Page 27 of California Wild

The engine rumbled beneath them as Jesse pulled out onto the highway, merging smoothly onto the coastal road.

Hayley tightened her grip around his waist, the familiar hard planes of his body beneath her fingers.The wind whipped against her bare arms, tangling her damp hair, the smell of salt and sun and pavement mixing in the air.

San Diego’s coastline stretched out beside them—cliffs and golden beaches, the Pacific glittering under the afternoon light.

She let her head tip back for a second, closing her eyes as the warm breeze rushed past. And just like that, she was twenty-one again… wrapped around Jesse on his bike, his heat searing into her, the world a blur of speed and adrenaline and bad decisions.

She should’ve let this go. She should’ve left him in the past, where he belonged.

But as he leaned into the curve, his body moving seamlessly with the bike, his grip sure and steady on the handlebars—

All she could think about was how easy it felt to hold on to him.

And how terrifying that was.

About twenty minutes or so later, Jesse pulled off the highway onto a narrow coastal road, the sound of the engine fading into the wind and waves as they came to a stop on the shoulder.

Ahead, the beach stretched out, untouched and empty, a sliver of golden sand caught between the cliffs and the Pacific.

No people. No distractions. Just the two of them and the sound of the tide rolling in.

Jesse cut the engine, slid off the bike, and glanced back at her.

“Wanna go for a walk?”

Hayley hesitated, fingers gripping the edge of her seat.

This wasn’t a good idea.

Nothing about Jesse Navarro had ever been safe—not when she was twenty-one, and certainly not now.

But the way he was looking at her…

Casual. Like none of it meant anything.

Like she hadn’t once lived in his bed, tangled up in him, pretending she wouldn’t get hurt.

She hated him for that.

For making her feel too much and not enough, all at the same time.

But she still nodded.

“Yeah. Okay.”

She slid off the bike, pulled off her shoes, and left them by his motorcycle.

The sand was warm beneath her feet as they moved down the beach, the wind catching her long auburn hair, whipping it into a mess she didn’t bother fixing.

Jesse had already kicked off his shoes, walking beside her in nothing but jeans and a T-shirt, his golden curls ruffled from the ride, hands tucked into his pockets.

He wasn’t trying anything. Wasn’t touching her, wasn’t even looking at her much.

And yet—

She felt him. Felt his energy, felt the way his presence wrapped around her like a second skin. Felt the weight of all the things they’d never said.

“You still hate the ocean?” Jesse’s voice was lazy, easy.

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