"Depends on the question."
"The man from the boutique opening. Femi." He said the name carefully, like he was handling something fragile. "Are you and he...?"
"I don't know what we are." The honesty surprised me, escaping before I could stop it. "We're trying to figure it out."
"And is it working? The figuring out?"
I didn't answer. I didn't know how to, as I couldn't find words that were true.
Matteo nodded slowly, like my silence told him everything that he needed to know.
"I should check the other bottles," he said. But he didn't move.
Neither did I.
The air felt heavy, charged with something unspoken and dangerous. I could hear my own breathing, could feel my pulse thrumming in my throat, between my ribs.
"You have wine," Matteo said softly, his accent thickening. "On your lip."
His thumb came up, brushed the corner of my mouth. The touch was light, barely there, but it sent heat flooding through me like wildfire.
His hand stayed. Cupped my jaw. Tilted my face toward his with infinite gentleness.
"Bella."His voice was rough, strained. "I should not..."
"No," I whispered, my heart hammering. "You probably shouldn't."
But neither of us moved away.
His eyes dropped to my mouth. I watched him watch me, feeling like I was standing on the edge of something vast and irreversible. The space between us narrowed—an inch, then less.
I could feel his breath on my lips, warm and wine-sweet.
"Issy!"
I jerked backward.
Femi stood in the doorway of the dining room. He was smiling, but his eyes moved between me and Matteo, cataloging the distance between us, the flush on my cheeks, the way Matteo's hand was still hovering in the air where my face had been.
"There you are." Femi crossed the room and pulled me into a hug. His arms wrapped around me firmly, possessively. He pressed a kiss to my temple. "I've been looking for you."
"How did you know I was here?"
"Xavier mentioned it." He released me but kept one arm around my waist, his hand splayed against my hip. Turned to Matteo with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Matteo, right? The wine chap. Good to see you again."
"Femi." Matteo's voice was even. Polite. "Good to see you as well."
"The wedding wine, I assume?" Femi gestured at the bottles on the table. "Aria's been going on about it nonstop. Apparently you made quite an impression at that launch party."
"I do my best."
"Successfully, it seems." Femi's fingers tightened on my waist. Subtle but deliberate. "How's the tasting going, darling? Found anything you like?"
The endearment landed wrong. Too deliberate.Too performative.
"We were just finishing up," I said, my voice tight.
"Perfect timing then." Femi smiled, all charm. "I thought I'd steal you away. There's a new restaurant I’m dying to show you. Very exclusive. I had to call in a favor just to secure a reservation."
