League Valencia

Hours after landing in Valencia, Spain, I’m newly single, tipsy, and stranded at a bar with three declined credit cards. Enter Ale: swoon-worthy local with a smirk that should be illegal and dance moves that leave me breathless. He covers my tab, takes me to dinner, and somewhere between cocktails and a reckless kiss, I forget about the awful start to my trip. By the following morning, we’re trending on social media. Turns out, Ale isn’t just a charming stranger—he’s a European soccer star with a PR problem.

Luca DiBlanco has known me since I was a kid—and that’s all he’s ever seen me as. Until he shows up in Chicago when my world is crumbling and helps me piece it back together. Moving home to Valencia, Spain should have been a fresh start. Instead, it throws me right back into Luca’s orbit. Only now, the reliable, steady guy who’s always looked out for me… is looking at me. Differently. Closer. Like he’s tempted.