The man I looked up to who ran his own business, organized poker nights with his buddies, golfed, mountain biked, fished, and loved and disciplined his kids with equal measure, can barely get himself dressed these days. It was one thing to lose my mom, but to watch my father drown in grief? Love isn’t worth that. Nothing’s worth living like a corpse.
When my eyes met Nina’s that night in the hostel, Dad’s words rang in my ears. It was a few months after the accident. I was opening curtains and turning on lights at three in the afternoon. Dad rolled over in bed and faced me, fresh tears threatening to fall. “The first day I met her,” he said, his voice hoarse and scratchy. “The first day, I knew. One look and she stole my breath.”
She stole my breath. Fucking Nina. The world stopped on its axis when her green eyes locked on mine. This wasn’t part of my traveling plan. For a guy who grew up laughing, pulling pranks, and generally fucking around, I am seriously uncomfortable with the amount of feelings boiling inside me these days. I’ve gone from tough to sensitive, carefree to agitated, walking a constant tightrope of emotion. This trip is about escape, about rediscovering the old me. Getting laid on the fly is a big part of that.
Then I had to meet Nina.
Every movement she makes turns me on, but something deeper snapped between us that first night. Not what I’m after. I want easy, light, and fun. Preferably in the dark. Lacey’s rejection when she saw my burned legs was enough, thanks.
For three days, I ignored Nina as best I could. I worked on Reese. I focused on Reese. I didn’t look at those damn green eyes. Reese is easy, predictable. No strings, no fallout. A quick lay. I tried. Fuck, did I try. But when I leaned down to kiss her, I couldn’t do it. Nina’s lust-filled gaze loomed large in my mind, and all I saw in Reese’s mascara-drenched eyes was vanity, like I was a conquest. A story to be retold. Instead of getting laid, I limped off.
Maybe the accident messed up more than my legs.
That skimpy-ass bikini was the last straw, and when Nina fell against me, it sent me over the edge. I needed to touch her, taste her. See nothing but desire on a woman’s face. The old Sam would be able to fuck around with her for a week or two and move on. Somewhere under all this emotional bullshit, I’m still that guy, scarred legs or not. So now I’m here, waiting for the girl who stole my breath, because I pussied out instead of letting her see me in shorts at the beach next to Callum and Bruno.
The green Kiwi Experience bus pulls up to the hostel, gravel crunching under its weight. I stand from the bench I’ve been lounging on and shield my eyes from the billowing dust. The door hisses open. Reese stumbles out, Bruno behind her. He tugs her hips until she falls against his chest. He can have her. Callum follows next, then Brianne and Leigh. I step forward, craning my neck, but there’s no red ponytail.
Bruno waves at me as he moves to Reese’s side and drapes his arm over her shoulder. “Sam, you missed a helluva day, mate.”
“Fun?” I ask, still glancing past his shoulders. Another girl exits the bus…but still no Nina.
They stop in front of me. Reese presses into Bruno’s side, her free hand resting on his stomach. “Seriously, Sam,” she says. “It was the lunch to end all lunches. Fucking hilarious.”
Callum, Brianne, and Leigh have joined us, the three girls sharing excited looks like they found dirty celebrity photos. Leigh, in particular, looks ready to burst, her lips pulled tight to keep from smiling.
I frown at the lot of them. “Lunch is lunch. I thought you were hitting the sand dunes and Ninety Mile Beach?” The bus doors are still open, but no one else hops off. Knowing Nina, she probably dumped her stuff on the floor and is busy picking it up.
“Oh, my God, you didn’t hear?” Brianne asks, her high-pitched, nasal voice making me wince.
Again with the shared looks, the girls giggling outright. Callum shakes his head, his shoulders bouncing with a light laugh. When Reese whispers in Bruno’s ear, that mad sound explodes from his mouth.
My jaw ticks with irritation. “No, Brianne, I didn’t hear. The magic grapevine between Cape Reinga