Page 1 of Days Of Valentino

Episode One

“Why are you in my house, Dante?” Zio Theo grunts as he closes his refrigerator door on me.

“I was getting Josie one of those green juices she likes, so she could drink it on our way to school,” I tell him with my arms folded over my chest.

I love my uncle. I love my uncle,I repeat in my head.

At the moment, Zio Theo’s favorite thing to do is piss me off. He really has taken this whole adoption thing to the head. I wouldn’t put it past him to falsify DNA records to make the claim that Josie really is his kid.

I appreciate what my family has done for her, though. They didn’t have to take her in. They chose to. And the way my aunt and uncle have embraced her and treat her as one of their own is fucking great. For her. Me? Not so much.

I would have preferred if she’d just accepted my marriage proposal. Life would be so much better. I wouldn’t have to sneak in and out of my uncle’s place all the damn time. Sneaking into Theo Valentino’s house isn’t an easy feat.

“Here.” He opens the fridge, pulls out a bottle of green juice, and shoves it into my hands. “You know I bought her a car. She can take herself to school.”

“I know, but why would she when she can ride with me?” I ask him. “Thanks, Zio Theo. Catch you around.” I stalk out of the kitchen before he has anything else to say.

Josie is walking down the stairs as I enter the foyer, and I swear every time I see her, she takes my breath away.

“Shit, Josie, you’re going to make me kill people today,” I tell her.

She smiles wide. “No, I’m not.”

As soon as she reaches the bottom of the stairs, my arm snakes out and wraps around her back, bringing her body flush against mine. “When you look like this, every fucker is going to be gawking at you, and then I’m going to want to rip their eyeballs out of their sockets.”

Josie laughs. “I’m in a school uniform, Dante. There is nothing attractive about this.” She waves a hand down her torso.

“It doesn’t matter what you’re wearing, babe. You always look hot as fuck.” I lean forward and fuse my lips with hers. I cannever get enough of her. “You ready?” I ask, pulling away much sooner than I’d like.

“I am. One sec.” Josie steps past me, and I follow her into the kitchen where she says a quick goodbye to Zio Theo and Zia Maddie.

“You know, we’d get to campus much quicker if you married me. We could get an apartment close to school.” I smirk while holding open the door for her.

Josie rolls her eyes as she slides into the passenger seat. I jog around my car, my new car that I love almost as much as I love Josie.

“You know how I feel about being a teen bride. Besides, sneaking around with you is so much fun.” She smiles at me as I climb in and start the ignition.

“Anything with you is fun,” I tell her over the roar of the engine.

“We could take the car Theo gave me.”

“What’s wrong with my car?”

“Nothing. It just… draws attention.”

“It’s supposed to.” I grin.

By the time I pull into the parking lot at school, the place is packed. Thankfully, we have reserved spots. Well, technically, they’re not reserved, but everyone knows they’re ours.

Josie is right. This car does draw attention. But so does our last name. I could be pulling up in a Honda Civic instead of my matte black Maserati GranTurismo. And it wouldn’t change a damn thing.

Did I mention I fucking love this car?

“Come on, your subjects await you, my queen.” I wiggle my eyebrows at Josie.

“Oh my god! Stop.” She jumps out of the car and closes the door so damn gently, like she’s afraid she might hurt it.

“Hey, Dante,” a high-pitched voice calls out the moment I come into view. I glance at the cheerleader it belongs to, ignore the girl, and round the hood.

---