Page 5 of Valentino

“No.” Giuliano widens his eyes in a what-the-fuck-are-you-doing gesture. “Francesca and I are going to look for a book to borrow.” He glances over to Francesca. “Aren’t we?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Oh.” I nod, code for going to make out behind the bookshelves. “Of course.”

“Why don’t you keep Anna company?” he tells me.

My eyes flick back to the magnificent creature in front of me, I could do a lot more to her than that.

“Sure.” I force a smile, her pink cardigan fits in all the right places if you know what I mean…don’t look down…don’t look down.

Keep your eyes on her face.

Giuliano and Francesca disappear behind a wall of books and Anna and I are left alone.

“So….” I roll my lips as I search for something intelligent to say, but how can a man concentrate with that curvy cardigan distracting my mere mortal man brain.

“So…” she replies.

Yes I agree, this is So fucking awkward.

“Do you come here often?” As soon as the words leave my lips I know how they sound.

She looks at me, smirks, is she reading my mind?

“I know.” I shrug. “I mean….”

“I know what you meant.” She giggles, the sound vibrates through the room and I find myself chuckling too.

“Sshh.” a librarian whispers as she walks past us, she holds her finger to her lips and points to a sign.

Quiet Space.

Anna taps the seat beside her. “Come and sit over here.”

I’m standing before I even realize it, she doesn’t have to ask me twice. I walk around and sit down in the chair beside her.

“That’s better.” She smiles sweetly.

Is it though…because her perfume floating around me is inciting dirty, dirty things that I’m positive should never be thunk in a library.

“Yes. Much,” I lie.

“Here.” She passes me a book. “You can read this if you want to?”

“Oh.” I look at the thick book in my hands, must be at least six hundred chapters or some shit. “You’ve read this?”

“Of course I have.”

Ugh, she’s smart too…. Hot and intelligent, the lethal combination.

“Okay, so if you’ve read this.” I narrow my eyes. “Tell me the plot.”

“No. I can’t do that,” she whispers. “You need to read it for yourself.”

“Ha.” I point at her. “You haven’t read it, have you?”

“I have.”