Page 6 of Love on the Edge
I point my beer at her. "Aha. I knew it. You give off that whole ‘wake up at 5 AM and train until you hate yourself’ vibe."
She exhales a dramatic sigh. "Busted."
I grin. "Okay, final guess. You’re a professional dodgeball player."
She bursts out laughing, and I swear it’s one of the sweetest sounds I’ve ever heard. "Yeah, you got me. Nationally ranked."
I shake my head. "I knew it."
She smirks, but there’s something flickering behind it—like she’s enjoying this but still holding something back.
I arch a brow. "You love it?"
She hesitates a second too long before nodding. "Yeah. I do."
I watch her, amused. "And yet, you won’t actually tell me what you do."
She grins. "Nope."
I chuckle, shaking my head. "So I tell you I work with cars, and you make me play ‘20 Questions’ to find out what you do?"
"Sounds fair to me," she says, smirking.
I take another sip of my beer, considering her. She’s interesting. Not just because she won’t answer, but because she enjoys the game.
I tilt my beer slightly in her direction. "You’re something else."
She lifts her drink. "So I’ve been told."
The music changes, the bass kicks harder, the beat heavier. A couple stumbles past, tripping over each other. I have no ideaif they just met or if they’re actually together, but she spills her drink on the way, so I know they’re drunk.
"That’s my cue," Valeria says.
I glance at her. She’s watching them too.
"Done already?" I ask, chuckling.
"I think I hit my limit about ten minutes ago," she says, eyes flicking toward the crowd. "I don’t even know half these people. And the ones I do? I’d rather not."
"Do you need an escape plan?" I ask, smirking.
She looks at me, and I laugh harder.
"You offering one?" she asks.
She’s quick-witted. I like that about her.
"I’ve got a truck outside and a solid track record of avoiding bad situations. Seems like a good deal."
She pretends to think it over. "Hmm. So what’s the catch?"
"No catch," I say, shrugging. "Just two people ditching a party they didn’t want to be at in the first place."
She looks around, still thinking. Probably about how bad of an idea it is to leave with a total stranger.
Finally, she finishes the last sip of her drink. "Alright. Let’s go before my friend finds me and gives me another speech about ‘loosening up.’"
"You spilled a drink on a stranger. That’s got to count for something."
