Page 107 of Kissing Games
She giggled. She never knew it was possible to be so happy.
‘I love your family, Valentina, they’re incredible.’ He kissed her again and her knees went weak. He lifted his head. ‘But I love you more. Can we go back to the bus now? Please?’
She stared at him. He was so beautiful. And he was hers. Her heart raced as she stroked down the side of his face. ‘Yes.’
He reached down and swept her into his arms. She held onto him, laughing and kissing his neck.
‘Happy birthday to us,’ she whispered, knowing she would never spend another birthday apart from him again.
EPILOGUE
Valentina always took the long way home when coming back from meetings in LA. It was worth it. Driving past the billboards with her image from the cosmetics advert was affirming. They’d changed their approach after her selfies had been leaked. Rather than the original plan to have a campaign with her looking sultry and vampy, they’d changed tack. Now it was about honesty and being true to yourself. Make-up was there to enhance your natural beauty, not to transform you into someone else.
However, that was not why Valentina took this route. Her eyes were drawn to something else. For once she loved the heavy traffic. She was quite content to slow to a crawl, the window down as she stared at the image that covered the side of an entire skyscraper.
It was advertising a famous cologne for men, and apart from one small detail, the photo was in black and white. The model was sex on legs. Naked, apart from a pair of tight, white briefs that did nothing to hide how well endowed he was, he stared out from the poster, his lush lips slightly parted, his expression saying he was seconds away from tearing your clothes off with his teeth. The only colour in the image came from his startling green eyes, flecked with accents of gold that reflected the bright LA sunshine. The way he had been lit emphasised his ripped physique and the scars on his shoulder and arm. His body was decorated with tattoos, but the one across the left of his chest was the one Valentina was most interested in.
It was her signature in black, written big and bold, with the imprint of lips above it, as if she’d finished signing her name with a kiss.
The image and the model had become infamous. He was now referred to as ‘The Package’, or ‘Charlentina’ when linked to his girlfriend. Even though he was a reluctant model, more endorsements had followed the perfume campaign, much to his embarrassment and Valentina’s amusement.
She had moved with Charlie out to Topanga Canyon a few months ago, preferring the laid-back style and local community. Here, they could hang out in peace and quiet without women’s underwear flying over the walls at regular intervals.
Parking outside their house, she let herself in.
‘Hey, honey, I’m home,’ she called in a faux-American accent.
There was a noise: half bark, half wheeze, all crazy, as a scruffy ball of insanity bounded towards her in a vaguely straight line.
‘Dave!’ she cried. ‘Mommy’s home.’
Dave launched himself at her, missed, and skidded into the front door with a yelp. She scooped him up and he wriggled with excitement in her arms.
Charlie ambled around the corner, his only clothes a pair of faded jeans hanging low off his hips. Valentina raked her eyes over him, cocked her finger and beckoned him forwards. When he was close enough, she grabbed the front of his jeans to pull him closer. She planted her lips over the tattoo on his chest, then trailed kisses up to his neck as Dave went mental between them, not sure which of his favourite humans he needed to lick most.
Charlie pulled Dave out of her arms and looked into his one good eye.
‘Mate, there’s a time and a place. And this is neither of them. Do you want to watch radio controlled cars instead?’ Dave barked his approval and Charlie carried him off.
Valentina followed them into the large open-plan living area. Charlie was talking to Dave as he set him up in front of his favourite YouTube clips. She sat on one of the cream sofas, her head resting on the sheepskin rug draped over the back and watched them.
When Dave was sorted, Charlie turned to her.
‘How did your meeting go?’ he asked, gently pushing her onto her back and laying his body over hers.
‘Interesting,’ she sighed, running her fingers down the muscles of his back. ‘I missed you.’
‘I missed you too,’ he murmured, nuzzling her neck. ‘Every beautiful inch.’
He nipped at her skin and the heady throb of desire that had been building during the commute home exploded into a pounding, urgent need.
‘Charlie,’ she gasped.
He ran his hand over the front of her dress, cupping her breast with a groan.
‘I, I can’t concentrate when you’re doing thaaa—’ she broke off as he rubbed her hardened nipple. ‘Charlie, I…’ He yanked the top down with a growl and sucked the aching tip into his mouth. ‘I’m trying to tell you—’
He looked up, his green eyes smouldering. ‘Actually, sweetheart, I’ve temporarily lost interest in your meeting. Right now, I only care about getting you off. Everything else can wait.’
