Page 47 of Class Clown

Oh, right. That’s what I’d been angsty over.

I took a deep breath. “Nico can handle himself.”

I wasn’t getting pulled back into the pit. The day was too pretty to be petty, and I had to start plotting a way to get my friends here.

“She kissed him on the cheek.”

Never mind, petty was on. I swung my gaze to Kristy, but she was still looking down the beach and all I could see was her profile. Her jaw was clenched.

“Yeah. There’s probably a rule against that,” I responded, still pushing back at the lava feelings that wanted to rise. “How did he react?”

“He said something to her, but I don’t know what. She kept smiling and he walked away.”

The lava was bubbling. My emotions were all over the place. I didn’t love the whiplash of it all. Gina could kiss Nico all she wanted. They were adults. Although, it shouldn’t be happening while on duty as co-workers. Still, I didn’t really want to get involved. I wasn’t HR. I was here to take care of sick kids and that was all. I definitely wasn’t going to picture Nico’s face and wonder what he’d thought of it, or if his scruff had scratched at her lips.

I’d wanted this. I’d plotted this for weeks now. So why did it feel like I had a thorn pressing into my chest?

I sat up and looked to where Gina was now building that sandcastle. Nico was standing several yards away with his hands clasped behind his back, watching the campers out on the lake. He was vigilant and ready for whatever he may be called to do.

A breeze ruffled his t-shirt and Kristy sighed. “He’s so good and making camp feel safe.”

She was right. He was also loyal, and patient, and had a sneaky sense of humor, and was observant, and . . .

I stood and dusted off my shorts, as I reminded myself that those tingles were liars. Sand was stuck to my legs and I could feel it in my hair. I’d spent enough of my life around water to know I could let it dry and it would dust off easily enough, but I needed a dip in the cool lake to reset my brain because, dang it, he really was so pretty. And I liked pretty things.

“I’m going to wash off,” I said without looking down at her.

I marched straight to the water, tugging out my pony tail as I went. I dropped my shorts and tugged off my tank top at the edge of the water, revealing my one-piece swim suit. I kept walking until I was in up to my chest. The water was cold enough that I’d had to force myself to keep going after it had reached the soft skin of my stomach and caused me to suck in a breath. I dipped beneath the surface and used my free hand to wash the sand out of my hair.

I surfaced, scrubbing my hands over my face and running them along my suit and legs to make sure I was as clean as I could be before moving to float on my back for a moment. I closed my eyes against the sun and let my breathing slow until I was too cold to stay in any longer.

I walked back out of the lake and snagged my tank and shorts off the beach. Hopefully they would dry quickly enough that I could dust them off later. The water was cold and I welcomed the heat of the sun as I headed toward the place where my towel was hanging on a camp chair. I noticed Nico standing nearby, and I fully paused, wondering if I wanted to even bother going that way. A shiver ran from my toes to my hairline, so I kept going.

“Cold?” Nico asked when I passed him.

“Freezing,” I replied. “It’s great for inflammation, soreness, cognitive function and mood.”

“Mood?” he asked, turning so that he was facing me. “You seemed to be having fun.”

I dropped my clothes on the chair and snagged the towel, then flipped my long hair forward and squeezed the water out of it before using the towel to squeeze it drier. After all, what’s the point of drying my body first if my hair will just keep dripping down it?

“I was, until I heard about you and Gina making out over here. Not very professional. People saw you.”

I both heard his footsteps and watched from my peripheral as his feet came closer. His voice was hushed when he replied.

“What are you talking about?”

I waved a hand, flipped my damp hair back over my shoulders and met his eyes as I started drying my arms and torso.

“The kiss seen round the world,” I replied, feeling heated again.

“There was no . . .” He paused and his mouth pinched. “She kissed me on the cheek, without warning. I pulled away.”

My arms were going to chafe if I didn’t ease up, so I relaxed my hands and moved to my legs. “Look, you’re both adults, okay. Whatever you want to do after hours, or on weekends, or whatever is fine. But not when you’re on duty.”

He frowned. “I did nothing wrong. She sneaked up on me.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Aren’t Marines trained to watch for sneak attacks?”

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