Page 3 of Summer's Edge

The one who brought our drinks has been casting glances at me non-stop. The kind of glances that promise all sorts of passion in the bedroom later. That’s what I need, fun and laughter and sunshine and a guy who knows his way around a woman’s body.

Because soon enough I’ll once again be surrounded by gruff, brooding bikers who think life is just about killing and who all seem to be under strict orders to never even look my way. I don’t know if my dad ordered this for a fact, but I’m pretty sure he might have.

Luis stands up on very wobbly legs and extends his hand to me. “Want to dance?”

“Oh, leave off, Luis,” Marcia says. “You can barely stand, and Summer is here to have some fun.”

I gave her a grateful smile. She’d been instrumental in keeping Luis off my back these past few months.

“Summer in the summer,” Luis says as he collapses back onto the sand. He laughs like it’s the funniest joke. I barely managed not to roll my eyes.

“I think I’ll go for a swim,” I say and stand up. “My skin’s still all sticky from all the latex in the green dress. How anyone can wear that for more than five minutes…”

That sends Luis giggling and I make my getaway before he regains his composure enough to actually say anything. Sober, he can be a pretty cool guy, drunk, clearly not so much.

“I’ll join you,” Marcia says and falls in step with me, wrapping her arm around mine.

She steers me away from the ocean though and grins when I look at her sideways.

“I thought we could go introduce ourselves to those hot waiters instead,” she says conspiratorially. “I am dying to talk to someone I haven’t spent the last three months living with.”

“I’m with you,” I say and grin too.

Marcia was the assistant to the assistant of the costume designer and worked her ass off fetching stuff and just being at constant beck and call. Just like me for the makeup department. We met on the first day of filming and were besties by the third. It’s gonna be hard leaving her behind.

“Hello, ladies,” the waiter who’s been making eyes at me all day says as we approach. “What can I do for you?”

His co-worker, an equally chiseled, golden skinned adonis with sparkling eyes and lips made for kissing, snickers beside him.

I extricate my arm from Marcia’s hold and extend my hand. “I’m Summer, what’s your name?”

“I’m Mario,” he says and the touch of his warm, callused hand in mine instantly sends shockwaves all through my body. Or maybe that’s from the way his soft brown eyes are caressing every inch of my face.

“This is Paolo,” he says, introducing his friend.

“And I’m Marcia.” She shakes hands with both of them too. “But the real question is, what are we doing later?”

She’s so damn forward. I love that about her. But right now, I’m hoping the heat in my cheeks doesn’t mean I’m tomato red in the face.

“Anything you girls want,” Mario says, his eyes swallowing me whole. “We get off at eight.”

“And then you’re taking us out on the town,” Marcia announces. “This place is nice and all, but I want to see the real Mexico.”

The two guys exchange glances, both grinning ear to ear.

“Anything you want, ladies,” Paolo says.

I’m sure they’re both thinking they’re getting some tonight, and they might very well be right, although…

“I don’t know if it’s such a good idea to go wandering around a strange city with a couple of guys we just met,” I say to Marcia once we’re walking back to our group.

“Oh my God, you are such a princess,” she says and laughs. “Come on, we’re a couple of street-smart chicks and Tijuana isn’t exactly LA. And it’s certainly not New York City.”

That’s where she’s originally from and I’m dying to go visit her there. But between my dad wanting me home for the foreseeable future and her talking about staying in LA indefinitely, I don’t know when I’ll get that wish.

“We can handle it,” she says and grins.

“It’s not that…”

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