A Dangerous Drive

The underground club's neon lights flickered behind her as Valeria stood beside her sleek black car, tapping a manicured nail against the hood in frustration. The damn engine refused to start, a fact that was testing her patience.

She shifted her weight, the smooth leather of her impossibly short mini skirt hugging her curves. The thin, cropped club top she wore clung to her like a second skin, dipping scandalously low to reveal almost too much cleavage. The chilly night air licked at her exposed skin, but she didn't care.

Her dark hair was thrown into a messy bun, with stray strands escaping to frame her sharp cheekbones. With no makeup on, her features were raw and unfiltered—just smooth, flawless skin, full lips, and those piercing eyes that could cut through a man's restraint like a knife.

A deep voice broke through the hum of the street.

"Trouble, printsessa?"

She turned, already knowing who it was.

Adrian DeLuca leaned casually against a lamppost a few feet away, hands in his pockets, watching her like a predator who had just found something worth stalking. The dim streetlight cast sharp shadows across his angular face, making his dark eyes even more unreadable.

Valeria smirked, placing a hand on her hip. "Just a minor inconvenience."

Adrian's gaze dipped—lingering on the bare skin of her thighs, the sinful dip of her neckline—before meeting her eyes again, unreadable yet simmering with something dangerous.

He stepped closer, slow and deliberate, until his presence was a force against her skin. "Want a ride?"

Valeria tilted her head, her smirk deepening. "Is that your way of asking if I'm occupied tonight?"

His lips curved, dark amusement flickering in his gaze. "Something like that."

She let a beat pass, then answered smoothly, "I'm free."

A pause. A shift in the air.

Adrian's eyes darkened just slightly, his fingers twitching as if he wanted to test the truth of that statement.

She had the urge to smirk again, to tease him—but the intensity in his gaze made her pulse jump in a way she wasn't ready to acknowledge.

Without another word, she grabbed her bag and sauntered past him toward his car, the sway of her hips slow and deliberate.

Adrian let her pass, his gaze heavy on her, before exhaling and following with a low chuckle.

She was playing with fire.

And so was he.

★★★

The car smelled like leather and him—spice and something darker. The moment she slid into the passenger seat, she felt the space shrink, the air between them thick with something unspoken.

Adrian got in beside her, resting a hand on the wheel as he turned to look at her. "Where to?"

Valeria arched a brow. "Surprise me."

He smirked. "You like dangerous games, don't you?"

She let her fingers trail along her exposed thigh, watching him from the corner of her eye. "I like interesting men."

His fingers tightened on the wheel. "That so?"

A small silence stretched between them before he shifted gears, the car purring to life.

As they pulled onto the road, Adrian's voice came again—low and smooth.

"You handled yourself well tonight."

Valeria let out a soft hum, stretching her legs slightly, knowing damn well his gaze flicked to the length of bare skin before returning to the road.

"I usually do," she said simply.

His lips twitched. "Most people panic when a man that size comes at them."

She smirked. "I don't panic, Adrian."

His jaw ticked. "No. You don't."

The weight of his gaze lingered, dragging over her like a physical touch.

Valeria turned to him fully, studying him. His grip on the wheel was firm, controlled, but there was tension there—restraint.

Good.

She let the silence build, let him stew in the weight of it before she dropped her next words, soft and lazy.

"I'm free, you know."

The reaction was immediate.

Adrian's knuckles whitened on the wheel.

Slowly, deliberately, he turned his head toward her, dark eyes locking onto hers with something unreadable.

"Free," he repeated, his voice quieter now, testing the word.

Valeria didn't blink. "No attachments. No one to answer to. No one to tell me what to do."

A muscle in his jaw ticked.

Liar.

She saw the flicker of doubt in his eyes. He didn't believe her. But he wanted to. And that was what mattered.

His gaze dipped—to her lips, to the curve of her throat—before snapping back up.

"That so?"

Valeria held his gaze, the challenge thick in her tone.

"Yes."

The air between them pulled tight, electric.

Adrian exhaled a slow, heavy breath. Then, with a smirk that sent a shiver down her spine, he hit the gas.

The car surged forward, stealing the breath from her lungs.

They disappeared into the city night, both knowing neither of them would leave this game unscathed.