Page 58 of Spring Break Fling

She stopped again and picked up another shell.

“Oh no,” I groaned playfully. “I’m going to get this dude’s story about his wife and kids leaving him.”

Before I knew it, she splashed me, cold water hitting my leg.

“Oh, you’re gonna regret that,” I said, narrowing my eyes at her.

She laughed, backing away. “What are you going to do about it?”

I didn’t give her time to run. In two strides, I caught up to her, scooping her up in my arms as she squealed.

“Nikko!” she shouted, laughing so hard she could barely breathe.

“You started this.” I spun us both around before setting her down gently in the surf.

She looked up at me, her hair wild from the breeze, her cheeks flushed from laughing, and I couldn’t stop myself. I leaned down and kissed her.

It wasn’t planned, wasn’t calculated. It was just her and me, the ocean, and the stars.

When we pulled apart, she stared at me, her lips parted in surprise.

Shit. I like this girl.

And for the first time in my life, I didn’t want to run.

19

HANNAH

We started walking again, our hands locked together. This didn’t feel like a revenge plan. It felt like something terrifyingly real.

Did he kiss me because it was him trying to start something that led to sex? Or did it actually mean something more? With Nikko, it was hard to tell, but this time, something in his gaze hinted at something I had not seen before. It didn’t feel like the gruff tattoo artist I first met.

We walked in silence for a few more steps, each lost in our own thoughts. We eventually ended up back at the blanket. Neither of us seemed to be all that interested in going anywhere else. It felt too good to be real. At least real in my life. This was not the kind of thing that happened to people like me.

Sitting in the sand with Nikko felt oddly right. The gentle sound of the waves, the sky above us a blanket of stars. His arm was warm and heavy draped around my shoulders. It was ridiculous how easy this felt, how natural. Like we did this every weekend or something.

Except we didn’t. And maybe that was why my curiosity was gnawing at me like a dog on a bone.

I shifted a little, resting my cheek against his shoulder. “Can we talk about what happened at your tattoo shop?”

Nikko’s entire body tensed. His arm stiffened around me. I felt him draw in a slow, deliberate breath. I knew it was a sensitive subject. I just didn’t understand why. Shit happened. Businesses got broken into all the time. He seemed to be taking it all very personally.

“You don’t have to tell me,” I added quickly, my words tumbling over themselves. “I get it if it’s private. I just… I thought maybe you’d want to talk about it. If you do, I’m a pretty good listener.”

For a moment, I thought he’d shut me out. He’d go quiet, maybe make some sarcastic comment to deflect, and that would be the end of it. But instead, he surprised me.

With a long exhale, Nikko leaned his head back to stare at the stars. “At first, I thought it was my old man who broke in.”

I tilted my head up to look at him, sensing the weight behind those words.

“That’s a lot to unpack,” I said cautiously. “Your dad? You thought he would break in and rob your business? That’s, uh, wow.”

“You’re telling me.” He laughed but there was no humor in it. “My old man has been a screw-up since before I was born.”

I stayed quiet and waited for him to talk at his own pace. I wasn’t going to push.

“I grew up in Miami, surrounded by him and his merry band of idiots—low-level gangsters who thought they were kings of the world. Mostly uncles, cousins, guys who should’ve known better. After you left the other night, I went to my father’s house. It’s a total fucking dump. I can’t believe I actually lived in that shithole. Granted, those losers have run it into the ground even more than it already was, but it always amazes me when I go back to the place.”