Spring Tide (Coastal University Book 1)

“Do you have a bikini that ’Lani can borrow?” Stella asks as she crosses into my bedroom. She rifles through my dresser drawers before I can even formulate a response, sifting through layers of lacy underwear and boy shorts.

Lai’Lani is more my size than Stella’s, meaning she has tiny boobs that would never fill out her girlfriend’s bikini tops. I consider it both a gift and a curse. While we can get away with wearing no bra and backless tops, any attempt at cleavage is a concerted effort.

“Top left.” I chew on the end of my pen, flipping through my ergonomics textbook. “What are you guys doing today?”

“Hot tub party at Saachi’s apartment.” She pulls out a lime-green triangle suit, holding it up for my approval. “This one fine?”

“Yeah, of course. And are we talking about your ex, Saachi?”

“Who else?”

Stella met Saachi last October. She came into the Surfbreak with her three roommates, and they hit it off right away, dating for almost half the school year. Sadly, that’s about four months longer than any romantic relationship I’ve ever had.

“’Lani doesn’t care?”

She tilts her head, smile filled with amusement. “We’re all friends.”

“Very enlightened of you.”

She steps closer, tapping me on the nose. “Just because my little Blue Fairy doesn’t have any exes to be friends with doesn’t mean it’s not possible.”

I cross my arms, feigning a pout. “I have exes.”

“I mean actual exes. People you talked to for more than a few weeks before you started crushing on someone else.”

I rack my brain for a response, coming up with a singular name from the last three years of my college life. “Rory from freshman year.”

She gives me a sympathetic smile. “Honey, Rory was dating about half of Coastal at the time.”

“It was an open relationship.”

Stella’s not necessarily wrong. I’ve casually dated a lot of different people since coming to Coastal. My crushes may fade quickly, but that doesn’t mean the feelings weren’t real at the time.

“It was a situation-ship at best. Speaking of, how are things going with Reynolds?”

“See, now that’s definitely not a situation-ship.”

“Oh, so you’re in a full-fledged relationship now?” Her lips purse into a teasing smile. “He’s your boyfriend, then?”

He’s not exactly my boyfriend, as we haven’t had that conversation yet, but I’d like to hope we’re moving in that direction. Our relationship may have started as a lie—an attempt at quid pro quo—but now Luca has officially wormed his way into my heart.

“We’re dating.”

“I’m happy for you two, really. And for Reynolds’ sake, I hope he can keep you interested.”

“Stella,” I whine. “I really do like him.”

“I know you do. I can tell. And you’ve been talking to him for a while, but you know that your super-crush on Nate just exited the picture, so . . .”

“That was nothing.”

She lifts one perfectly sculpted brow. “And Luca’s something?”

“He is.”

“Good.” She moves toward the doorway. With one final pat against the frame, she asks, “So, hot tub party? You can invite him if you want.”

“Luca in a hot tub with a bunch of half-naked girls? Sounds like a place he’d be super comfortable in.”

We share a laugh. “So I’ll take that as a rain check?”

“I have to study anyway, but thank you. You and ’Lani have fun, okay?”

“We will.”

Today is one of my last shifts at Amber Isle. The late-October air is crisp and cool, but there’s a residual heat to the ocean. It’s been a nice morning so far, especially since I’ve spent most of it staring over at Luca. I mean, I’ve been watching the beach for any potential drownings, of course, but I’ve also been making googly eyes at the guy I’m dating.

He’s so handsome. I can hardly see him from this vantage point, but I can picture the exact expression he’s wearing. His pinched brows. His half scowl. His floppy, dark hair falling partway into his eyes.

As if he can feel the heat of my gaze, his body shifts, head lifting in my direction. A warm smile stretches my cheeks, and we exchange waves—mine is overly exaggerated and enthusiastic, while his appears to be half-cocked.

I brace myself to hop off the lifeguard stand, but he’s already headed in my direction.

As he approaches, I cross and uncross my legs, flip my ponytail back behind my shoulders, twirl the front strands that frame my face. It’s been nearly a week since we’ve spent any time together. More accurately, it’s been six whole days since our first date ended in an impromptu sleepover.

We’ve been texting here and there, but we’ve both been overly busy.

“Hey.” He extends an arm in my direction, offering a helping hand. “Want to hop down for a minute?”

I tap my chin. “What’s in it for me?”

“Anything you want.”

“A kiss?”

His cheeks flush, lips forming a shy smile. “That could be arranged.”

I slide into place, legs dangling from the podium. Luca lifts both arms to meet my waist. His strong hands grip me on either side as I shift forward, landing feet-first in the sand. With a tiny smirk, I tilt my head up so he can kiss me. His lips are soft and warm, and I instantly melt against him, taking comfort in the way he holds me.

“You smell good,” he murmurs against my lips. “Peaches.”

I pull back, nudging our noses together. “It’s my shampoo.”Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“I know.”

I beam, appreciating the soft flutter of butterflies in my stomach. “You came to say hi.”

“I noticed you staring at me all morning.”

My mouth drops open, cheeks warming. “I wasn’t staring . . .”

“Sure.”

I playfully kick at the sand. “I wasn’t.”

“Okay.” He trails one hand up and down my exposed back. “If you weren’t staring at me, then I haven’t been thinking about you all week.”

“Fine, I admit it.” I duck my chin, hiding a smile. “But it’s only because it’s hard to see you from here. I had to squint to make out your features, and that takes time.”

His hand moves from my back to my shoulder before brushing across my collarbone. “Valid excuse.”

“So you’ve been thinking about me, huh?”

“Only a lot.”

“I’ve been thinking about you, too.”

And I have been, every day we’ve spent apart. When I first wake up, I think about the sound of his voice. When I step out into the morning light, I think about his smile. And when I go to bed at night, I think about the way his body feels, arms wrapped around me tightly.

It’s an endless cycle, a dream I wish was reality.

He hooks a finger under the thin strap of my one-piece uniform, tugging me closer. “Can you come over tonight?”

“Don’t you have a game?”

“It’s a home game. Come after? Not to help me recuperate or anything,” he rushes to clarify. “I just want to spend time with you.”

“I could come to the game, too. If you wanted?”

“Yeah, I want that.” He smooths his hands down the sides of my hips, gaze dragging across my frame. “Do you . . . I mean, I have a jersey you could wear.”

A giddy smile lights up my face. “Okay.”

“I can drop it off on my way to the field, then.”

“Perfect.”

He leans down, pressing one last kiss to the top of my hair. With a few small steps backward, he grins as he says, “I should get back to the pier, but I’ll see you tonight.”

It’s nearing ten o’clock by the time I make it over to Luca’s place. The game finished up a few hours ago, but he needed time to field interviews, debrief with the team, and take a quick shower. I’m feeling antsy after all this waiting, especially since I spent the night wearing his name across my back.

When he finally pulls open the door, I’m bouncing on the balls of my feet. “You were so amazing tonight.”

The Ospreys wiped the field with the Penn Valley Pirates. Luca led his team for the second game in a row with nine tackles, including two for a loss. I don’t know much about football, honestly, but I had Fletcher run me the stats after the game. According to him, Luca played like a champ.

“Thank you,” he says, sweeping me through the front door. His hands come to rest against my hips as he gives me a quick once-over. “You should wear this all the time.”

I tug at the sleeves of his oversized jersey. “You like?”

“Love,” he says gruffly.

I twirl in place, the excess fabric billowing around my thighs. “It’s just a little bit big on me, no?”

“I think it’s a perfect fit.”

My smile widens. “Did you see me rooting for you in the student section?”

“Sadly, I couldn’t make you out in the crowd. It’s pretty hard to focus up there once the game gets going, but at least I knew you were there.”

“I’m gonna need to step up my game, then. Wear some face paint and bring a sign.”

“That’s definitely not overkill.”

“It’s not.” I swat at his bicep. “I loved watching you play, by the way. You must be so exhausted.”

“Yeah, I’m fucking beat.”

I thread our hands together, dragging him down the hallway behind me. “I could give you a massage tonight, check on your knee, and then maybe you can sleep in tomorrow?”

He sighs as we shuffle into his bedroom. “I have a double shift starting at 6:00 a.m.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, I can’t afford to skip out on a Sunday.” He slumps down onto the edge of his bed, pulling me into the space beside him. “Now, more than ever, I need the extra money.”

My hand reaches up to cup his face. “I could help out if you wanted?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, my parents cover my tuition and board, so I just use lifeguarding as extra spending money. I’ve actually saved most of it from the summer, so I could help you out with whatever you need to give your parents.”

“Wait a minute, hold on.” He removes my hand from his cheek, bringing it back down to the mattress. “You’re offering to give me money?”

My brow crinkles. “I just thought—”

“Yeah, that’s not happening.”

“It’s not a big deal, really,” I plead, pressing one palm against his thigh in reassurance. “I promise.”

His hand covers mine. “Stop.”

My smile falls. “Luca—”

“Just stop, okay? You must see me as some big charity case.” He gulps low in his throat and turns away. “First the injury, now this.”

“Not at all.” I shake my head. “Look, I’m sorry I offered, but I—”

He stands abruptly, head turning toward the open doorway. “It’s getting pretty late, actually. I can take you home.”

“I just got here, Luca,” I huff, allowing the heated emotion to cloud my voice. “And I drove myself.”

“Right,” he says on a heavy sigh. There’s a stilted silence that follows, punctuated only by the heavy rise and fall of his chest.

It takes me a few moments to gather myself. My first inclination is to apologize and wrap my arms around him, but I’m not so sure I have anything to be sorry for. He can’t immediately shut me out and make me leave like he did before. We agreed on transparency since then. I may have touched on a hot subject, but this reaction is unfair.

“I just see how much pressure you put on yourself, and I wanted to help,” I say softly.

“No, I know.” He reclaims his seat beside me, rubbing his temples. “I shouldn’t shut you down like that, but we come from two very different worlds, Harper. And you should know that I’ll never take money from you. I don’t like owing a debt to anyone.”

“I’d never think of it like that.”

“It doesn’t really matter, but thank you for offering. I really do appreciate you being there for me.”

“Of course.” I tug at a strand of hair, self-conscious and hyperaware of the space I’m occupying in his bed now. “Do you still want me to leave?”

“No.” He swallows, giving me an apologetic smile. “No, I want you to stay. Will you?”

“Yeah.”

“Come here, then.” He shifts on the bed, pulling me into the open space between his legs. Both arms wrap around my chest as I lean back against him. “Stay the night?”

“Only if I can sleep in your jersey.”

He chuckles, low and deep, as he murmurs against my hair, “How’d you know just what I wanted?”