Spring Tide (Coastal University Book 1)

I dropped Harper off at her place earlier this afternoon, spent the remaining hours attempting to study, and now I’m scrambling to find something presentable to wear tonight. For our date.

Our first real date.

It still feels like I fell asleep after the game last night and dreamed up this entire scenario. Harper likes me. She asked me to kiss her, practically begged me to, and then we slept cuddled up in bed together. Not once did I have the urge to push her away or take up space solely for myself.

Now, instead, I’ve been thinking about how it felt to be with her all day, during our car ride home, during the short walk up to her apartment, and especially during my numerous attempts at memorizing physics flash cards.

After waking up with her in my arms, I can’t seem to keep my brain straight no matter what I do.

All we did last night was share a kiss—a heated kiss with some minor fondling—but I was too chickenshit to move things forward. Harper was warm and soft and perfect in my hands, pressed against me in all the best places, yet I was paralyzed by my past. She says she understands that I want to take things slow, but I can’t help but feel like I’m always the one she’s making sacrifices for.

She’s been my helper and healer since the beginning. We both used each other, sure, but I was gaining the most out of our arrangement over the past few months. To move forward with our relationship, I want us to start off on the same foot.

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.

It feels really fucking good.

“Taylor, does this look okay?” I ask, one hand perched on the doorframe of her bedroom. She’s typing away on her laptop, a stack of engineering textbooks and scattered papers lining her desk. At the sound of my voice, her head darts up.

“Lookin’ good, bro.” She flashes me a toothy grin. “But I thought you were just taking Happy to the beach tonight?”

“Sure, but I want to seem like I put in at least a little effort.” I gaze down at my outfit, a simple button-up rolled at the forearms and a pair of nice shorts. It’s not much, but I tried. “You think this is overkill?”

“Not at all. I’m just used to your old, faded jeans and T-shirt combo.”

“Yeah, well, thanks.”

She draws her attention back to her laptop, scrolling aimlessly through her notes. “Did you get the flowers like I told you to?”

“Yes, Tay,” I say through pursed lips. “I got her some flowers.”

“Good.” She types another few sentences. “I’m staying at Meera’s tonight, by the way. All-night study group.”

“Good to know.”

As I stand in her doorway, a soft knock signals Harper’s arrival. I swipe a bead of moisture from my forehead, rubbing my hands down the side of my thighs. After I back out of Taylor’s room, I grab the small bouquet of peonies from the entryway table. They’re pale and pink and pretty, the perfect fit for Harper.

Plus, according to Taylor, these flowers symbolize happiness and healing.

Bentley joins me to greet her at the front door, his tail whipping back and forth in excitement. He’s always antsy for visitors, but he’s taken a special liking to this girl in particular.

It seems as though we all have.

With one final deep breath, I pull the door open to find that familiar, heart-stopping smile. Harper’s cheeks are pulled tight, freckled and rosy from the late-afternoon sun. She’s wearing another simple green sundress with some strappy sandals. Her hair is a mixture of wild curls, two thick braids framing either side of her face.

She’s absolutely stunning, as usual.

“Hi,” I mutter. It may be pathetic, but it’s all I can manage to squeeze out at the moment.

“Hi!” Her eyes spark as she glances down, the forgotten bouquet hanging limply beside my thigh. “Are those for me?”

“Oh, uh, yes.” My hand juts forward to pass them off. “Peonies.”

“I love them.” She brings the flowers to her nose, grinning as she sniffs them. Beaming, she lifts both arms, leans onto her tiptoes, and slowly wraps them over my shoulders. “Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome. You look beautiful, by the way.”

“You too.”

I shake my head, one corner of my mouth lifting into a lopsided smile. “You ready to head out?”

“Is Taylor home? I want to say hi before we leave.”

“Yeah, she’s just in her room studying. Why don’t you head back there, and I’ll grab our stuff for the car?”

“Meet you out front in five.” She presses a small peck to the side of my jaw, prancing off down the hall, stopping to greet Bentley with a few quick pets.

I rake my fingers through my hair, attempting to suppress the full-out grin that’s taken residence on my face.

It takes me a few minutes to gather up the basket of food I picked up earlier, plus a small cooler of drinks and some blankets for the beach. I pat Bentley on the way out the door before I move to toss the items in the back of my trunk. In case Harper gets cold tonight, there’s an extra sweatshirt waiting for her in the back seat.

She rounds the corner as I finish propping open the passenger door. Her fingers interlock with mine before she asks, “So where are we headed?”

“I thought we’d go to Amber Isle to watch the sunset. I packed some food and stuff. If that’s cool?”

“Food and stuff? Like for a picnic?”

“You could call it that.”

“Then I will. Luca Reynolds is taking me for a sunset picnic on the beach. How lucky am I?”

“It’s nothing elaborate, Harper.”

“No, but it’s perfect.”

With one final squeeze of my hand, she tucks herself into the passenger seat of my Subaru. I’m tempted to kiss her again as the lingering sunshine strikes the side of her cheek, but I’m not sure if we’ve reached that level of casual intimacy yet.

Are you allowed to kiss someone unprompted on the first date, simply whenever the mood strikes, or is there some kind of unspoken etiquette to follow?

Fuck it.

I duck my head, grazing my lips over hers. There’s the tiniest flush of heat in her cheeks when I pull back, a slight curve to her lips, and it all makes me wish I kissed her for just a little bit longer.

We take our time finding the perfect spot on the beachfront, yards away from any lingering tourists. It’s still warm for an October evening on the coast, but there’s a slight breeze that kicks up our blanket as we flatten it over the sand. While we settle in next to each other, shoulder to shoulder, I grab our basket of food.

“You hungry?” I ask, a small shiver racking my body as she leans against me.

“It depends on what you brought.”

“What if it’s tacos from that place you love?”

“Then I’d probably say I’m starving.”

I flip the lid open on our basket, lifting out the familiar foil packets and a set of paper plates. “That’s good, then, because I picked up a shit ton of chorizo and egg. They still feel pretty warm.”

“Oo, our favorite.”

I stifle a grin. “Yeah.”

She leans across my lap and fills her plate with a few wrapped tacos. “Hot sauce?”

“Don’t think I forgot,” I say, rifling through the cooler for the stack of plastic containers. “There’s also some beer here if you want. Dos Equis. Or wine since I already knew you liked pinot grigio. It doesn’t really go with tacos, but I wasn’t all that sure you liked this beer. Or water if you’re not into alcohol tonight. I know it’s our first . . . date, so don’t feel like you need to—”

“I’ll take a beer.” She sets her full plate to the side, grinning as she pats the side of my thigh. “Thank you.”

I sort through the cooler for two beers, popping the tops off and passing one to Harper. She clinks hers against mine and takes a deep sip, smiling as she gulps back the cool liquid.

“Good choice,” she says, wasting no time as she unwraps her food and applies a generous heap of salsa verde. “I honestly wasn’t that hungry, but now I think I could eat like ten of these.”

I tip back my own beer, an easy smile stretching my face. “Go for it.”

“I will.”

We eat our tacos in relative silence, pausing here and there to chat about work and classes, crumpling up foil wrappers as we go. We’ve made it through a handful of tacos each by the time we’re on our second beer. In the distance, the sun has officially started to set.

“Sometimes I forget how beautiful it is out here,” she murmurs, stacking our dirty plates and empty beer bottles into the now-empty basket.

“Yeah, I don’t think I’ve actually stopped to watch the sunset in years. I’m out here four days a week, but I never take time to enjoy it.”

“Well, thank you for bringing me tonight. I’m glad we can enjoy it together.”

“Of course.”

Now that our little picnic is cleared out of the way, I spread my legs across the faded blanket. Harper pats my left thigh, hinting for me to make some extra room. With a contented sigh, she shifts herself between my open legs, crawling into the space and leaning her back against my chest.

“You know what’s kind of sad, now that I think about it?”

“What’s that?” I ask, wrapping one arm around her waist and propping us both up with the other.

“I only have two more weekends of lifeguarding left in the season. Come November, I’ll probably only come here to see Stell at work.”

“You think I could get you to visit me at the pier?”

Her fingers brush against the side of my thigh. “You’d want that?”

“Of course. Pawel would probably lose his mind over it.”

“Then yeah, I’ll visit you.”

I press a kiss to her hair. “Good.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask, how’s your knee feeling after the game last night? It seemed like you were completely fine out on the field.”

“I put on a good show, huh?”

“Really?” She shifts in my arms the slightest bit, neck tilted up to gauge my expression. “You’re not doing any better?”

“Nah, I am.” I wrinkle my nose, plastering on an indifferent smile. “It’s more of a dull ache now, mostly after a long practice or if I put too much pressure on it. It’s completely manageable. Honestly, I probably don’t need to keep up with our PT regularly. I, uh, I think I’m pretty much healed.”

It’s not that I’m lying, necessarily, but I could technically use all the help I can get. Still, a larger part of me feels like we need to stop blurring the lines in our relationship now. I’m mostly healed at this point. Plus, thanks to Harper’s diligence, I know how to continue with her treatment on my own time.

“Oh, you think so?”

“Yeah, if that’s okay with you? That way, our time together doesn’t need to be focused on my healing anymore. We can just . . . be.”

“You’re not just saying that because you want me to stop worrying?”

“That’s certainly a perk.”

“Luca . . .”

“No, I’m really okay now.” I wave off her concern, tugging her closer. “Plus, I want us to put all that behind us. You can still give me massages if I really need one, though.”

“Ah, see, I knew I was lucky.”

“The luckiest.”

She tilts her head back again, pressing a soft kiss to the underside of my jaw. “You know, I think this was a pretty perfect first date so far.”

I gaze toward the shore. The bright vermillion hues have already faded into the subtle shades of the blue hour. There’s a slight chill to the sea breeze now, but Harper seems content in my arms.Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.

“You think?”

“Mhmm. Did Taylor help you plan it?”

I let out a hearty chuckle. “I’ll take about half the credit, at least.”

“You’re so cute.”

“Cute,” I echo.

“Mhmm.” She flips herself around in my arms, straddling my lap. Her fingertips trace the side of my face as she murmurs, “And handsome.”

“Better.”

Her lips press against mine. “Sexy.”

I can’t help my disbelieving snort.

“What?” Her tone is indignant, eyes playfully narrowed. “You are, to me and probably to everyone.”

My hands wrap around either side of her body, sliding across the soft cotton of her dress. “Everyone, huh?”

“Yes.”

“I know you said before that you didn’t have a type, but I still wasn’t sure you’d be into a guy like me.” I squeeze my fingertips against her hips, avoiding the curious look in her eyes.

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know.” There’s an awkward clenching in my chest. “I guess I’m not all fit and lean with perfect hair like Gunderson. I think that guy has a six-pack on top of his six-pack.”

Shocked laughter spills from her lips. “That’s not why I had a crush on Nate.”

“No?”

“No, you goof. I mostly liked him because he reminded me of a puppy.”

“A puppy?”

“Yeah, like one of those little guys running around on the beach with their tongue hanging out, chasing birds and stuff.”

“Wow, this is great. I feel loads better now. So I remind you of your dead, grouchy cat, and Nate reminds you of a cute, innocent puppy?”

“RIP, Mr. Tickles,” she mumbles, glancing toward the sky. “And not anymore. Plus, like I said, that silly crush had absolutely nothing to do with this double six-pack you’re referring to.”

“Alright.”

“I do love your body, though.” Her fingertips fumble with the buttons on my shirt, slipping each one through its respective hole. Her hands slowly trail down past my waist, then slide back up to push at the fabric around my shoulders. “Definitely sexy.”

“We’re in public, Harper.”

“We’re at the beach, Luca.” She swipes her tongue across her bottom lip, subtly, an action I would have hardly noticed if my eyes weren’t glued to the spot. “People go shirtless at the beach, you know. Plus, it’s practically dark, and no one’s out here anymore.”

“All of this is true.”

“I’ll take my dress off if that would make you more comfortable.”

My grip tightens around her hips, brows lifting. “How would . . . you know, there’s something inherently wrong with your logic tonight.”

“I have a bikini on under this, silly. We could go for a little night swim before we head back.”

“I didn’t bring trunks.”

“You have boxers on, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Then let’s go.”

She pushes onto her feet, tugging at my free hand. There’s a pleading smile and a hopeful glimmer in her wide-eyed gaze, as if I might actually deny her.

“Yeah, alright.”

The next thing I know, she drops my hand, lifts her dress over her head, and bounds toward the open ocean. The soft, green fabric billows into a pile halfway down the shore. I’ve barely managed to unbutton my shorts by the time she’s fully submerged underneath the shallow waves.

With one final shake of my head and the ghost of a laugh, I take off after her.