Page 22 of XOXO, Valentina

“Don’t go,” he said. “Come back inside and eat dinner with me.”

“I can’t.”

He took a step back, unsettling me. I’d gotten used to his warmth, his solid presence.

“I promise not to touch you or violate any of your rules.” Then, quirking an eyebrow, he added, “unless you want me to.”

Desire tickled in my belly and then shot lower. I stared at his full mouth, framed by the dark stubble of his beard, and my mind veered straight back to Fantasyland.

I forced myself to think logically. There was no way Joey was interested in me. I was a widow, eight years older than him, and his boss. Hardly his type.

I took a step back. “I’ll see you at work,” I said.

He blinked a few times, and then his head bobbed in a nod. “Okay.”

He walked me to my car and waited while I opened the door. “See you at work.”

I started the engine and watched his long, loose-limbed amble through the parking lot until I couldn’t see him anymore. My heart raced, and my vision blurred with tears of frustration. Joey Morales had awakened feelings I’d thought were long dead. His kiss was burned on my brain.

An icy finger of guilt pricked my skin, raising goose bumps. I hadn’t felt these feelings since Montel. I choked back a sob. Life was so unfair. I was feeling lust for another man, and Montel was gone forever.

A numbness settled in my chest as I drove on autopilot, refusing to allow any thoughts of Joey to penetrate the steel trap of my mind.

When I was almost home, Shane’s ringtone blared in the silence of my car. I pressed the button to answer, and the loud noise of a party rang out through the speakers.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Mom!” Shane shouted over the music.

“Hey, honey.” I heard it in his voice that something was wrong. I gripped the steering wheel and tried to keep my voice calm. “What’s up?”

He must have moved away from the party, because it got quieter. “I was just wondering if you could pick me up?” he asked.

“Sure.” He didn’t sound drunk or high. A mother knew these things. “Is everything okay?”

“It’s fine. It’s my friend Erin. She needs to leave. I’ll explain when you get here.”

My shoulders relaxed an inch. “I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

“Okay.”

There was a long silence, and I thought maybe he’d hung up. “Shane?”

“Yeah?”

“I’ll see you soon.”

“Thanks, Mom,” he said and disconnected.

I dropped my phone onto the console. It was a good thing I hadn’t stayed for dinner. Being Shane’s mother was my number one job, and I was always on duty. The hottest kiss in the world couldn’t change that.

11

Book Review of “The Axe Man Cometh” by Ash Phoenix

By Valentina Blueridgebookclub.com

4Stars

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