Page 31 of Worth the Risk

Besides, as much as I hate to admit this, I’m hoping to run into another blonde tonight. The one who rocked my world last week. I’ve been searching for her all night but haven’t seen her yet.

I don’t think she’s here.

“Sorry, Liz, but Nash and I were getting ready to leave. He’s heading off in the morning to visit his family.”

Her face falls, but just as quickly, it lights up. “Even better. I’m not busy tomorrow night. I’ll stop by, and we can be alone. Maybe take a soak in your hot tub?”

She’s not taking the hint.

“When I said Nash is visiting his family, I meant I’m going with him.” Lie.

Right on time, I spot Nash coming our way. Being the smart man he is, he quickly assesses the situation and asks, “You ready to go, Leo?”

This is why he’s my best friend. I could never have a better wingman.

“Yep.” I can’t say it fast enough. Shifting on my feet, I face Liz. “Gotta go. See you around.”

Not waiting for her reply, I hightail it away from her, hopeful it will tell her I’m not interested.

“Thanks, bro, for the save. I owe you,” I say to Nash as we shuffle through a crowd of people. “She wanted to come back to the house. Not going there again.”

Nash chuckles. “You have all you can handle with Kylie living in your head.”

He’s not wrong. Our time together has been on replay in my mind.

When we get to the edge of the crowd, something forces my head to the left. My palms sweat when the girl I’ve been secretly hoping to see all night emerges. She’s drinking and laughing with Sierra, Luke, his girlfriend, Becca, and some others. Kylie is wearing cutoff jean shorts that display her long, toned legs and a halter top that shows off her breasts—the ones so perfect I can’t get them out of my head.

Wasting no time, I head in their direction, Nash following me. I told myself if I saw her again, I’d blow her off. After all, she keeps leaving, and I’m not one to chase. Never have been. But she’s like a beacon calling me to her, and I instinctively gravitate toward her.

As if sensing my nearness, Kylie stops laughing and glances in my direction. At first, she graces me with her dazzling smile, but it quickly fades into a scowl.

Why is she glowering at me? I’m the one who should be mad.

“Hey, Leo, Nash,” Luke greets us, holding out his fist for us to bump.

Kylie stares at me curiously.What is she thinking?

After greeting everyone, the group reminisces about a senior prank they pulled their last year of high school. Apparently, planting a tree in the middle of the school’s baseball field didn’t go over lightly. The police were called, and someone snitched, so they were caught. Luckily, Sierra’s uncle is a sergeant in the police force, so he got the charges dropped. They did, however, have to write a letter of apology and pay to have the field fixed.

They’re all laughing—except for Kylie, who’s silent and zoned out. When she finally speaks, she only says, “Excuse me. I need another drink.”

She walks off toward the coolers of beer, and once again, I follow her.

Damn, what is it about this girl that makes me cross my own lines?

Kylie senses I’m following her, but she doesn’t turn around. She reaches the coolers, opens one of them, grabs a wine cooler, and takes a sip. After a deep breath, she spins to face me, where we stay, staring at each other.

After what feels like forever, she speaks. “What do you want, Leo?”

You, I want to tell her.I want you. Instead, I say, “You don’t seem happy to see me. I can’t figure out why, though. If anything, I should be the mad one here.”

“Really? You should be mad? I can’t understand why you’d have any right to be upset with me.”

“You left.” I tell her, even though she has no idea why that irritates me.

“You left first,” she backfires.

“I went for a run. I didn’t leave.”

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