"The greatest and most powerful revolutions often start very quietly, hidden in the shadows. Remember that." ― Richelle Mead

The road to hell is so well paved that it does not need to be maintained. - Ruth Randell

Chapter 7

The whole ride we were surrounded by a very awkward silence. We were both under tension and it was only a matter of time when we were going to burst. I spent most of the time looking out the window, though I wasn't even a bit focused and I was sure that If I was asked what I had seen, I wouldn't know what to say. I was thinking about everything that had happened. It was clear to me that Mateo was extremely possessive over me, but not once did it occur to me that the whole thing could escalate that quickly. To make it worse, he acted that way after only a week of us hanging out, or whatever that was called. I was afraid to even think about what might happen in the future.

I stole a few glances at him while he was driving. His fist almost turned white from how tightly he was gripping the steering wheel. I had no idea how he was even in a condition to ride, he looked like he was going to murder somebody any minute now.

I let out a sigh of relief when he finally stopped the car. He quickly exited and, before I could react, he came to my side and opened the door for me. I got out, but I refused to give him my hand even though his only intention had been to help me. He looked at the car and approached me. He put his hand on my lower back and pushed a little, letting me know that I should get going.

I tried to figure out where we were, however, I couldn't come up with an answer. I didn't pay attention to our surroundings before he stopped the car, but I assumed that we were in some apartment complex as he had parked the car in an underground parking lot. He didn't even give me time to look further, he started to literally drag me to one side. The next thing I knew, we entered the elevator and Mateo pressed the button for the seventh floor, the last one.

The tension was even thicker inside. We were so close to each other that our shoulders almost touched numerous times. Also, I didn't know why we were in such a position in the first place seeing as the lift had enough room to fit a bunch of people.

You are doing it yet again! I kept telling myself. Whenever I was near him, I would simply forget the reason I was originally angry, which is the worst that can happen. The physical attraction we feel towards a person should never overcome common sense. I shook my head trying to do just that, to do the smartest thing I could at the moment.

Shortly afterward, a click could be heard and the very next moment, the elevator door opened. My jaw almost dropped to the floor. Surprised, I looked around the place I soon realized to be a penthouse. It was huge. Most of the walls were made of glass so I assumed it was extremely illuminated during the day. Everything inside was rather luxurious and done with style. The whole place was mostly dominated by neutral colors such as white, light gray, and cream. I also noticed the staircase leading upstairs. I couldn't even imagine what could be found there if this part is this big. He even had a dining table that could fit at least 20 people. At the same time, that was, besides the huge LED TV, the only black furniture in the room. That kind of confused me because it was in total contrast to Mateo. He was dark and mysterious, and his home was neat, modern, and luxurious.

What does he even do for a living if he can afford all this?

That question was driving me insane seeing as he had never answered it. I didn't want to make assumptions, but I wasn't stupid. The way he acted, his mysterious demeanor, and the fact that he had that much free time, didn't give me many options. However, I still wasn't ready to get an answer, although it was questionable if he would even give me one in the first place.

"Are you hungry?" I was pulled out of my thoughts by the sound of his voice.

I looked at him but decided to ignore his question, yet my stomach chose that exact moment to answer him regardless of my wishes. Despite that, I kept my mouth shut. I was still furious over what had happened earlier.

"Tara, don't make me repeat myself," he warned me, but I just lifted my head and looked him directly in the eyes, challenging him.

I should've known that that wouldn't bring me anything good. The very next moment a loud rumbling sound could be heard. I flinched and quickly shifted my gaze to the glass that Mateo had just broken.

"Will you, for once in your fucking life, stop acting like the spoiled brat?" he yelled at me. He was so enraged he hardly looked human. His face was red and his eyes completely dark. His hands were clenched into a fist, breathing deeply, making it obvious that he was trying to keep himself calm.

"You can't really make such a statement seeing as you have only known me for a week," I countered. I had always been the kind of person that needed to be right, even though that wasn't the case. It was stupid of me to think I could ignore him and not tell him what was on my mind.

"So, you are in a mood for a fight?" he laughed without even an ounce of humor in his voice.

"Yeah, I'm dying for it," I rolled my eyes.

"Don't fucking roll your eyes!" he ordered.

"What's next? You are going to forbid me to breath, too?" I asked him sarcastically

"That might not even be a bad idea," this time he was the one who rolled his eyes. Truthfully I didn't know how he was able to do that considering the amount of rage that was buried within him.

"And how do you plan to do it? Oh wait, how stupid am I? You have a thing for fights. Tell me, will you beat me the same way you did those guys?" I furiously asked him.

"What the hell was I supposed to do? To stand there and listen to how he was threatening you?" he countered annoyed.

"I had everything under control," I crossed my arms and told him, feeling offended.

"The only thing you had under control was your mouth. Unfortunately, if I may add."

"He deserved it," being as stubborn as I was, I carried on.

"He deserved those punches too," he spat.

"How can you even say that?" I asked him not able to wrap my head around it.

"You might be naive, but you are not stupid. You know what would've happened if I wasn't there."

"That still doesn't justify your actions."

"I don't give a shit if it does or not. I beat the crap out of him and I would do it again."

"But you did it so brutally-" I tried to reason with him

"And how else was I supposed to do it, Tara? Invite him over for a tea and pinch his cheek? I handled it the way real men do, get used to it," he said that with such venom in his voice I started to shudder a bit.

"Why should I?" I wanted to roll my eyes, however, I remembered what he had told me a minute earlier, so I changed my mind. I didn't want to tickle a dragon.

"Because you are going to see that a lot more from now on. You are lucky that other bastard got away unharmed. He was smart enough and shut the hell up on time, but I'm not sure how I will react next time I see him," he muttered sounding irritated. I was aware that he was talking about Stephan so I kept my mouth shut. I didn't want to provoke even bigger hate between them, therefore putting Stephan in a worse position than the guy with a snake tattoo.

Right when I thought he was done with that topic, he turned in my direction and looked me directly in my eyes.

"What is he to you anyway, so he gave himself the right to hold your hand?" he spat

"A friend," I responded not very sure of myself, which made him raise his eyebrow, warning me to not play with my life.

"We used to date, but we really are only friends now," I sped up the last part of the sentence when I noticed that he was getting furious yet again. He took a deep breath and the look of a murderer returned in his eyes.

He slowly started approaching me, whereas I started to back away. However, it wasn't long before I was cornered. I hit the wall and he immediately put his hands on either side of my head, successfully trapping me. Scared, I started to uncontrollably look everywhere, hoping to find a way out, but I was out of luck. My breathing fastened and my heart started beating like crazy.

"You let-" he started with a quiet voice. He was way more terrifying that way than when he yelled. "Your ex-boyfriend hold your hand?" he finished, looking directly at me, not letting me shift my gaze to anything else.

"He just pulled me-" I started, but my voice was shaking badly and I was way too scared to form a coherent sentence.

"I will pull him to his death!" he yelled with full force. I immediately closed my eyes. I tried to be brave, but I knew it was only a matter of time before the tears would start pouring down my face.

"Tara," he attempted to reach out to me, but I was shaking my head like a maniac.

"Tara, look at me," he emphasized. I was aware that I had no other choice if I didn't want to face his wrath. I slowly opened my eyes and noticed that his face had softened a bit. He was still terrifyingly serious, but he wanted me to understand that his rage wasn't directed at me.

"Don't ever, ever again let another man even look at your direction, let alone touch you. And if you do, what you had seen earlier would be nothing compared to what I'm going to do to that person," he warned and I merely nodded my head, not knowing what else to do.

"Why?" I whispered.

"Because you are mine!" he said that with such finality that made it clear to me that that was the way it was and that nothing could change it.

Before I could even understand what was going on, he put his hands on my cheeks and brought my face closer to his. The very next moment, I felt his lips pressing against mine. That wasn't my first kiss, but never in my life had I felt something like that. Everything around us stopped. The only thing I was aware of was the boy in front of me, his perfect, plump lips, and the way they were claiming mine. He wasn't gentle at all. No, his kiss was anything but. It was passionate, forceful, warning. He was making a statement. He was full of lust, claiming his territory, and I just stood there, shocked, not able to kiss him back.

Noticing that, he separated his lips from mine. I felt a sudden rush of cold air. I missed his touch, his kiss, I wanted him to claim me again. Nonetheless, he didn't move far away. He stood at the same distance as before, not giving me an inch of space. He was just standing there, looking me in my eyes, waiting for my response. At that moment, I forgot everything. I forgot the way he behaved, his actions. The only thing that mattered was the way he made me feel.

Feeling more determined than ever, this time I was the one who grabbed his face and brought him closer to me, putting my lips on his. He immediately kissed me back. My heart started pounding like crazy in my chest yet again, I even thought it would jump out of my body. The adrenaline rush was so strong I almost lost my breath. I felt like I was in ecstasy while he was kissing me like there was no tomorrow.

He put his hands on my thighs, lifting me so I could wrap my legs around his waist. He let his hands traveling down my ass, massaging and squeezing it whenever he wanted. I wrapped my arms around his neck, continuing with our heavy make-out session.

He sat down on one of the sofas in the living room and made me sit in his lap. His hands traveled down from my hair to my neck, back, stomach, everything he could touch, not leaving me for a moment, kissing me up until late into the night.

-

"I should probably get going," I commented while we were lying on the same couch we previously spent so much time having fun. He was caressing my hair, playing with a couple of strands, while his face was buried in my neck, leaving feathery kisses all over it. It tickled me, but at the same time, it excited me in some strange way.

"No," he said simply and carried on with what he was doing.

"What do you mean no?" I frowned hearing him say this.

"I mean you stay here," I couldn't see him, but I was sure he rolled his eyes.

"You don't have a say in this," I said stubbornly. I moved away from him and got off the bed. I heard him let out an exasperated breath, probably because I had interrupted our cuddling. Not that I wasn't sorry too, I missed his touch already, but I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing that.

"Are you really doing this right now?" he asked me annoyed

"Are you really doing this?" I countered. Irritated, he brought his hands to his face, trying to keep himself calm.

"Tata, don't start, I have already made my decision."

"You were there when I had a conversation with my father, you know that I have to go visit them tomorrow. You are causing me problems right now and there's no reason for it. It's already late, I don't even know how I'm going to wake up in the morning."

"I will drive you back to your apartment tomorrow so you could take your things, and drive you to the airport afterward. You are the one causing the scene without a reason," he tried to calmly tell me, though it was more than obvious that he was still angry.

"Mateo, I just want to go home!" I desperately told him. Truthfully, I wasn't really concerned because I had to travel tomorrow, I knew that he would keep his word. However, I didn't know how I felt about the whole "I have to spend a night in his apartment" thing. I wasn't a saint, far from it actually, but this was too fast even for me. Furthermore, I didn't know what we were in the first place. Were we dating or what? I was aware that one make-out session didn't have to mean anything, but the way he claimed me made me craving for the answers. I wanted to know if he felt the need to put a label on whatever it was that we had.

"Too bad, that's not going to happen," he said, putting an end to the discussion.

"Yeah? Well, try stopping me," I furiously said and started walking towards the door.

I should've known that I wouldn't get far. He immediately grabbed my arm and pulled me back. He wrapped his hand around me and looked at me, anger clear in his chocolate orbs.

"Where the hell do you think you are going?" he said through gritted teeth.

"Home, I've already told you so." at one point, my stubbornness would surely get me killed.

"Yeah, the hell you do. You are not going anywhere, get that into that pretty, little head of yours," he squeezed my wrist even harder, most certainly leaving a bruise.

"But-" I started but he interrupted me.

"How did you even plan to get there? You have no idea where the hell you even are, how could you call a cab in the first place? And with what phone? You left it on the table. So drop the damn attitude and do what you are told," he told me with a warning tone. The one that always made me succumb myself to his wishes, in fear of what would happen otherwise.

"But I have nothing here, not clothes, literally nothing," I tried one more time.

"You'll wear something mine," he put his hand on my cheek and started caressing it with his thumb. I closed my eyes, giving up, and leaned into his touch. Goosebumps flooded my skin because of that simple touch, I could only imagine what I would feel if we did some far worse things.

"Fine, I'll stay," I told him defeated I opened my eyes so I could look at him. At that very moment, a big smile appeared on his face.

"Great," he said satisfied. "And now, would you like to shower?" he happily asked me. I was seriously starting to think he was bipolar.

"Yeah, sure," I answered him, realizing that I had no other choice left.

"Let's get going then, I'll find you towels and some clothes," he pecked my lips and dragged me towards the staircase.

As soon as we climbed the stairs I saw a huge hallway with several doors, as well as another staircase. I wondered how big the penthouse rally was, it looked at least five times the size of my apartment. However, I didn't have much time to look around, as I was dragged into one of the rooms. I supposed that that was the master bedroom as it was big enough, and it actually looked like a place where Mateo would spend his time. Though it was also luxurious and modernly furnished, this one was a bit on the darker side. Furthermore, it had a spacious balcony and most doors and walls (more like windows) were made of glass. I was seriously starting to consider the possibility of him being an exhibitionist.

In the middle of a room was a king-size bed with black-cream sheets. It sure looked like it could fit 5 people, not only one it was designed for. Across from it, a big LED TV was hanging on the wall. The sofas in the room were lined with black leather and a small table in the middle was also colored with black paint. The room was extremely tidy which led me to the conclusion that he either didn't live here most of the time or that he was a complete lunatic when it came to cleaning.

I noticed that there were two more doors inside. Mateo dragged me to one of them and I quickly realized that that one led to a walk-in closet that was the size of my whole bedroom. As far as I could tell, his clothes were sorted by type. It didn't come as a surprise to me to see that almost every single piece was either black or gray.

"What would you like to sleep in?" I blushed hearing him say that and simply shrugged my shoulders, avoiding his eyes. I heard him chuckle which made me blush even more.

Mateo stopped to think for a second, and then took one of the shirts likewise a pair of boxers, and handed them to me.

"I'm sure it will get the job done," he bit his lips and gave me a significant look. I was sure I looked like a tomato at that moment. I rapidly run out of there and got back to the bedroom. He laughed loudly and started walking behind me. I rolled my eyes, but I couldn't stop a little smile from forming on my face.

"The bathroom is behind that door, you will find towels there. Feel free to make yourself at home. Although, I could help you with that, to give you do proper welcome," he was provoking me yet again. I didn't think it was possible to be redder than I was at the moment.

"You're a jerk!" I yelled at him and quickly went to the bathroom, locking the door. Twice. I checked.

When I was finally left alone, I let out a sigh of relief and got myself together. The bathroom was just the way I imagined it to be. Almost everything was made of glass. I wondered how could someone live in these conditions, though I had to admit, it looked rather inviting.

I put down the clothes he gave me and looked at myself in the mirror. My hair was a mess, but I didn't look too bad. Fortunately, I had waterproof makeup on, I didn't even want to think what would I look like otherwise. I smiled thinking of what caused me to look this way and brought my fingers to my lips. I could almost feel the touch of his. I sighed, aware of what a mere thought of him did to my body. Maybe he wasn't the only bipolar one.

I took my clothes off, tied my hair in a messy bun, jumped into the shower, and let the hot water run down my body. I wasn't sure how I could withstand it, but it helped me stop thinking, which was the only thing I needed at the moment. I decided not to wash my hair, not wanting to stay there longer than necessary. I took the body wash that clearly belonged to Mateo, seeing as it totally smelled like him, in the right kind of way, like a though man, exactly the way I liked. I spread it all over my body, enjoying the scent. I couldn't help but think that he was even closer to me that way than he really was.

After the shortest shower in my life, I exited the cabin and wrapped a soft, fluffy towel around my body. It was rather hard for me to take my makeup off because he didn't own any of the products that could help me, but I managed to do it regardless. I also borrowed a spare toothbrush and washed my teeth. I put on the boxers Mateo gave me, but they were so big that they would drop any time I would make even a small step. Despite that, there was no way I would put on the panties I was wearing before, so I somehow tied them so they would fit. Fortunately, the shirts he gave me was long enough to cover everything that needed to be covered, so in the end, I wasn't that concerned. The shirt was white, not completely but definitely a bit see-through. I guessed that was the exact reason he chose it in the first place.

"That sneaky bastard," I muttered, not able to believe to what length he was ready to go.

I looked myself in the mirror one more time and, after making sure everything was the way it should be, I sighed and walked back into the bedroom. The moment my eyes caught the sight of Mateo, he literally took my breath away. He was already lying on the bed, typing something on his phone. The only thing he had on was black boxers, almost the same as the ones he gave me. The rest of his body was completely exposed to my hungry eyes. This time I got clear confirmation that it was, indeed, full of tattoos. There was almost no space on his skin that wasn't covered by ink, which made him incredibly irresistible to me.

Like he could sense me ogling him, he finally shifted his gaze from his phone to me. I bit my lips when I noticed the way he was checking me out, with hunger and lust in his eyes. He smiled in satisfaction and looked me directly in the eyes, giving me a sign to come closer to him. Unsure, I slowly started approaching him. The moment I was within arm's reach he grabbed my wrist and pulled me to him.

I squealed, surprised at his sudden move. Due to the force he used, I fell right on top of him. He immediately wrapped his arms around my waist, burying his face in my neck, sniffing me.

"You smell like me, I like it," he murmured satisfied with the fact, and started kissing me there. I could help but moan.

He covered us with a blanket, not even once letting me out of his hold. He brought me impossibly closer to him, and took the hair tie off my bun, letting my hair down. Right after he put his hands in my hair, starting to play with it yet again. In doing so, he confirmed my suspicion that he was obsessed with it. Too bad I didn't know back then that that was not the only thing he was obsessed with.

We fell asleep in each other's arms, not thinking about anything else but that magical moment.