PART TWO
“I want to paint you, Valeria.”
7
Valeria
Everything became muffled in his living room when I whispered those sweet words. It felt as if a membrane had dropped around us, caging us in a heady sensation.
‘Can I… Can I kiss you, Khalid?’
I let out a small gasp when I felt his hand wrap around my waist and pull me closer to him, settling me on his lap. My first impression of Khalid was how hard he was—no, not there, but how strongly built he must be. Like a concrete wall. And how broad his shoulders were when my hands fisted the material of his shirt. He was large, larger than anyone I had ever known, caging me on his lap, his muscular arms with corded veins wrapped around my waist.
But his touch was gentle, like a wind brushing petals of rose. He was gentle. It made my heart
