Page 31 of Dirty Hot Valentine
I slide off the barstool and run to the exit, stumbling through drunken, dancing, red celebrities with roses in their hands.
Barefoot dancing on my veins
Possessing me one step at a time
Don’t keep me waiting
And dance to my dirty beats tonight
A few steps away from the door, I bump shoulders with the last man I want to see at the moment.
“Carolina.”
The only person that calls me by my middle name.
I can’t mistake his voice and his Italian accent if I want to, but I want to make sure it’s really him standing in front of me and not some panic-induced hallucination. I look up at his face. The curls. The chocolate brown eyes.
It is him. The Italian Heartthrob himself.
Mike Gennaro.
Fuckdoesn’t begin to cut it.
8. MIKE
God I missed her.
Since stupid England, I’ve only seen her once, when I pretended I had work in London just to go visit her.
The one time I’ve come this close to ruin our friendship for good.
I’ve never made that mistake again.
Not seeing her all those years has been so hard, but standing close to her, seeing her face, her body without being able to touch her, to hold her, to tell her everything I’ve been hiding in my heart is much more difficult than staying away.
“Long time no see, Kiddo.” I open my arms. “Come here.”
I can’t resist hugging her, though.
She rests her head on my chest, her hands around my shoulders. I squeeze her. Then I close my eyes for a second as her smell fills my nostrils. My cock stirs in my pants. Shit.
I push my lower body from her as far as I can, but I can’t bring myself to break our embrace. Her arms tighten around me, and her breaths grow warm and fast on my neck.
“You all right?” I ask.
She pulls away and just nods.
My hands remain on her waist, refusing to let go. “What are you doing here, Kiddo?”
“I… I…”
“What’s wrong?” I study her face. The glistening in her eyes and the slight tremble of her lips alarm me. “Are you having a panic attack?”
“I was. Yes.” She exhales deeply. “But it’s better now.”
“Jesus. Okay. Come sit with me. Let me get you some water or something.”
“It’s okay. I was just leaving.”
