“Oh.” She looked at me with shock. “You surfed professionally? Like, you competed and stuff, and that was your job?”

  God, she was adorable. So easily surprised, flustered, and cute.

  “Yeah, Spring, it was my job.”

  “Wow. I had no idea that surfers made this kind of money.”

  I barked out a laugh. I couldn’t help it. “Some do, but it’s not common. Most of my money comes from endorsement deals and side hustles,” I said with a grin.

  “Side hustles. Like what?” She put her elbow on top of the table and placed her head on her fist as she batted those long lashes at me.

  I could have lied or left things out or not told her anything else personal about me, but I didn’t want to. Spring wasn’t like the other girls who all knew who I was and where I had come from and wanted a piece of the fame that came with being associated with me. Even when I’d been with Kaylee, that hadn’t stopped the groupies. Certain girls didn’t care.

  “I have a line of surfboards that I helped create. Some of them are in the store in the resort, but most are all over the islands,” I said, and she sucked in a quick breath.

  “I saw that store! I wanted to go in there this morning, but they were closed.”

  “Yeah. So, there’s the surfboards, the pH-balanced line of Hawaiian island water, surf wax, and a clothing line for now.”

  “Wait.” She put a hand up and giggled. “You have a line of water?”

  “Don’t knock it,” I said, pouring her a glass from the pitcher. “Try it.”

  She took a long drink before wiping her lips with the back of her hand. “It’s tangy. Why is it tangy?”

  “It’s the pH balance. It’s supposed to be better for you than regular water. I love it. I can totally taste the difference.”

  “I think it could grow on me,” she said with a smile as she took another drink. “This whole place could grow on me.”

  I liked the sound of that. Too much. And the idea of it even more.

  “Oh, wait. So, when you said we were at the Pipeline, you meant, the famous surfing spot?”

  She was just now connecting all the dots.

  “Yeah. The rest of the places down the sand are all team-sponsored houses. All the guys who surf professionally stay there with the rest of their teammates.”

  “Jeez,” she said, sounding impressed. “Who knew that surfing was so badass?”

  “Everyone but you, Spring.”

  “That’s not fair. I bet my sister doesn’t know.”

  “She might,” I suggested with a grin.

  “It’s really beautiful here. Like, way prettier than I imagined or expected,” she said. She moved from the table to one of the lounge chairs and lay down, her eyes closing. She looked so peaceful, lying there in the sun, her auburn hair soaking in the light. “Tell me what happened with Kaylee, Diego. Why’d she break up with you?”

  She more than broke up with me, I thought to myself.

  She’d broken off our engagement and called off our wedding and our life together.

  I stood up from the table as well and sat down on the lounge chair next to Spring, scooting it close before opening the umbrella, creating some shade. “You’ll get sunburned in ten minutes out here. I mean it.”

  “Oh.” Her eyes popped open, and she tucked her legs into the shade I’d created with the umbrella. “Thanks for the tip.”

  I walked back to the table and grabbed our waters before sitting down, ready to get into it.

  NO BOUNDARIES

  SPRING

  I continued putting my foot in my mouth whenever it came to Diego. I asked dumb questions, said stupid things out loud, and pushed him to tell me the kind of stuff I had no business pushing him to tell. But damn, I wanted to know. It was more than simple curiosity … even though I couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was exactly.

  “I’m sorry, Diego. You obviously don’t have to tell me anything about Kaylee.”

  “No, I want to,” he said, and I was a little shocked that he’d given in so easily.

  Also, can we talk about this freaking mansion on the sand?!

  “So, what happened?”

  “We’d been together since high school,” he started, and I felt myself smiling at the similarities between our two relationships. “Like you and Mitchell, it sounds like. But we were both juniors. I was already surfing then and planning on entering the pros when I turned eighteen.”

  “Is that how old you have to be?”

  “Yeah. But I was competing locally long before that, and sponsors were already trying to court me. You know,” he said, but I didn’t know. Not really. I only imagined that it had to be like any other professional athlete.

  “She didn’t like that you were going to go pro?” I interrupted, assuming that maybe his ex couldn’t handle the fame or the lifestyle.

  “No. She loved it. She was really supportive. Never made me choose between her or the water. Never made me feel bad for how much I worked out or how often I watched reels of myself so I could get better,” he explained, and I realized how little I knew about surfing or what it took to be great at it.

  I stayed quiet, sick of asking all the wrong things. Plus, I could see the wheels spinning in his head. I could tell that this still hurt his heart, and it made mine ache for him. I wanted to take away his pain. I didn’t want him to think about her when I was sitting right here.

  “Once I went pro, I started traveling all over the world, competing, you know?” he asked, and I nodded like I knew exactly what he meant.

  “Did she go with you?”

  His face actually lit up when I asked that question, and jealousy burned through me. I was sick and twisted to even remotely feel like that when all he was doing was telling me what I’d been dying to know in the first place.

  “She almost always came with me.”

  “That must have been nice,” I said through gritted teeth like a freaking psychopath.

  We both had history with other people, so why was I acting like his was some sort of competition against me?

  “It was. At first,” he said, and I sucked in a breath. “I bought this house not too long ago. We barely even lived in it together.”

  It hit me then. That he’d shared this place with another woman. He’d probably bought it with her in mind. But then again, Mitchell had built me a freaking house with his own two hands, and he was going to eventually share that with someone else. Someone who wasn’t me. I needed to get past this nonsense.

  “But I bought it to be our home base. No matter how much I traveled, I always wanted to have a home here.”

  “That makes sense.”

  “Kaylee liked the idea too. But she liked the idea of traveling more.” He shook his head, almost as if he was arguing with himself inside of it. “See, the more places we went, the less she missed home. And the more places we went, the more homesick I got.”

  Everything hit me all at once. What had happened last night. How what I’d said about not wanting to stay in Lake Bliss struck a chord with him so deep that he had to get away from me.

  “She didn’t want to live here anymore?”

  He shook his head. “There are two kinds of people on the island, Spring. The ones who never want to leave and the ones who can’t wait to get away. The island becomes too small for some people. They want more. Or they want a better life.”

  “A better life how?” I asked, confused. What could be better than living in this paradise?

  “It’s really expensive here. Most people have to work more than one job. And most families have multiple family members living in their homes.”

  “I didn’t realize.”

  “How could you?” he asked gently.

  “Kaylee wanted a different life then?” I asked, steering the subject back to her even though I knew it was hurting him. “I mean, not necessarily a better life. Just a different one?”

  He sucked in an audible breath before drinking some of his tangy water. “I guess you could say that, yeah. She didn’t want to settle down here and be stuck. And once I retired from surfing, she knew I’d never leave.”

  I put my hand in the air. “Okay, okay. When did you retire?”

  “A little over a year ago.”

  “But she didn’t break up with you right away?” I asked before realizing what must have happened. “You hadn’t proposed yet,” I breathed out, mostly saying the words to myself.

  “Bingo.” He pointed a finger at me. “I proposed, and she said she needed to think about it.”

  “Damn. That’s harsh.”

  “I knew it was over then. Even before she said it. But to be honest, I think …” His eyes squinted as he contemplated his next statement. “I think I proposed so that she’d want to stay. I’d been slowly losing her for years, you know?”

  “I think I know what you mean.”

  “Somewhere along the way, we stopped wanting the same things,” he said, and I nodded.

  “That’s easy to do when you get together as kids,” I said, but he didn’t seem convinced. “I mean, it’s easy to say you want this and that when you’re seventeen and you haven’t really lived life or figured out who you are as a person. I think it’s easy to grow apart as a couple at the same time you’re finding yourself as an individual. Does that make any sense?”

  “Is that what happened to you?”

  Oh. It was apparently my turn on the hot seat.

  “I don’t think so. I mean, neither one of us has really changed. I just stopped wanting where we were headed. But there was no real reason why,” I tried to explain, but I was no closer to an explanation today as I’d been when I broke up with Mitchell.

  “Was he mad?”

  “At first. But his anger didn’t last,” I said with a light laugh. “He agreed. He’s already dating, so he’s not too broken up about it.”

  “Kaylee’s dating too,” he said before looking away from me.

  “How do you know?”

  “I don’t want to tell you.”

  “Well, now, you have to,” I said with a giggle before jumping over to his lounge chair and attempting to tickle his ribs. I had no idea what had prompted me to do that, but I was straddling him, staring down at his gorgeous face.

  His hands grabbed mine, stopping my attack before he reached for the back of my neck and pulled me down to him. His mouth was instantly on mine, his tongue pressing against my own as I lost all track of any and every single thing and dived headfirst into that kiss.

  Diego’s mouth was hot, his tongue erotic, and it sent chills down my spine and woke my pussy right up. I’d never kissed anyone other than Mitchell before. God, I was so inexperienced. His fingers splayed across my back, pulling me harder against his body, and I swore that my body reacted to every single touch. I felt him everywhere, my inner thighs heating with friction as I started to grind against him without thinking.

  “Damn, Spring,” he breathed against me before forcefully separating our mouths.

  I sat up, still straddling him, and he laid his head down on my chest.

  “I haven’t been with anyone, except Kaylee.”

  I swallowed hard, my lips already feeling thicker than usual. “I haven’t been with anyone other than Mitchell.”

  He let out a soft laugh. “Aren’t we a pair?” When I said nothing in response, except offering him a soft smile of my own, he added, “I didn’t bring you here for this.”

  “I didn’t think you did,” I said quickly, hoping to reassure him.

  I hadn’t even remotely thought that Diego was trying to get me into bed. It was interesting how similar our stories were though. The way our former relationships seemed to almost mirror each other’s.

  “But now, I want to.” He leaned up again, grabbing me once more as he started kissing my lips before moving lower.

  I felt like I was being marked. Claimed. Possessed. And I loved it.

  “Tell me you want this?” he demanded, but it was a question.

  I knew he wouldn’t go any further without my permission.

  “I want this. I want you,” I said, staring right into his eyes so there would be no mistaking my intentions.

  He gripped my waist and lifted me off of him like it took no effort before pushing himself to a stand and attempting to adjust the massive hard-on jutting out from behind his shorts. I tried not to stare at it, but I was enamored.

  “Hey, D! Yo, Kaylee, are you back?”

  I felt my body go stick straight. Did I look like his ex?

  A guy with a surfboard came jogging up toward the back of Diego’s house. “Oh. My bad. You’re not K. Sorry, bro,” he said, and Diego walked over toward the side, reached down, and shook his hand.

  “It’s all good. Talk later, yeah?”

  “Yeah,” the surfer said before jogging away.

  Diego stepped back toward me, apologizing, “I’m sorry. That was awkward.”

  “Do I look like her?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “No. Just the hair, I think. It’s the same color, you know? Boys are stupid.”

  I laughed and felt my body relax. “Where were we?”

  A smile appeared, making his scar practically disappear from his face. “I was just about to take you upstairs.”

  “Don’t let me stop you,” I said, feeling bold, empowered, and suddenly adventurous.

  Diego grabbed my hand and slapped my ass before leading me through his massive house, up the stairs, and into his bedroom.

  REALLY DOING THIS

  DIEGO

  “This is your bedroom?” Spring said.

  Again, I’d forgotten that she’d never been here before. I’d have to let her go for a few seconds, so she could take a look around.

  “Jeez, Diego, this is like a five-star resort. Nicer than your brother’s hotel. Don’t tell him I said that.” She pressed a finger to her lips, as if it would be our little secret.

  “Okay, you’ve seen enough. You can look after.”

  “After what?” She gave me a devilish smirk, and it took everything in me not to throw her on the bed and have my way with her.

  “After I make sure you can’t walk straight for the rest of your trip,” I said, and her mouth opened in shock.

  “Damn. Keep talking like that, and I might never leave,” she said, and something inside me bent.

  What if I wanted that?

  I hadn’t been lying when I said I hadn’t been with anyone, except Kaylee. In the past, it had made me feel a little inadequate. But now, being here with Spring, I didn’t feel so abnormal. Not to mention the fact that I hadn’t even been remotely ready to take this step before … well … right now. Once I was inside of Spring, there’d be no turning back. No erasing what we’d done. Kaylee wouldn’t be the last person I had been with.

  “Hey. Are you okay?”

  I turned to see Spring watching me, her eyes pulled together.

  “Yeah. You?”

  She nodded her head. “Surprisingly,” she said before pausing for a breath and taking a step toward me, “I am. I want to do this. With you.”

  Her eyes told a story I wished I could read, but I got the gist. She meant what she said.

  I finished closing the distance between us and kissed her softly at first before completely claiming her mouth. It belonged to me now. For as long as Spring was here, she was mine.

  A low moan escaped as I worked my way down her neck and easily lifted the sundress off of her body. She was wearing a skimpy bikini underneath that no one should have the privilege to see her in, except me.

  “You were going to wear this in public?”

  She let out an uncomfortable sound. “Uh, yeah. What’s wrong with it?” She stepped away from me and looked down.

  “Only the fact that every guy at the resort would be imagining fucking you.”

  Spring waved me off as she let out a loud laugh. “You’re insane.”

  “You clearly don’t know how hot you are,” I argued.

  “I brought, like, six other suits,” she said, as if that made it better.

  If I knew women, I knew that all her suits were most likely the same.

  “Do they all look like this?” I spun her around to see that her bottoms were basically a thong and half of her perfectly peachy ass showed.

  She shrugged. “Kind of? But if it makes you feel any better, I don’t plan on fucking anyone but you while I’m here.”

  It should have made me feel better. It should have made me feel a million things, but somehow, it kind of made it worse. Because her being here was temporary. She’d leave and never look back, just like Kaylee had done.

  “Damn right you won’t,” I growled before untying the strings on her bikini and watching it fall to the floor.

  Grabbing her body, I lifted her up and set her on top of the bed before I took her in. She looked so beautiful, naked.

  I hovered over her, putting my weight on my arms until my shoulders burned but I didn’t give a shit. They could give out for all I cared, I was going to take my time with her and devour every inch of her precious body. Pressing my lips to her neck, I nibbled and sucked before letting my tongue trace the curves of her collarbone. I continued licking my way down, her hands already fisting my head as I reached the full mound of one of her perfect tits.

  Taking the nipple into my mouth, I sucked at it before flicking it with my tongue, making her body arch off the bed.

  “You like that?” I asked even though her body told me everything I needed to know.

  “Yes. Oh my God, don’t stop. And don’t forget the other one,” she said, her voice all breathless and heady.

  I did as she’d directed, moving to her other tit and taking it in my mouth, sucking and biting like I’d never get enough of doing it. The salt on her skin was my aphrodisiac, and the more her hips bucked against me, the harder I sucked.

  My eyes moved from her chest to her face. Her head was thrown back, eyes closed, and I reached up to touch her cheek with one hand. She opened her eyes then, all of her hazel irises crashing into my green ones. I made sure she was still watching as I lowered myself off of the bed, grabbing her legs and pulling her with me until I could easily reach her while on my knees, her legs wrapped around my shoulders.