Page 34 of And Everything In Between

“That shit damn near happening in real life. I don’t need help prepping to be a bed wench. I might rewatchYOU. I miss Joe and his toxic ass.”

“That’s how I knew something was off with you and Blake. Ain’t no way you’re rewatching that man stalk and kill people like it’s a romcom. That’s not normal, sis. I gotta pray for y’all to be released from the shackles of toxicity.”

Paige snorted and said, “It has romance in it, sis. Don’t do that. Joe loves them women very much.” They laughed until her mood shifted quickly when she reached the middle of the chip aisle. No Lime Hot Cheetos. Her eyes narrowed.

“Damn Gina Damn.”

“Paige, you are so dramatic,” Taylor laughed loudly.

“I know I am. So, I gotta call you back,” Paige said through the phone. “I need to focus on my snacks for real. I’m getting distracted.”

“Bye. Call me back.”

Paige hung up and slid her phone into her bag, jaw tight. She hated having her mouth set on something and then coming up short. It was her fault for waiting until the last minute. She should’ve come earlier, before the crowd hit and before her good mood had a chance to sour. Now the store was packed, kids crying because they couldn’t get everything their eyes saw, parents fussing, and workers acting like they forgot what customer service looked like. She shook her head and worked herself out of the funk. It was just chips.

She pressed her lips into a thin line and pivoted to plan B. She grabbed the Cheddar & Sour Cream Ruffles and French onion dip and tucked them under her arm. Not what she came for, but it would do. Her reflection caught her eye as she crossed into frozen foods. Gray two-piece set hugging her in the right places, slides on, fresh face, hair in a ponytail. Comfortable but still her. That’s when she heard it.

“Baby, we gotta stop meeting like this.”

The words came from behind her too familiar for her to ignore. Paige turned slowly, chip bag still in hand, and found Giovanni leaning against a shelf. Arms crossed. That crooked smirk working overtime. That smile had her questioning every damn thought she’d had about him all week.

“Why you ain’t call me yet?” He stared a hole into her.

She held his stare, lips tugging at the corner. “Maybe I like running into you like this. Keeps the mystery alive.”

He pushed off the glass and closed the space between them, enough for his cologne to catch up. “That right? Or maybe you scared?”

“Don’t flatter yourself.” She turned back to grab the discarded cart, adding extra sway to her hips.

Giovanni's eyes tracked every step. He grumbled as she bent over to grab a pint of ice cream. This woman was going to be the death of him, and she knew it. She was counting on it. She was also still trying to play hard to get. But he didn’t press, he took the chips and dip from her cart, looked at the label, and dropped them in his basket, making Paige and the snacks his business. Then he looked at her again, calm. “You tryna ride with me again?”

She raised a brow. “Where to?”

Giovanni didn’t answer right away, he stared at her. She stepped back, he stepped closer searching her face before asking, “What? You don’t trust me anymore?”

“I don't remember trusting you at all.” The truth was she didn't trust her damn self. The last time she took a ride with him he had her ass tooted up on a pool table. She remembered that night all too well. Being abstinent for two and a half years and then getting a taste of Giovanni had her feeling like a can of Pringles…once you popped, the craving never stopped. But she needed to get it together.

He was too commanding for her liking, the way he could make her forget herself with a look was insane. If she wasn't careful, she'd be hanging on his every word like some lovesick fool. Hadn't Auntie Khia already schooled us about not trusting these men? But deep down, she knew Giovanni wasn't just any man.

“I think you might be confused, baby. But I’d love to clear that up for you… refresh your memory.”

She smirked, knowing damn well he had her number—and he knew it too. When she looked up at him, lips parted and chin tilted in challenge, Giovanni’s gaze dropped. He reached out, palm wrapping around her neck with a possession that made her breath hitch. Then he closed the space between them, kissing her slowly and deep, like he had all the time in the world and planned to use every second of it.

Her body folded into him without hesitation, every barrier she built slipping out from under her. The way she gave in made his spine light up, toes tingling from the force of it. Another taste of her and he already knew, he’d throw out the rulebook, torch the blueprint. If she asked, he’d set the whole world on fire just to warm her feet.

Whatever Paige Bishop wanted, Giovanni Dowlen would move heaven and earth to deliver it, wrapped in a neat bow.

She reached for him out of instinct, which only confirmed what he already knew. She felt it too. There was need, peace, and pressure all at once.

“I need more snacks,” she said breathlessly when he let her go. That’s the only sentence her mind could string together. She was hot and bothered and ready to be dicked down right between the frozen peas and corn.

He stepped back to look over her and she took off while he followed behind her. The way her gray two-piece set clung to her frame made it hard to think straight. Every step she took toward made her round ass bounce like a hot check. Other dudes were watching, and Giovanni saw them. One by the juice aisle did a double take. Another pretended to look at the frozen pizzas to stay close.

Giovanni didn’t say shit. He smirked to himself and kept his eyes on her. She was walking ahead, reaching for Calypso’s, Oreo’s and tossing Milk Duds in the cart. She had no care in theworld, she didn’t even know she was currently stealing attention left and right.

Paige bent over again to grab something else from a lower shelf, that ass arching in a way that made Giovanni press his tongue to the roof of his mouth. The first time he played it cool, but she was testing him. He was so concentrated on her he almost missed the dude standing too still behind them. Not shopping. Not walking. Just… staring.

Giovanni clocked it and let the first few seconds ride, trying to give the man the benefit of the doubt. Maybe the man was slow to move. Maybe he was reaching for something in the same aisle. But when his eyes lingered too long, chin tilted, lip tucked, Giovanni’s whole energy shifted.

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