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This life is too damn good, too beautiful, to cry over greasy boys with sloppy tongues. I didn’t grow bitter that night. I didn’t lose my faith in relationships or decide that boys simply aren’t worth my time. Rather, I learned that it’s okay to like something and then lose it. To love and then let go. Because something beautiful, something brilliant, is waiting just around the corner.
“It’s ’cause you work too damn hard.” “I do what’s necessary.” “That you do, son.” He claps a firm hand against my back. “Just don’t forget to live every once in a while, will ya?”
And Harper’s not exactly an inconspicuous girl. She’s all sorts of shiny, bright like the blazing sun, and sugary sweet.
I’m fairly certain that girl’s spirit is filled with sunshine and rainbows and fucking butterflies. And then there’s . . . well, there’s me. I am who I am. And she’s just—
“He totally clams up whenever your name is even mentioned. Have you seen how red his ears get? So adorable.”
Somehow, the revelation doesn’t shock me. I like the way I feel when I’m around Luca. He’s smart, handsome, dedicated, and surprisingly funny. He loves his family with all his heart. He may be guarded, but he’s been revealing all the secret pieces that make him whole. It’s not a crush, per se, but I’m not really sure what to call it.
reminding me that I’m alone with a girl in a hotel room. And that it’s not just any girl. This is Harper, with her big, sweet smiles and her uncanny knack for bringing me comfort.
“I’m majoring in sports medicine. I’ve always loved the beach. And earlier, when I felt your lips press against my hair, I wish you would’ve just kissed me for real.”
I don’t want to keep begging you, but I might just be willing to.” “You don’t need to beg me,” I murmur. “Not now, not ever.”
I can do honesty. And maybe just . . . I’d like to hold you while we fall asleep.” His hand drifts from my cheek to my shoulder, tucking me against his side. “If that’s okay?” “Please.”
Harper, can we . . . will you come over tonight?” One arm wraps around my shoulders, the other hand still clutching mine. “Once we get back? I’d like to take you on a real date.” I fall back onto the balls of my feet and tuck my head into his chest. “I thought you’d never ask.”
I want to be everything for her that she is for me—a best friend, a confidant, a source of motivation. The reason that I feel like smiling when I wake up in the morning now. For the first time in a long time, I have something to look forward to at Coastal other than football.
“Harper, I’m asking if I can go down on you, because it’s pretty much all I’ve been thinking about since you first asked me to kiss you. And now you’re sitting here, in my bed, wearing nothing beneath my work shirt.”
“You know, I’ve always known what it was like to be needed by someone, from my parents to my siblings to my one hundred and eighteen fucking teammates. Being needed feels endless. Until I met you, I never knew what it was like to be the one in need,” he says, the corners of his lips hinting at a smile. “And I do need you, so fucking badly.”
“It is a big deal.” He flashes me a rare, heart-stopping smile. “Baby, you are so fucking perfect that it makes my head spin.”
“Your dad’s a jerk.” I reach an arm over the center console, shaping my fingers around her thigh. “You’re fucking perfect, okay?”
There’s a weight in the pit of my stomach now, a desperate, aching need to make her just as absurdly happy as she makes me. It may be an impossible feat, but I’m sure as hell going to try my fucking best.
“It’s pretty fucking easy when I’ve got you underneath me. For some reason, I just want to spew out whatever shit comes to my mind. Plus, your reactions make it so much better.” I’m practically glowing at his praise. “Yeah?” “Yeah, being with you is the best I’ve ever had.” He kisses me again, slow and deep. “Every. Single. Time.”
But loving Harper, the girl bathed in sunlight, feels as natural and effortless as breathing in my sleep.
