Accardi by allison franklin novel

You Were My Favorite Hurt, And My Hardest Goodbye by Ava Knight 96 Summary In this chapter, Gen finds herself tethered closely to Matteo, observing him intensely as he watches a fight at the club. Matteo is visibly tense, his body language revealing the pressure he's under, especially after recent traumatic events including a panic attack that Gen witnessed earlier in the day. Frankie, Matteo's right-hand man, notices Matteo's agitation and suggests that he needs to release his pent-up stress, possibly by getting back into the ring, but Matteo resists the idea.

A playful yet charged conversation unfolds between Gen, Frankie, and Louis about getting Matteo to fight again, with bets placed on whether Matteo will step into the ring despite his reluctance. Gen confidently wagers that she will be the one to convince him, challenging the two men who believe they know Matteo better. The tension rises as Matteo enters the room, catching on to their scheming, and firmly refuses to fight, dismissing a contender named Christopher Anderson as unworthy and unreliable.

Gen and Matteo engage in a heated exchange, with Matteo asserting his dominance and pride as a fighter and leader, while Gen teases and provokes him, recalling intimate memories that heighten the charged atmosphere between them. Despite Matteo's tough exterior, there is an undeniable undercurrent of passion and vulnerability in their interaction. The chapter ends with Matteo surprising everyone by announcing his own name as the next fighter in the ring, igniting cheers from the crowd and leaving Gen both exhilarated and anxious.

Matteo reassures her he will leave as soon as the fight is over, hinting at the complicated blend of duty, pride, and affection that defines their relationship. Continue Regular Chapter Reading Below Chapter Ninety-Six When Matteo mentioned that she would be tethered to his side like a constant shadow, he wasn't joking. That's why Gen found herself standing in his office at the club, her gaze fixed through the window on the scene below. Matteo was near the ring, deep in conversation with a man who animatedly waved his hands as he spoke.

Matteo listened intently, one arm folded across his chest while the other propped up his chin, his finger tracing contemplatively over his lips. Every so often, his eyes flicked up to the fight unfolding inside the ring. His fist would clench tightly, then relax and rub at his lips again, betraying the tension coiling inside him. "He's definitely wound up," Frankie muttered beside her, downing another whiskey and Coke with a practiced ease. "What do you mean?" Gen asked, her eyes never leaving Matteo. "Are you two... you know, hooking up?" Frankie asked bluntly.

Gen's eyes widened in surprise, and she whipped her head to look at him. "Excuse me?" Frankie rolled his eyes and fiddled with the straw in his glass. "Just saying, look at him," he said, nodding toward Matteo, whose gaze was now fixed intently on the fight. "He needs to let off some steam." "Don't we all," Gen murmured softly, almost to herself. "Well... what's really going on?" Frankie pressed, curiosity laced with concern. "Is our sex life really your business?" she shot back, raising an eyebrow. "Uh, yeah, it kind of is. There's a lot of tension in the air, Gen.

He's tight, like a coiled spring ready to snap. I'm guessing if one more bad thing happened, he'd lose it." Frankie glanced at her seriously. "You don't want that." Gen sighed, folding her arms across her chest. "We've been through a lot lately. Between him finding me with his cousin's gun to my head, the double funeral, and this morning..." "This morning? What happened?" Frankie asked, leaning in. She hesitated, unwilling to share the raw details of what she had witnessed Matteo endure earlier that day.

Though Frankie was Matteo's right-hand man and a close friend, some things Matteo preferred to keep locked away. "He had another panic attack, didn't he?" Frankie guessed. Gen nodded, keeping her eyes glued to Matteo as the man he had been talking with melted back into the crowd. Matteo's body tensed and stretched as he watched the fight, his hand clenching and unclenching with every punch thrown. "Damn it. He needs to get in the ring himself, but of course, he won't," Frankie grumbled, pulling out his phone. "Why not? I know he fights regularly.

I've cleaned his knuckles plenty of times," Gen said, a hint of admiration in her voice. Frankie snorted. "He won't fight when you're around." "That's ridiculous." "Is it? Remember what happened the last time you saw that side of him?" Frankie asked, raising an eyebrow knowingly. Gen smirked. "Well, maybe you should piss him off again so he can take his anger out on you?" "Seriously?" Frankie said, gesturing to his bruised and swollen face. "I've already taken enough punishment for the team this week. It's someone else's turn.

Besides, I wasn't talking about that time." Before she could respond, the door swung open, and Louis strutted in, carrying reports detailing their earnings from the last few nights. "Ah, just who I was about to call," Frankie said with a grin. Louis slapped the papers down on the desk and planted his hands on his hips. "What the hell do you want now?" "Jeez, hello to you too. I need a slot for Accardi," Frankie said. Louis snorted just like Frankie had moments ago and glanced at Gen.

"We both know he's not stepping into the ring with her here." "Is this some secret I'm not aware of?" Gen asked, clearly annoyed. Frankie chuckled. "No, we just know Accardi better than you do." "I doubt that," Gen said, raising her eyebrows in challenge. "I can get rid of Anderson's opponent. He's the only one in Accardi's weight class, but you're not getting him in the ring, Frank." "Wanna bet?" Frankie shot back. Louis narrowed his eyes and sighed. "Fine, a hundred says he goes home with clean knuckles." "A hundred? Are you serious? I won't bet less than a thousand.

Or are you scared your little wifey's going to get upset about you betting again?" Frankie teased, his voice dripping with mockery. Louis looked up at the ceiling and shook his head. "Alright, a thousand. Only because if that's your plan to get him in the ring, I'll gladly double my money." "Can I get in on that?" Gen asked from her spot by the window, her eyes following Matteo as he walked back toward the stairs leading to the VIP section and his office. "You got a thousand?" Frankie and Louis said simultaneously. Gen smirked and turned to face them.

"I'll bet five that I'm the one who convinces him." The two men exchanged looks, and Gen could almost read the unspoken challenge passing between them. They were cocky, convinced they knew Matteo better than she did. That would be their mistake. "Bet," Frankie said, extending his hand to shake hers and Louis's. Gen and Louis shook hands and stepped apart just as Matteo entered the room. He paused in the doorway, eyes flicking between the three of them, raising a brow as if questioning what was going on. "I brought the reports you wanted," Louis said distractedly, typing on his phone.

"Hm," Matteo murmured, walking toward his desk with narrowed eyes, as if he sensed the schemes brewing around him. "Ah, fuck," Louis muttered with a heavy sigh. "What is it?" Frankie asked, a smile tugging at his lips. Louis clicked his tongue. "Anderson's opponent dropped out." "That's a shame," Frankie said. "Hey, Accardi, why don't you sign up?" Matteo's pen froze mid-air over the papers he was correcting. He glanced nervously at Gen before shooting a warning glare at Frankie. "What?" Frankie challenged. "It'll do you good." He stepped closer, placing his hands flat on the quartzite desk.

"You're too wound up. You need a physical outlet." Matteo's eyes flicked again to Gen, who had moved to the window, pretending to watch the fight below. "No. I have work to do," Matteo said firmly, prompting a snicker from Louis somewhere behind her. "Come on, Anderson needs a good beating. Remember what he did to the last guy? You said if it had been you..." Frankie trailed off. "Anderson, he's the one I saw the first night I was here, right?" Gen asked, more to herself than anyone else. "Yeah," Louis replied. "He's a top contender.

Always walks away with a big payout." "Hmm," Gen hummed thoughtfully. "I remember him. Talented." "He's fine," Matteo interjected, his irritated tone making Gen bite back a smile. "He dropped his first opponent in less than thirty seconds, didn't he?" Gen asked Louis. "Yeah, he hits hard," Louis confirmed. "I liked his style," Gen continued, gazing out the window as the crowd booed and the bartender, Nora, erased Anderson's opponent's name from the chalkboard. "I hope someone else signs up. It'd be thrilling to watch him fight again.

I was impressed with how quick and strategic he was-staying on the defensive, wearing his opponent down, then landing that final strike to finish it all." She hummed in approval. "Paul fought like that." The room fell silent behind her before Matteo grumbled, "I know what you're all up to. I'm a fucking Don, for Christ's sake." "You may be a Don, but you're not a fucking one right now," Gen whispered under her breath. "What did you just say?" he demanded. She turned to meet his sharp glare, feigning innocence.

"I didn't say anything." Matteo scoffed and began signing the reports with a heavier hand than before. "Christopher Anderson is a wannabe MMA fighter who got drunk one too many times and was kicked out of the industry because no one could stand to be around him. He comes here to pick fights with guys hoping for a shot at a former pro. He toys with the poor bastards, humiliates paying customers, then disappears for months with his tail between his legs the moment anyone lands a solid hit." Gen chuckled softly. "Sounds like someone who's had their ego bruised by him before," she observed.

Matteo's dark eyes flicked up and narrowed. "I don't lose fights, Gen. Especially not to guys like him." Gen shrugged. "I wouldn't know. I've never actually seen you fight. I've only cleaned up after. Besides, even if you did get in the ring, the guys probably hold back so they don't end up dead in some alley." Matteo pushed back from his chair and rose to his full imposing height. He stepped over to her and lowered his head until they were eye to eye. "I fight fair. So do my men," Matteo growled. Frankie scoffed behind him. "Come on, Boss. We all hold our punches with you.

But he's right, Gen. Accardi has never lost a fight here and he doesn't fight his own men." Gen shrugged again, ignoring Matteo's close presence as she picked at her cuticles. "I've never seen it, so I wouldn't know." Matteo's finger traced under her chin, lifting it until she met his intense gaze. "Are you provoking me, Weakness? Do you remember what happened the last time you did that?" Heat pooled between Gen's legs as memories flooded back-when he'd thrown her over his shoulder and made love to her on the dining room table, the same one they'd eaten breakfast at that very morning.

"All I know is whoever steps into the ring against Anderson will be on the floor within a minute, and I'll be watching..." she said, pushing his finger away. "...intently. Then when I get home tonight, I'll think about it while I take care of myself, like I've had to do the last four nights in a row." Matteo's hand slid gently around her throat, pulling her close to whisper in her ear. "Then watch, my little weakness. Watch closely as the man who owns you pummels your little crush into the ground." He released her and strode toward the door, already shrugging off his suit jacket.

Louis and Frankie stared, mouths agape, while Gen leaned back against the window to steady her breath. It had taken every ounce of willpower not to dissolve into a puddle during that charged exchange. She offered the two men she'd just outplayed a shaky smile. "Come on, guys, I thought you knew him better than me?" she teased, her voice strained but triumphant. Frankie approached and placed the money she'd won on Matteo's desk, then stood beside her at the window. Together they watched as Matteo climbed the stairs to the chalkboard.

The crowd fell silent as he wrote his own name in bold letters. He turned and jumped down to the ground, and the audience erupted in cheers. His eyes locked on the window behind which Gen stood, and she swallowed hard. "You know when it's over..." she began, the heat between her legs intensifying. "Trust me, I'll be out of here the moment that bell rings," he assured her. Conclusion The chapter closes on a tension-filled moment that perfectly captures the complex dynamics between Matteo and Gen.

Their charged exchanges reveal not only the depth of their connection but also the unspoken challenges they face-balancing vulnerability, pride, and the fierce protectiveness that defines their relationship. As Matteo prepares to step into the ring, the emotional undercurrents between them simmer just beneath the surface, highlighting the blend of desire, frustration, and unwavering loyalty that binds them.