Page 222 of Valentino

“Are you annoyed I’m so late?” I whisper.

“Not at all.” Her eyes dance with mischief. “Glad to be rid of you, actually.”

“Same.” I smile over at her. “Tell me something.”

“What’s that?”

“Did you leave the lamp on so that you could see my face when I have my wicked way with you again?”

She breaks into a broad smile. “How did you know?”

ANNA

An energy field, so strong that the room feels cosmic.

Lying on our sides facing each other, Val and I are in bed. We fucked, then made love. Took a shower and washed each other so tenderly it was as if we scrubbed the past from each other’s hearts.

And now this, whatever this is…. A staring contest where the winner makes magic and the loser casts spells.

“Have you ever had penile enlargement surgery?” I whisper.

“I should have gone bigger?” He fakes seriousness.

“Absolutely not.”

His two hands on his pillow tucked beneath his face. “I’ve thought about you over the years, you know? At random times you would pop into my head.”

“Yeah?” I smile sleepily. “I thought of you too.” I think for a moment. “What popped into your head about me?”

His eyes roam over my face as if memorizing every inch. “Just how I missed seeing your beautiful face.”

Oh….

“What popped into your mind about me?” he asks.

I twist my lips as if I’m deep in thought. “Your dick mostly.”

“What?” His head lifts off the pillow in surprise.

“Uh-huh.” I laugh.

“So let me get this straight.” He smiles. “I was in Milan thinking about you from my heart …. While you were in Rome clitical thinking about me.”

I burst out laughing. “Clitical thinking?”

“Am I wrong?”

“No.” I throw my head back and laugh out loud. “You’re bang on.”

“Literally.” He laughs too. “So?”

“So what?”

“What were you thinking about my dick?”

“Just.” I give a half-hearted shrug. “Remembering what it could do, I guess.”

He laughs again, deep and from his stomach, and I smile over at him. He’s so beautiful when he laughs, I don’t see it nearly enough.