The sun was just beginning to set as we stepped back onto the beach toward Drifter’s bar. I still hadn’t managed to line up a place to sleep for the night, but I knew I couldn’t rely on Nik’s kindness forever. Besides, he only had one bed, and I was already feeling more for him than I should. I didn’t want to push it and end up falling for someone I would just have to say goodbye to in a few days.

If I even had that long.

My heart tightened at the thought. I’d felt so incredibly close to him under the water, like I was seeing him—and the whole world—in a whole new way. I was afraid I was already starting to fall for him, but I pushed that thought away and decided to focus on my growling stomach, instead.

“I don’t suppose you’d be up for some dinner?” I asked.

“After that swim, I could eat just about anything,” Nik said. “There’s this great place in town called the Dark Horse Diner, if you want to give it a shot.”

“Absolutely,” I said, but then I looked down at my clothes and frowned. “I should probably change clothes, though, and I still haven’t found a place to stay. Do you mind if I change in your room real quick?”

I had completely forgotten to go shopping for more clothes this morning, so I would just have to change back into the same jeans, tank top, and hoodie I was wearing when I left Vegas. I made a mental note to find a shop in the morning and buy enough clothes to get me through at least a few days at a time before I needed to find a laundromat.

“Of course,” Nik said. “I should probably change, too. The Dark Horse isn’t exactly the fanciest place in town, but they probably wouldn’t like us showing up in wet bathing suits. Besides, it’s only going to get colder.”

I laughed, but then he grabbed my hand, and I suddenly felt like I’d had the wind knocked out of me. I pulled away before I even knew what I was doing.

Nik frowned and stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Sorry,” he said.

“No, I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m just not used to getting close to people so fast. I didn’t mean to pull away like that. Just reflex, I guess.”

“I get it,” he said, but he didn’t reach for me again. “Where are you from, anyway? We haven’t really had the chance to talk about it.”

My stomach flipped over. There was a reason I hadn’t discussed my past with him, yet. In some ways, I wanted to pretend the past didn’t exist for me here and maybe I could start fresh. But there was also a part of me that knew I wouldn’t be able to stay, so what use would it be to get too close to someone new?

“It’s complicated,” I said, taking longer strides. I told myself I was just hungry, but deep down, I knew I was avoiding the question.

We’d just had this amazing connection, and he’d taken a huge risk showing me the most incredible place I’d ever seen in my life, but I still couldn’t bring myself to share my story with him.

“Is that really all I get?” he asked, practically having to jog to catch up with me. “Everyone’s past is complicated.”

I turned on him. “Is that so?” I asked. “Then why don’t you tell me about your past? What about that silver bracelet you never take off, but can’t stop fumbling with? And the story of why you live above some dive bar and don’t have a single picture of your family in your room? Why don’t we start with that?”

Nik winced and turned away, but he didn’t exactly start offering any answers to my questions. Instead, his hand went to the silver bracelet coiled around his wrist.

“That’s what I thought,” I mumbled. I took off down the beach again, reaching the stairs leading up to Drifter’s in less than a minute.

“Eva, wait,” he called, touching my arm.

I spun around to find him so close, I could feel the warmth of his skin against mine. I didn’t know if I wanted to punch him or kiss him.

“What?” I asked, breathless.

He stepped even closer, and I realized without a doubt that I wanted him to kiss me. Which only made me want to run away. I didn’t know how to handle these kinds of emotions. I didn’t know if trusting him was stupid or beautiful. I just felt confused and turned around.

The way his muscular chest rose and fell with each breath wasn’t helping matters, either.

“You’re right. I have my secrets, too,” he said. “Things I’m not ready to talk about. I guess that makes it unfair for me to pressure you about your past, too, but seriously, all I asked was where you’re from. I just want to get to know you better. I didn’t ask you to tell me your darkest secrets. Are you really so terrified of a true connection you can’t even say a word about who you are or where you’re from?”

God, this man could read me like a book. I was terrified.

I couldn’t afford to be feeling this way right now. I should have just stolen another car and gotten the hell out of this town first thing this morning.

But another part of me didn’t want to go. I wanted to be the kind of girl who could open up her heart and be free to have real feelings for a change.

I’d spent my whole life so focused on revenge and escape that I didn’t even know how to handle anything else. I always thought gaining my freedom from Dominic would mean staying on the run. I had never even entertained the idea of staying in one spot, falling in love, making real friends.

What was I doing?

I ran a hand through my wavy hair, my fingers snagging on a mess of tangles. This wasn’t freedom at all if the only thing I could do was run, but I had no idea what else to do.

Still, after everything Nik had done for me, I owed him something.

I took a deep breath and looked him in the eye.

“I’m from Las Vegas,” I said. “But that’s all you’re going to get out of me until after I’ve had dinner. I’m starving.”

A smile teased his lips, and he nodded. “That wasn’t so bad, now was it?” he asked.

Butterflies danced in my stomach as he walked past me, his warm skin brushing mine. The one touch lit a fire inside me so bright, it ran through my veins like a lightning bolt.

Man, I was in real trouble with this guy. And unlike everything else I’d faced in my life, this was a type of trouble I had no clue how to escape.