Page 107 of Spring Break Fling

I blinked. “What? No. I need my firm. It’s got the prestige, the reputation. Clients trust it. Without that, I’d be… I don’t know, just some random freelancer.”

He shook his head, leaning in a little closer. “You’re not just anything, Hannah. You’re a fighter. You’ve proven that. If you showed people that side of you, they’d follow you. You’ve got something Clarke doesn’t.”

“What’s that?” I asked, genuinely curious.

“Heart,” he said simply. “And your story. Where you came from, what you’ve overcome—that’s your power. That’s what people connect with, not the corporate crap.”

I felt my cheeks heat up. No one had ever looked at me like Nikko did—like he saw me, really saw me.

“Stop,” I said, laughing softly.

“Stop what?” he asked, a playful grin tugging at his lips.

“Making me blush,” I admitted, covering my face with my hands.

“Never,” he said, pulling my hands away gently.

I stared into his eyes, my heart pounding. “I missed you,” I whispered.

“I missed you too,” he replied, his voice barely audible.

Before I could overthink it, he leaned in, and our lips met in a kiss that sent molten gold through my nerve endings. It was sweet, tender, and everything I’d been craving since the moment we’d said goodbye in Miami.

But then I pulled back, my heart racing for a different reason.

“Nikko,” I said softly. “We need to talk.”

His brow furrowed. “What’s wrong?”

“I just… I can’t keep getting closer to you if we don’t know where this is going,” I said, my voice wavering. “If you’re going back to Miami in a few weeks and I’m staying here, how is this supposed to work?”

He nodded slowly, his expression serious. “I get it. You don’t want to set yourself up for heartbreak.”

“It’s not just about me,” I said. “It’s about us. One of us would have to compromise eventually. Long distance can’t work forever.”

He reached out, taking my hand. “We’ll figure it out, Hannah. Let’s just take it one step at a time, okay?”

Maybe we could make this work. Maybe we’d find a way to meet in the middle.

“Okay,” I said.

“But since I’m here, I’m thinking we should make the most of our time together.”

“Oh yeah?” I grinned. “What did you have in mind?”

“I’m thinking we finish the bottle of wine and get naked.”

“In that order?” I giggled.

“No. Not necessarily.”

37

NIKKO

The next two weeks zipped by too quickly. When Hannah wasn’t working, we were glued to each other—coffee dates, late-night movie marathons, and outings with her friends, who had a knack for embarrassing her with childhood stories. I liked them, though. Maddie had a sharp wit, Rachel was hilariously opinionated, and Tara was terrifyingly good at poker.

Tonight, though, was different. Tonight, I was meeting the parents.