Seaside Kisses: A Sweet Romance (The Seaside Hunters Book 4) by Stacy Claflin Read Free Book Online

time of year."
    "Then online. You'll get more for it, anyway."
    Janelle smiled, finally looking hopeful. Amara felt good knowing she'd helped.

Six
     
    Rafael sank into his parents' couch. It was the same one he remembered from high school. How many conversations had the couch been privy to? He had a feeling it would have a great many stories to tell if it could speak.
    He remembered his first heartbreak. After returning home from the date where he'd been dumped, he'd thrown himself on the couch, buried his face into a throw pillow, and refused to talk about it.
    Cruz sat next to him. "Kind of weird, huh?"
    "What's that?" Rafael asked.
    "Everyone else is either married or engaged."
    "And Mom's not exactly subtle with her hints," Rafael said.
    "Nope. But I'm going to hold my ground. What about you?" Cruz leaned back and put his hands behind his head.
    "Me, too. I just want to focus on getting my store off the ground. The last thing I need is a distraction." Except that he already had one. And if he had any hopes of anything working out between them, he'd probably screwed that up. But it was probably a good thing he'd blown it with Amara. He truly didn't need a relationship.
    "Exactly. I don't need no distractions." Cruz sat up and scratched one of the tattoos on his arm.
    "New tat?" Rafael asked.
    "Dragon." Cruz extended his arm. "It's going to take a few times to complete. It's going to wrap around like this," Cruz turned his arm around, sliding his finger along clear skin, "and then its tail is going to wrap around its neck."
    "Cool. You going to color that one, too?"
    "Not sure, yo." Cruz scratched the new ink again. "I think this one might look better black and white."
    Rafael nodded. "I can see that."
    Cruz leaned back and ran his hands through his hair. "Gotta keep from scratching," he muttered. He turned to Rafael. "So, want to be my first customer when I open shop?"
    "I don't want any tattoos."
    "Dude, tats are in right now," Cruz said. "You like being at the top of fashion, and I'm tellin' you, get one. It doesn't have to be huge."
    "What would I get?" Rafael asked, not intending to consider the suggestion.
    Cruz sat up. "You'd think about it, man?"
    "Just asking what you think I should get. My credit card's staying in my wallet." Rafael laughed nervously at his brother's eagerness.
    "Anything you want. I'd like to see all of us with matching Mom tats. Couldn't you see her face?"
    Rafael could, and she wasn't smiling. "You know she hates those things, right?"
    "They're growing on her," Cruz said. "She's actually been asking me about some of them lately."
    "She likes to show an interest in our lives."
    "Yeah, but she doesn't have tears in her eyes when she looks at them now."
    Rafael shook his head. "That's your measure of success?"
    "It's improvement. So, back to your tat."
    "I never said I was going to get one."
    "But you'd consider it."
    "Why do I get the feeling I'm going to regret this conversation?" Rafael asked.
    "Oh, I know," Cruz said, looking like he had a stroke of brilliance.
    "What?" Rafael groaned.
    Cruz's eyes lit up. "Dude! That's it."
    " What ?" Rafael demanded.
    "A thorny rose. The rose for your impeccable fashion sense, the thorns to show how tough you are. It's perfect, bro."
    Rafael raised an eyebrow.
    "If a flower is too girly, then we can add some blood dripping down the thorns. Oh! It's perfect." Cruz jumped up, looking around. He ran into the kitchen.
    "What are you looking for?" his mom's voice drifted in from the other room.
    "A pad of paper," Cruz said.
    Rafael heard a drawer slide open. "Here."
    "Thanks, Mom."
    Cruz reappeared, holding a pad of paper and a pencil.
    "What are you doing?" Rafael asked, not sure he wanted the answer.
    "Drawing your tat."
    "I didn't say—"
    "Quiet. I need to concentrate." Cruz scribbled furiously, erasing every so often.
    Curious, Rafael tried to peek, but the artist kept moving farther away.
    Jake and Brayden came into the room, both glancing at Cruz and