“You could be dumb. I wouldn’t know.”
Those gorgeous eyes shone, but he shrugged his agreement. “Want to find out? How about coming for a real drink with me?”
I narrowed my eyes on his, weighing up my options. This guy was dangerous to me because he was exactly the type of guy I could fall for, which meant I’d have to be careful with him.
In the end, though, my sense of adventure stirred and the rebellious streak inside insisted it’d been forced down for too long. “I have some things to take care of inside first. Later?”
“Find me when you’re ready.”
I lifted my glass of Cognac toward him but took a sip of my beer. “I’ll do that.”
Deciding it was a good time to make my getaway, I smiled and thanked him for the drinks before making my way inside. I was just in time for Dad’s speech and took a seat next to Haley’s to listen to it.
“I met someone,” I whispered to my friend. “I’m going out for a drink with him later.”
She nudged me in the side with her elbow. “I want to hear all about him in the morning.”
“Deal. You seem to be getting along well with the guy who was sitting here earlier.”
Her eyes just about crossed as she swooned, a sweet sigh leaving her parted lips. “You’re not the only one with plans for later.”
“Talk tomorrow?” I asked as Dad started wrapping up. He never had been one for too many words.
Haley nodded, giving me a quick hug before I got up. My father was inundated with people as he stepped out from behind the podium, but I managed to make my way through to get to him.
“I see you have some socializing to do. I’ll meet you back at the house, okay?”
He gave me a stern frown, but then a friend of his slapped him on the shoulder, and he sighed. “Fine. Remember to stay out of trouble.”
“Always, Dad.” I couldn’t agree to trouble staying out of me, but it was hardly the type of comment I would make to my dad. Pushing up to my tiptoes, I brushed a kiss against his cheek. “Enjoy your party.”
He nodded but was already striking up a conversation with another silver-haired man wearing his fancy uniform. I took my cue to leave, weaving my way through the crowd to the bar.
Lincoln was there, chatting to the very blond guy he’d come in with earlier. The guy spotted me making my way to them, said something to Lincoln, then took off.
“I’m ready for those drinks,” I said when I got to him. “You?”
“Always.” He smirked when I grabbed his hand but didn’t fight me as I started dragging him to the door before anyone could stop us.
Chapter 7
Lincoln
Sofia hauled my ass out of the party as if it was on fire. I had no idea why we had to get out so fast or so urgently, but I went with it.
The girl was hot, and she had a sense of humor. Spending the night with her sure as hell would be a lot more fun than staying back there with Charles and his merry band of goons.
Eden and I had been seen, and we’d talked to some well-placed people. Our job there was done. We’d been on the verge of overstaying our welcome anyway.
Sofia and I got out without being seen by many people since she stuck close to the wall on our way out. Then she laughed when we made it to the parking lot. “Damn, I’m glad to be out of there. I hate formal events.”
“Same here. You have a car here?”
She shook her head, her hair swinging with the movement. “I got a lift.”
“Want to get a lift with me to the bar then?” I offered, and she accepted.
As I led her to my truck, my fingers found hers in the darkness. They only brushed against the backs of hers but I definitely had electric chemistry with this woman. I’d felt it the second I’d touched her earlier, and I couldn’t fucking wait to explore it.
It had been a while since I’d had an explosive one-night stand. I definitely hadn’t been expecting it tonight, but it seemed to be going that way, and I sure as fuck wasn’t about to say no.
“I wondered if you were going to forget about me,” I said as I hit the unlock button on my key fob. The night lit up with a series of orange flashes. Then I opened the passenger door for her.
She turned to face me before hopping into the cab with perfect ease. “I came to find you as soon as the speech was over, didn’t I?”
“Yeah, but you made a pretty abrupt exit from the balcony earlier. Did you even have your Cognac?”
The tops of her cheeks turned pink as a slow smile spread on her lips. “No. I tried it, though. It tastes like jet fuel.”
“Why did you ask for it then?” When I saw her reach for the handle to close her door, I jogged to my side of the truck and climbed in myself.
Sofia buckled up but angled her body toward me. “It was a whim. I suddenly really wanted to try it. Needless to say, I won’t be making that mistake again. Where are we going?”
I started the engine and eased it into reverse. “There’s a shitty dive bar near here, but they make strong margaritas, and they don’t play smooth jazz.”
“Sounds like my kind of place.” She fiddled with my radio, settling for a station that played mainly pop-rock. “Is this okay?”
“I prefer rock to pop, but sure.” After backing out of the parking, I kept one eye on the quiet road and one on her. “You know, people don’t usually touch the radio of someone they’ve just met.”
“I’m not people. I’m
