Page 14 of XOXO, Valentina

A bitter taste filled my mouth. If Kaitlyn was what Mr. Morales had meant by friendly neighbors, I wasn’t eager to meet the rest of them.

7

Chapter 6

Gabi

We entered the main door and stepped into a grand foyer with gleaming mahogany floors and paned windows. A crystal chandelier hung from the high ceiling, scattering light across the white walls. A traditional, wood-paneled staircase led to the second floor.

“I’m up top,” he said, leading the way up the stairs.

I followed slowly, hobbling on my hurt leg. My knee smarted, and I shivered in my sweaty clothes.

“You okay?” he asked, slowing to wait for me.

Irritation coiled in my belly, and I gritted my teeth. I’d bet Kaitlyn never got attacked by a tree root. “I’m fine.”

He unlocked his door and held it open for me. “Sorry about the mess,” he said. “I wasn’t expecting company.”

I stepped into his sparsely-furnished living room. There wasn’t much of a mess because there wasn’t much of anything. The only furniture was a low-slung sofa and a sleek coffee table. The walls were bare, and the mantle was empty.

“Did you just move in?” I knew he’d been in Mossy Oak since last summer, but maybe he’d switched apartments.

“No.” He glanced around with a sheepish grin. “I just suck at decorating.”

“Maybe you’re a minimalist?”

“I guess.”

A blur of orange raced across the floor and launched itself at Mr. Morales’s shin.

“Is that a cat?”

He pulled off his gloves and bent to scratch the giant ball of fluff between its triangular ears. “This is Frodo. He doesn’t know he’s a cat.”

“You have a cat?” I’d assumed Mr. Morales had an active social life that didn’t leave room for a pet.

He tossed his cap onto the sofa and ran a hand through his hair. He’d had it trimmed, and it stood up at odd angles, sweaty and disheveled.

“Frodo’s not really my cat,” he said. “He came with the apartment. Frodo belongs to everyone in the building.”

So the neighbors not only shared a hot tub, but also a pet.

“Everyone has a doggie door, and Frodo comes and goes as he pleases. I never know when he is going to grace me with his companionship.”

He scooped Frodo into his arms and gave him a cuddle. Frodo went pliant in his arms, blissfully arching against Mr. Morales’s hand. His loud purr echoed across the room.

If Mr. Morales rubbed his hand across my belly, I would purr too.

Mr. Morales set Frodo on the floor, and to my surprise, the cat ran toward me. He moved faster than a ball of fluff should and was at my leg before I could sayhere kitty, kitty.Frodo sniffed my leg, then flipped onto his back for a belly rub.

“He thinks he’s a dog,” Mr. Morales said.

I pulled off my gloves and stroked Frodo’s belly. “Hello there, handsome.”

Mr. Morales chuckled softly. “Don’t flirt with him, I’ll get jealous.”

I raised my gaze from the cat and saw him looking at me with longing. A bolt of lust shot through me at the hunger in his expression.

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