Page 48 of XOXO

“Perks of your family owning the hotel,” he shrugged. “I actually don’t come here as often as I should.”

“Must be nice to have the option to come whenever you want,” I said, as another server came by asking Matteo what he wanted to order for the table in Italian.

“Can I order for you?” Matteo asked in English.

I said yes before I chickened out, curious what he would order for us because nothing on the menu sounded bad.

He fired off a few dishes, and then asked what the chef had for today. I tried not to admire how devastatingly handsome he was. He was courteous to the server and asked nicely about a few things. It was a side of him I had yet to see, even though Levi swore his friend was amazing.

“Damn, that sounded like a lot of food,” I said as the server left.

“I asked him to keep the portions small so you could try more of the menu,” he said, taking a sip of his drink.

“That’s thoughtful. I might actually think you’re nice,” I teased.

“I just don’t want you to report back to Levi saying I was mean or worse, I ruined your dream,” he said, rolling his eyes. “Have to make sure it leaves a lasting impression, we can’t have your dream be unmemorable.”

I didn’t think that was possible, not with how sweet Matteo was being. There was a lot more to him and I could see why Levi had a crush on him. Even his snark was a little adorable.

“Leave it to Paola to leave us hanging,” Matteo said, as we walked to the elevator.

“Does she do this often?” I chuckled, feeling very good after a few drinks and an amazing dinner.

“I fear my sister had ulterior motives or she met up with one of the workers from here she likes to think no one knows about,” he said, pushing the button to call the elevator.

“Ulterior motives? My money is on the guy,” I said, walking into the elevator with him.

“It’s a chick,” he said, as the elevator took us up.

“Oh, hell yeah. Good for her,” I said, as the elevator stopped.

Matteo chuckled, taking my hand and leading me to a set of stairs and out to the roof of the hotel.

“Where the hell are we going?” I asked, as the cool night air hit me, appeasing my overheated skin.

“You said you love stars,” he said, as we passed the pool and a cabana.

“In the pool? I don’t have a bathing suit,” I said, as we kept walking.

“Yeah, I don’t think swimming is ideal, we’ve been drinking,” he said, opening a cabana that was facing the lake.

“Fuck, this is gorgeous,” I said, slipping off my heels walking to the edge of the building.

The view was spectacular. It was everything I had dreamed of and more.

“Matteo, what—” I turned around, startled when I noticed he was right behind me.

“Just making sure you don’t fall,” he smirked.

“I’m not that drunk.” I slapped his chest.

Ugh, why did he feel so solid and why the hell was he so sexy?

“I didn’t say you were,” he chuckled. “Come on, I opened the cabana, you can gaze without falling on your ass.”

“Think you're so cheeky, huh?” I muttered, walking to the cabana and lying down. “I think I need another drink if⁠—”

Matteo handed me a red drink as I laid back.