Page 91 of XOXO, Valentina

She stepped back and skimmed a hand along her ponytail. “Your place, tonight at six o’clock? Shane has tutoring until seven.”

I rolled my eyes, already frustrated with the short amount of time we’d have together. I would take it though, because she loved me.

When I nodded, she smiled and walked to the door. Her hand went to the knob, and I missed her already. She stepped into the hallway and shot me a sexy grin. “Have a horrible first day,” she said.

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Chapter 35

Gabi

Joey was waiting for me at the main door to his house.

He opened it wide and ushered me up the stairs to his apartment. The smell of tomato sauce, thick with fresh herbs, wafted down the hall from the kitchen.

“It smells so good in here. What is that?”

His hands cupped my cheeks, and he bent to kiss me. “I knew we didn’t have much time, so I put something in the oven.”

Joey’s version of putting something in the oven smelled very different from mine. A beeping noise sounded, and he hurried into the kitchen.

“Do you need any help?” I asked.

“I got it,” he called.

The beeping stopped, and I heard the creak of the oven door and the slide of pans over metal racks. A moment later, Joey came back into the living room.

“Dinner’s cooling on the counter,” he said, wiping his hands on a dish towel. “There’s enough for you to take home for Shane.”

God bless America! This man was everything: sexy, sweet, smart, and thoughtful. I threw my arms around him with enough force to make him stumble backwards.

He caught me around the waist before we could both fall.

“Shane knows about us,” I said.

“Smart kid.”

“He called me out on it, and I admitted it.”

“You did, huh?”

“He approves, by the way. He said you were… dope.”

Joey laughed. “Yeah? That was nice of him.”

I stretched up on my toes and ran my nose along the faint shadow on his jaw. “I like your shave,” I said, reaching up to thread my fingers through his hair. “But you need another haircut.”

“Or what?” He squeezed my waist, lifting me higher onto my toes. “You can’t fire me anymore.”

“How was your first day?” I asked as he walked me backward.

“Not as horrible as you wanted it to be.”

My legs hit the sofa, and he set me on my feet.

“I’m very sorry to hear that.”

I reached down to grab the hem of his shirt and dragged it up to his chest. He let go of me long enough to lift his arms and toss the shirt aside, then wrapped his arms around my waist again.

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