Back to the Beach (Hunt Family Book 4) Read Online Free PDF Page A

now," he said.
    It might seem like a cheesy thing for him to say, but the way he delivered it seemed extremely sincere—like he was truly relieved to see me. Either way, it made me smile.
    "I'll bet you say that to all the girls," I said, trying not to let myself fall under his spell.
    He shook his head as he ran a hand along his jaw and smiled at me. "Actually, I don't," he said. "That's an extremely overused line. I just meant it this time, so that's what came out."
    My stomach flipped at the sincerity in his statement.
    "And you're not a girl," he continued. He sat back and regarded me with a tilt to his head. "I think you went and became a woman since the last time I saw you."
    He stared at me with those bright green eyes that had been devastating me for all these years. He had a few days worth of stubble on his jawline, and I took in his face, thinking he went and became a man since the last time I saw him, too.
    "We saw each other last year," I said.
    I found my phone, and stashed it into the back pocket of my jeans, straightening my posture and smiling at him in a way that said I was planning to leave.
    His eyebrows furrowed. "When'd we last see each other?" he asked.
    "Africa," I said.
    "You stayed at that other house," he said, as if just remembering.
    "I did," I said.
    He was sitting on the couch, and I just stood there staring down at him. I knew I should leave, but I couldn't make myself do it. He was just that appealing. He even smelled good; I could smell him from where I was standing. "I heard what you did for the rescue center," I said since I wasn't quite ready to leave. "That was really nice of you."
    My mom had told me a few months back that Nico funded a building project at one of Rachel's parents' rescue centers in Kenya. She didn't know all the details, but it was, apparently a huge deal.
    "I didn't mean for everybody to hear about that," he said. "You're probably giving me more credit than I deserve."
    I stood there and stared at him for the next few seconds, debating whether or not I was going to keep the conversation going. I should just put an end to it. The longer I stood there, the faster my heart raced.
    "I'll let you get back to whatever you're doing," I said, smiling and gesturing to his phone.
    "I was just texting my mom," he said. "She'd have Myrtle Beach police department over here if I didn't let her know we made a safe trip."
    "Do you live with your parents still?" I asked.
    "No," he said, smiling in an amused way. "She just loves me and makes me check in with her."
    "My mom makes me do the same thing when I go out of town," I said.
    He tossed his phone onto the couch beside him and smiled at me. "Where you going in such a hurry?" he asked.
    "We were gonna meet Ryan downstairs to go to the beach," I said. "And I was going to make a phone call to my friend who lives here in town to let him know I made it."
    I added that last part because Nico's face was causing my heart to pound, and I desperately needed a distraction.
    " Him , huh?" Nico said.
    "What?"
    "You said you had to call your friend and let him know you made it."
    "Yeah, Travis."
    "Are you gently trying to tell me you're spoken for, Mia?" he asked.
    "No. I mean, I like Travis, and I'm excited to hang out with him or whatever, but we're not necessarily…" I trailed off.
    "You're not what?" he asked.
    "It doesn't matter," I said, smiling as if we were both being silly.
    "What doesn't matter?"
    "My being spoken for or not being spoken for."
    "Maybe it matters to me," he said.
    Again with the gut-clenching hope that sprang up in me. How did he have the power to affect me this way?
    "Then, I guess I'm spoken for," I said, knowing that was the smartest thing to do when my only other option was to fall feet-first in love with him right there on our first day of the trip.
    He made a disappointed clicking sound. "My loss," he said, standing up as if he might accompany me downstairs.
    "Don't worry," I said, nonchalantly. "I wouldn't give you