Page 27 of Roaming Holiday

Nina laughs, her eyes widening when a snort escapes. She claps a hand over her mouth, but a smile threatens my lips. Does she not remember she laugh-snorted this morning, too? It’s almost endearing—a humbling sound from such a graceful woman.

“Okay, let’s go before I do anything else embarrassing.” After tossing her trash in the bin, she nervously glances around, but suddenly gasps and snatches my arm. “I want to ride a moped.”

I follow her gaze toward the motorbike rental place up ahead. Dammit. I shouldn’t be surprised she’d want to do that.

“Do you have a license?”

“Of course,” she scoffs.

“An international license?”

“Oh.” Nina slumps her shoulders and laces her fingers in front of her. She purses her lips in thought. “No… but you do,” she says quietly, flicking her big eyes up at me in a pout.

My stomach tightens and I shake my head. “No?—”

“Oh, come on!” she wails. “Please?”

“Absolutely not. This isn’t part of my job description.”

“You don’t have to ride it! Just sign the paperwork and I’ll be off.” A hopeful smile spreads across her face. While I won’t say yes to that, I’d rather not be the one to steal her hope.

“I go where you go,” I remind her. “And even so, what if you crash?”

Nina shrugs. “It can’t be that hard to drive.”

“That makes me feel so much better.”

“Please? It’ll be so much fun! I’ll just—take a joy ride around the block and that’s it.”

“No.”

She grabs my elbow. “Then you can drive! I’ll sit on the back.”

Shit. If I don’t think of something quick, I’ll be stuck driving her around the city on a moped I’m too big for. It’s annoying enough doing so in a car. “You’re wearing a dress,” I point out. My hesitation only fuels her. She thinks she’s breaking me—and she is.

“I can sit to the side.”

“I—that’s dangerous.”

Nina crosses her arms with an amused expression. She sees right through my excuses. “I’ll hold onto you super tight. Pinky promise.”

“No.”

“Please?”

“No,” I insist.

She grips my arm and tilts her chin up toward me. “Pretty please?”

“No.”

From this close, I notice a single, faded freckle under her left eye. She continues pouting her lips and I keep pushing myself to be annoyed. Shooting things down is easy when an arrogant soldier gets ahead of himself, but I’ve never had to turn down someone with doe eyes before. And fuck, I’d rather go back to boot camp.

My head starts spinning when she does little bounces and says, “Please please please please please please please please?—”

“Nina—”

“Please please please please please please?—”

---