𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 | 𝟏𝟖+

𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐬

-Antonio-

Valerie timidly walks inside my home, careful with every step she takes as if any sudden movement could break any object.
"Make yourself at home." I say, placing my hand softly on her back to make her feel more comfortable and lead her to the living room.

"Want anything to drink?" I ask as she sits on my brown leather couch.
"Maybe some water for now. I've been drinking tonight so probably best not to do too much."
I leave to the kitchen to get a water bottle from the fridge and and return as she hasn't moved an inch.

"Everything okay?" I ask as I sit back beside her and place the water bottle on the coffee table.
"I'm perfectly fine." She says with a smile.
"Perfectly not fine." "What have you been doing this whole time?" "Don't try and change the subject."

Valerie reaches and takes a long sip of water, and my eyes gaze over the way her lips touch the open lid and as he throat bobs with every gulp she takes.

"You okay?" She turns to me. "I'm perfectly fine." I respond the same way she did.
"I'm actually a bit hungry." She says. "I can make us something in the kitchen."
I stand and let out my hand, which she grabs and we walk together to the kitchen.

"Wow." I hear the whisper under her voice.
"What?" I ask. "It's just not what I expected."

I actually hear that a lot. With how much money I have, you'd think I would flaunt it with a huge mansion with every high brand car and servants everywhere.
I actually appreciate the quiet and peaceful loneliness. I only own 2 cars, and my mansion may seem big on the outside, but I keep it simple inside.

I always had a love for the modern type homes, not a lot of dark colors either.
You'd be surprised how many guests have come in expecting a dark home with grey and black around just to see my house in cream and white.

"What were we thinking of having?" I ask.
"Wine and steak sounds delicious." Valerie responds.
"We'd be better off going to a restaurant for that, plus you may want to stick to the water."
I decide to cook my favorite dish my aunt used to make me.

As I'm cooking, I notice Valerie watching me and I feel the awkward tension between us. The only sounds is the pan sizzling.
"Can I ask you something?" I ask to break the silence.
"Sure." "What made you want to become a detective?"

"I grew up watching a lot of law shows, like law and order, criminal minds, etc. I knew I wanted to be apart of all of that but the decision of becoming a detective didn't really come to me until I started study criminal justice.
Even though I work with officers and chiefs, I didn't want to be in that position. I wanted to be the one who talks to the people, helps find the evidence and moves the case to the right direction."

"Are you happy with being a detective?" I continue the conversation as she watches me cook.
"There are times that I wonder if I would be doing something else right now but I honestly love my job and helping others."

As I finish cooking and place a plate in front of Valerie, I carefully watch as she takes a bite of my food.
"This is actually delicious! Where did you learn to make this?" I'm happy she enjoys it.
"It was my aunts favorite dish, the first plate she ever taught me. She used to own a restaurant and this Cajun pasta was their one of their top dishes."

"I need to go to this restaurant sometime."
"It's in Chicago, but maybe we can go together sometime."
There it is, the awkward tension again.
"I'm sorry if I overstepped." I say.
"No not at all. We just haven't talked about what is happening between us and I want to make sure it's not one sided."

"Well what are we?"
"Isn't it usually the girl asking that, not the guy?" Valerie asks and we laugh.
"Yes, but I'm asking you now."
"Well I hope we are together, because I'm not the type to give the girlfriend treatment for free." She says as she aims her fork at me.
"I assumed you're not, but I would gladly take any price that comes with it."

Valerie smiles and it boosts my energy. We lean in as our lips gently touch. The electricity between us bolts up and I'm shocked by her simple touch.
The fire within her swims through me, and I want to feel it all. Shit, I'll drown in it if I have to.

The world could burn because of her, I'll stand in the fire behind her and watch her rule.
That's the kind of power she has on me.

"I should probably get going." She says between our kiss.
"Stay." I whisper. "Athena will get the wrong idea if I do."
Sadly, I'll have to let her go this once, but I drove her back home and kissed her one last time before she went inside.

Thank you for reading today's chapter.

HAPPY NEW YEARS EVERYBODY!!
My New Year's resolution is to be more productive with my life (and that includes more time for writing lol)
Y'all are probably mad at me for the EXTREMELY late post but I appreciate the love you all give as well.

I hope you enjoyed today's chapter. Stay healthy and safe my loves! -Rosie <3.