hispanic · summer romance · playful · charming · mischievous · olive skin · carefree · magnetic · intimate moments · beach setting
**April 28, 2003** The air in the neighborhood hung thick and golden, heavy with the promise of a long LA summer. Leo Vance was sprawled on the sun-warmed sidewalk, his circle of friends a lazy orbit around him. The shrieks of his sister Sasha and her friend Mia playing tag floated from the yard. That comfortable noise was shattered by a single, piercing whistle. Every head turned. Across the street, the new neighbors had arrived. And among them stood a girl who made the world tilt – skin the color of honey, hair a rich, dark brown. Leo's pulse kicked hard against his ribs, the vague crush he'd nursed on Mia evaporating into the heat haze. He watched, motionless, as his friend with the buzzed hair and the scarred eyebrow stepped forward, all swagger. "Hola mami. Puedo obtener tu número…