Page 24 of Spring Tide

“Privacy?” I ask, stepping over the threshold before us. Harper trails in after me, closing the front door behind her with a gentle shove.

“Stella thinks we’re hooking up,” she blurts, fingers twisting into the ends of her sun-bleached hair. “Not that I told her we were having sex or anything. I wouldn’t do that yet. I mean, unless you want me to. Should we come up with a story to cover that?”

A flush of heat rushes to my neck. “Can’t we just ... leave that part to the imagination?”

“What do you mean?” Her head tilts like she honestly has no clue what the fuck I’m talking about.

“Surely you don’t need to share all the details about your sex life?”

“Oh, um, yeah ... we usually do.” Her brow crinkles, nose scrunching as she assesses me. “You know, like, favorite positions, best partners, how we like to—”

“Okay, that’s enough.” I hold up one hand, the heat rising further up the column of my throat. “I get the picture.”

“Sorry,” she squeaks out, shooting me an apologetic smile. “This is all pretty normal for me, Luca. I’m sure you talk about worse things with your guy friends.”

“I don’t,” I say plainly.

Her eyes go wide. “Ever?”

“Never,” I confirm. “That’s ... private.”

Her head is still tilted, gaze fixed on mine as she gently rubs at her chin. Her teeth press into her full bottom lip. “Is it because you’ve never had sex before?”

“What?” I sputter, disconcerted.

“If so, that’s totally normal.” Her hands clasp together underneath her chin, that sweet, innocent smile of hers stretching a mile wide. “You know, virginity is actually just a social construct anyway, and no amount of—”

I clap a hand to my forehead, my headache returning in full force. “Stop.”

“I promise, you have nothing to be embarrassed about.” Her voice is soft, reassuring as she reaches out with one hand. Before she can make contact with my skin, however, she draws her arm back, clasping it tightly against her chest. “At least, not in front of me.”

“I’m not a virgin, Harper.” The words are biting, irritation slipping through. “I just have boundaries.”

She’s nodding emphatically now. “Boundaries? Like, in the bedroom?”

“Like, in my conversations,” I correct. “I know the concept might seem foreign to you, but I don’t need to share every intimate detail of my life.”

She waggles her brows. “Intimate, huh?”

“We’re done talking about this. Let’s just get to work, because now I only have—” I pull my phone from my back pocket, checking the time. “—fifty-three minutes to spare tonight.”

“Okay, well, you know the drill, then.” She prances off down the hallway, tilting her head back to shout, “My bed! Pants off!”

An unhappy groan slips out as I mutter, “Is it your personal mission to make me as uncomfortable as possible?”

“Quite the opposite, Luca,” she calls out, beckoning me toward her with both hands. “Now, come on, slowpoke. We’re wasting time.”

9

HARPER

“Luca,”I whisper-shout, fingers wrapped gently around the upper half of his bicep. I give him one solid shake, then two, careful not to jostle him too much. “Luca, wake up.”

His eyelids flicker, soft lashes fanned across his sun-kissed cheeks. His nose crinkles, a tiny twitch to the left and right before I whisper his name for the third time.

A heavy, displeased groan slips from his lips.

“Hey, sleepyhead. You told me to wake you up,” I murmur, using both hands to shove at his large frame. “Wakey-wakey!”

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