Santa Monica Beach sat west of Los Angeles along the Pacific coast. Thanks to the Mediterranean climate, the weather stayed mild year-round, warm in winter, cool in summer, and easy to enjoy. Add in the scenery, the roller coaster, the Ferris wheel, and the full line of restaurants, leisure spots, fitness facilities, and lifeguard services, and it was no surprise the place had become one of the most popular beach destinations in all of Los Angeles.
Even on a Wednesday morning, the crowds were thick.
The sky was clear, the ocean was bright blue, and the whole coastline looked like it had been polished for a postcard.
The second Nicole saw how lively it was, something in her expression changed. There was real energy there now, real anticipation.
"So where are we starting?"
Bruce took her hand. "Come with me."
He led her at a jog to the jet ski rental area.
Nicole slowed when she saw the machines lined up by the water.
"We're riding those?"
There was obvious hesitation in her voice.
Bruce caught it and smiled. "Trust me. You're going to love it. Go change. I'll meet you right here."
Before she could protest further, he guided her toward the women's changing area.
They had not brought beach gear with them, but that was hardly a problem here. There were plenty of shops nearby selling everything tourists forgot to pack.
Bruce changed into a pair of shorts and came back out barefoot.
A little while later, Nicole stepped out too, wearing a simple black set she had just bought.
Bruce's eyes lit up.
"Nicole, you look incredible. And your figure is ridiculous."
Nicole smiled and accepted the compliment without any false modesty. Praise always landed better when it came from someone impressive.
"Thank you," she said. "Let's go."
Bruce nodded and walked over to the jet ski. He took two life vests from the attendant, handed one to Nicole, and put his own on with practiced speed.
"Sir, would you like me to drive for you?" the staffer asked.
Bruce shook his head immediately. "No. I've got it."
"Of course."
The disappointment in the guy's voice was impossible to miss. Any normal man would have been unhappy about missing the chance to get physically close to a woman like Nicole.
Bruce ignored it and looked at her instead.
"All set?"
Nicole finished fastening her vest. "Ready."
Bruce swung a leg over the jet ski, then glanced back.
"Get on and hold my waist."
Nicole did exactly that. After everything that had already happened between them, a little contact like this barely registered anymore.
Bruce grinned. "Hold tighter. I drive fast."
"Bruce, wait, don't..."
He hit the throttle before she could finish.
The jet ski shot forward so hard it practically leapt out from under them.
Water split around them in white spray as the machine skimmed across the surface like a missile. The ocean stretched out ahead in a huge blue sheet, and the jet ski danced over it in hard, fast jumps.
Then they hit a swell.
The machine launched nearly two meters into the air before slamming back down, throwing up a wall of spray. Bruce handled it cleanly and pushed even farther out.
Nicole screamed and locked both arms around his waist.
Half fear, half exhilaration.
"Slow down, Bruce. Slow down!"
Nicole had grown up in a wealthy Australian family and been raised to move carefully, act properly, and stay inside the lines. This kind of speed was completely outside her experience.
Bruce laughed over the rush of wind.
"Relax. You're fine. Besides, if you ride a jet ski slowly, what's the point?"
Then he yanked the handlebars and carved a wide, sweeping turn.
The jet ski cut a sharp arc across the water, and Nicole's scream broke out again, louder this time, full of fear and thrill all at once. When Bruce turned them back toward shore, the speed somehow felt even more intense with the waves behind them.
He finally eased off near the beach.
"Well?" he asked, glancing back at her. "Was that worth it?"
Nicole's face was a little pale, but her eyes were bright with adrenaline.
She nodded hard. "Yes."
It was the same with almost everyone. The things that frightened you most often gave you the strongest rush.
Bruce saw it in her face and smiled.
"Want to try driving?"
Nicole hesitated. Bruce could see the answer in her eyes before she said a word.
"I don't know how."
"That's why I'm here. I'll teach you."
Before she could object, he wrapped an arm around her, lifted her forward, and set her in front of him on the seat.
"All right. Both hands on the grips. Hold steady, ease into the throttle, and don't gun it right away."
Under his instructions, Nicole got the basics faster than he expected. She was still rough on turns and clumsy with acceleration, and more than once the two of them ended up dumped into the water. But somehow that only made it better.
More chaotic.
More fun.
They stayed out there for two hours and did not stop until nearly noon.
Bruce killed the engine and looked at her. "So? What's the verdict?"
Nicole's cheeks were flushed from the sun and excitement.
"I think I'm in love with it."
"Good." Bruce looked out toward the ocean and spread his arms, closing his eyes for a second as the wind came in off the water. "That's why I like riding them. It's the speed, sure, but it's also the ocean. The scale of it. When I'm out there, it feels like everything in my head opens up. Whatever's bothering me just falls away."
Nicole studied him, head tilted slightly, something thoughtful in her eyes.
"So you must like fast cars too."
Bruce dropped his arms and shook his head.
"No."
Nicole blinked. "Why not?"
"Too dangerous. On a jet ski, even if you wipe out at high speed, the water gives you some margin. You're not likely to die from it. Street racing's different. One mistake and you're dead, or you spend the rest of your life broken. I'm not in a hurry to report to God before I've had a proper chance to enjoy being alive."
Nicole laughed softly. "You're young, but you think like someone much older."
Bruce shrugged. "A lot of my friends say the same thing. They all claim I'm an old man trapped in a young body."
"They may not be wrong."
Bruce slipped an arm around her waist.
"Come on. Let's clean up and get lunch. I know a good Chinese place around here."
As they headed off the beach, Nicole asked, "And after lunch?"
"The amusement park," Bruce said. "It's been way too long since I've been on a roller coaster."
That had been his whole plan for the day.
Keep moving. Keep the pace high. Keep things loud, bright, and just reckless enough to leave no room for old pain. If Nicole was going to forget what was weighing on her, even for a few hours, this was how.
And maybe, in his own way, this was how he paid her back too.
Time always moved faster when people were actually enjoying themselves.
By the time they left Santa Monica Beach, the sky had already started to dim. After dinner at a good French restaurant, they drove back to Bruce's hotel.
When they reached his floor, Nicole turned and looked at him seriously.
"Today was the most relaxed I've felt in a long time. I actually had fun. Thank you."
Bruce shook his head. "You don't need to thank me."
But standing there under the hallway lights, with Nicole looking softer and more beautiful than she had all day, something in him shifted.
He stepped forward, slid an arm around her waist, lowered his head, and kissed her.
Nicole kissed him back.
For several seconds, maybe longer.
Then, just as his hand started to move under the edge of her coat, she pulled away.
"No. We can't do this."
Bruce stopped immediately.
Nicole took a breath, trying to steady herself.
"I'm married. Whatever happened last night, I can blame some of that on the alcohol, on the state I was in, on everything that led up to it. But if I do this now, sober, fully aware, then I'm choosing to betray my marriage. I don't want that. Bruce, please understand."
The plea in her eyes killed the last of his desire.
Bruce had never been the kind of man who forced things. And what he felt for Nicole, if he was being honest with himself, had far more to do with attraction than anything deeper.
If she did not want this, he was not going to push.
After a pause, he nodded.
"All right. I respect that."
Nicole let out a small breath. "Thank you."
She took a step back and straightened her clothes. Then she looked at him again, and a trace of sadness passed across her face.
"It's a shame we met like this. And too late. If it had been earlier..."
She did not finish the sentence.
She just gave a faint shake of her head, said goodbye, and turned away with her things.
Bruce stood there and watched her tall, graceful figure disappear around the bend in the hallway.
A trace of melancholy stayed behind after she was gone.
He had never built grand expectations around whatever this was between them. But after spending the entire day with her, he could not deny the impression she had left on him.
For Bruce, Nicole was exactly the kind of woman he liked most, beautiful, poised, intelligent, and quietly strong.
But she had been right.
They had met too late.
And they had met under the wrong circumstances.
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