tried to compose himself, but the smile remained on his face.

"You were jealous."

"I was not."

"You absolutely were."

Aurora crossed her arms.

"I just don't understand why a twenty-four-year-old woman needs to cling to a married man all night."

Matteo's eyebrows lifted.

"A married man?"

"Yes."

"Your husband?"

She looked away.

"Unfortunately."

He laughed again.

Aurora turned back to him, clearly annoyed.

"Keep laughing."

"I can't help it."

"You're irritating."

"And you're jealous."

Before he could say another word, Aurora leaned toward him and pressed her lips against his.

Matteo froze.

For a second, he couldn't believe it.

Aurora pulled back just enough to look at him.

"That shut you up."

He stared at her.

Then his eyes dropped to her lips.

"Do that again."

She barely had time to react before he cupped her face and kissed her.

The kiss was slow at first, almost hesitant, as if both of them were trying to remember something they had spent years pretending they didn't miss.

Then Aurora's fingers curled into the front of his shirt.

Matteo pulled her closer.

And just like that, every wall between them seemed to crack.

He kissed her again, deeper this time, his hand sliding gently to the back of her neck.

Aurora melted against him.

It had been years.

Years since she had allowed him this close.

Years since she had willingly reached for him.

Years since Matteo had felt her body relax against his instead of stiffening whenever he came near.

God, he had missed her.

He had missed the warmth of her.

The softness of her lips.

The way she used to hold onto him without thinking.

He had missed his wife.

Aurora broke the kiss for a breath, her forehead resting against his.

Matteo looked at her, almost afraid that if he moved too quickly, she would pull away again.

"Are you sure?" he whispered.

She didn't answer.

Instead, she grabbed his tie and pulled him back to her.

Their lips met again.

This time, there was no hesitation.

Matteo wrapped an arm around her waist, drawing her closer as Aurora held onto his shoulders.

The kiss became a tangle of all the things neither of them had been able to say for years.

Anger, longing, resentment, love.

Everything they had buried beneath five years of silence came rushing back at once.

Aurora's fingers slipped into his hair as he kissed her again, and Matteo closed his eyes.

For the first time in years, she wasn't pushing him away.

She was holding him, wanting him, kissing him and for a moment, Matteo allowed himself to forget everything else.

The mistakes.

The secrets.

The distance.

All of it disappeared inside the backseat of that car.

There was only Aurora.

His Aurora.

And the woman he had spent five years desperately wishing would let him touch her again.