Page 137 of Spring Break Fling

She nodded slowly. “And maybe to see if you’d take me back for one more wild ride,” she added with a wry smile.

“We’re kind of doing that now, aren’t we?” I chuckled.

“Yes, we are,” she agreed, leaning against me slightly.

“And I hope we don’t stop anytime soon.”

“Think you’ll let me crash at your place?” she asked suddenly, her tone light but her eyes serious. “Is it safe?”

I hesitated for half a second before nodding. “I’ll make sure it is.”

Her brows furrowed. “How?”

I smiled. “Leave that to me.”

“Have they, I mean, have you talked to your dad?”

“No.”

“And what about the men that want to kill you?”

“I’ve been handling it,” I said, trying to sound more confident than I felt. “I’ve made some… arrangements. Don’t worry, it’s nothing dangerous, just some security measures and keeping a low profile.”

Hannah looked at me skeptically. “Nikko, those guys are serious. You can’t just brush them off. They won’t stop until they⁠—”

“I know,” I interrupted, squeezing her hand to reassure her as much as myself. “But they don’t get to dictate how I live my life anymore. I’m tired of running from my father’s problems. If they come back, I will go to the police.”

“We’ll handle it together,” she murmured. “You know, there’s something we didn’t do last time we were here.”

“And what’s that?” I asked.

She got to her feet, flashing me a mischievous smile as she reached for the hem of her shirt and tugged it over her head, revealing nothing but a black lace bra. She quickly undid her jeans and peeled them off to reveal matching panties.

“I like the way you think,” I said and jumped up.

When I reached for her, she swatted at my hands. “Not that.”

“What else are we going to do on this secluded beach all by ourselves?” I teased.

“Skinny dipping,” she said, already walking toward the water.

“You’re insane,” I said, laughing as I kicked off my jeans.

“Insanely fun,” she called over her shoulder, unhooking her bra and letting it drop into the sand.

I followed her in, the cool water a sharp contrast to the warmth of the air. She let out a little yelp as a wave splashed against her, then turned to face me, her eyes sparkling.

“This feels freeing,” she said, her voice quieter now. “Like everything is finally falling into place.”

I closed the distance between us, pulling her into my arms. The water lapped around us, but all I could feel was her—warm and soft and mine.

“Feels pretty perfect to me,” I murmured, brushing a strand of wet hair from her face.

She tilted her head back to look at the sky. “You know,” she said, her voice almost wistful. “I didn’t realize how good it would feel to finally speak aloud what I want. To just go for it.”

“What’d your friends think?” I asked, trailing a finger along her collarbone.

She blushed. “I haven’t told them yet.”