Page 16 of Good For Me

River

Ican’t remember the last time life felt like this. Like there’s possibilities hidden behind every corner. Like I don’t have any real idea what’s going to happen next, but that’s okay because the world around me is filled with anticipation and excitement and so many good things.

I start each day usually knowing just how it’s going to go. I’ll see family and friends, at least the ones I share an apartment with. I’ll probably spend some time surfing. At night I’ll either go to work and make drinks or go out with my sister and cousins or another group of friends. If I’m feeling restless, I’ll find a girl who’s more than eager to go home with me. It will be fun, but I won’t feel anything.

And damn if that sentence doesn’t basically sum up my entire life. It’s fun, but I don’t feel much.

Tonight feels like the polar opposite of that norm. I have no idea what the woman walking next to me on this moonlit beach is thinking. I have no idea what she’s going to want to do next. I feel eager and nervous and happy all at the same time. I feel like, for once, I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.

We danced until last call at Ruby’s. Dancing to that kind of music is different from the club dancing Jas is used to, but she was surprisingly good at following my lead. After the band packed up for the evening, the jukebox kept going strong and, to my surprise, Jasmine seemed more than happy to stay in my arms. She did complain about the abundance of classic rock the clientele apparently favored in their jukebox choices, but she had a teasing smile on her face the whole time.

And when a Ransom song came on, she made a big show of rolling her eyes and grumbling in disgust.

When Ruby shouted “last call!” from the bar, I’d felt a huge swell of disappointment. I didn’t want our night to be over. But then Jas said she felt like a walk and something like giddiness washed over me. More time with her. And when I went to hug my grandmother goodbye, Jas didn’t even hesitate when Ruby pulled her in for a hug too.

Now we’re on the beach a few blocks from my apartment and I’m wishing I had the power to slow down time. I don’t ever want this to end.

“God, look at that,” she murmurs as a cloud shifts enough to reveal a nearly full moon high up in the sky. The reflection on the water is beautiful, all shimmering sparkles, and if I could bottle this moment with her, I would.

“Want to sit?” she asks and I’m immediately inundated with images of her and I stretched out on the sand, doing a hell of a lot more than kissing.

“Shit, I don’t have anything to put down,” I tell her. It’s a nice night and I’m not wearing a jacket. “You’ll get your nice work pants all sandy.”

She scoffs. “Please. I’ve done much worse than sit in sand.”

I lean back on my hands, legs spread out in front of me. The breathtaking view of the ocean before us does nothing to steal my interest from the girl sitting next to me, currently untying the black combat boots that always make me lose my mind a little.

“You’ve eluded to this wild past of yours a few times tonight,” I point out. “I’m gonna need to hear some details.”

“You think so, huh?” she asks, her voice all amused and light.

“Consider it payment for the burger.”

She snorts out a laugh as she pulls off the first boot and the sock underneath, revealing dainty little feet with a surprisingly soft pink shade of polish on her toes. She must see me looking, because she gives me a sheepish smile. “I like girly nail polish, sue me.”

God, she’s cute. So cute that I can’t stop myself from leaning across the sand and brushing a kiss across her mouth. She leans right back into me and damn, she feels so good. It’s a gentle kiss, just like the one we shared on the dance floor, but it does more to heat my blood than a full on make-out session with anyone else.

I want to deepen the kiss, to press her down to the sand and feel a lot more of her than I got to on the dance floor, but something stops me. That’s just what would happen if I was out here with a woman who only wanted one thing. I don’t want fast and easy with Jasmine. I want more than that.

So I pull back, loving the way her cheeks have flushed slightly. “Your wild past?” I press. “I need details, babe.”

She grins. “I’m not sure a sheltered boy like you could handle it.”

I snort out a laugh. “You think I’m sheltered?”

“I think you talk a big game,” she shoots back.

“You realize that my dad and uncles are legit rock stars, right? That I grew up on their tour bus?”

She rolls her eyes. “I don’t know a ton about Ransom, but even I know they aren’t big into the first two parts of ‘sex, drugs, and rock and roll.’ Haven’t they all been married to the same people forever?”

She’s not wrong. Our dads—particularly Uncle Cash—like to wax poetic about their partying days but by the time they started getting married and having kids, they all became pretty damn boring and domestic.

“Sounds to me like you’re deflecting,” I tell her. “Maybe you can’t back up your wild child claims?”

She turns on the sand to face me, a challenge on her face. “Have you ever been arrested, Mr. Rock Star’s son?”

“Uh…no, can’t say that I have.” My eyes widen. “Have you?”