California Nights (Rich Boys of California Duet 1)

He treated her like a little sister.

“I think I’m alright,” she said with a sigh. “Maybe a girls night soon?”

“It’s a deal. And you can call me later. I will be up.”

“Thanks Nevvie. I love you.”

“Love you more,” I said, hanging up softly. I looked at Clay. “So help me God, if that fucker hurts her, I will actually kill him.”

Clay smiled at me tenderly, taking the phone and putting it down so he could pull me into his arms. I rested my head on his big, meaty shoulder with a sigh.

“I know you will,” he said with a squeeze and a soft kiss on my head. “And I’ll help.”

Chapter Sixty-Eight

Jace

I couldn’t believe it. She had kicked me out. This was the worse fucking day of my miserable life.

Other than the day my mother had died.

But I barely remember that. I’d just been a kid. This day would be etched in my brain for all eternity.

I’d been right there. About to get what I wanted. More than I’d ever wanted anything in my entire life.

I’d been about to get Frannie.

I took a sip and cursed. The fucking bottle was empty. I threw it across the shop floor.

“What the fuck, man?”

Clyde shouted at me from by the open bay door.

“Did you bring it?”

He lifted a bottle in a brown bag.

“Yeah, man. But you look like you’ve had enough already.”

“Blow me.”

“You aren’t my type,” he said with a smirk.

Clyde handed me the bottle of whiskey. I twisted the cap off and drank deeply. I handed it to him but he just shook his head.

“What’s going on, Jace?”

“That fucking bitch ruined everything.”

“The stacked redhead?”

“No. She’s perfect,” I said with a groan. “She’s an angel.”

He raised his eyebrows again. I could tell he thought I was insane. It was true I’d never talked about a female like that before. I’d never talked about women, period.

I held up my phone, flipping it to the picture of Shannon.

“She texted me this when I was out of the room. Getting condoms.”

I punched the wall I was leaning against. I looked at Clyde who was typing something into my phone.

“What are you doing?”

“Just sent it to myself,” he wiggled his eyebrows. “For later.”

I almost laughed. Clyde always found a bright side to any situation. Not that it did me a fucking lick of good.

“She fucking ruined it! Now Frannie won’t even talk to me. It’s been days.”

“You’ve been drunk since Monday so I can only assume…”

“Sunday.”

“Fuck, Jace. She’s just a chick. You have lots of options in that department. Girls throw themselves at you all the time,” he said sourly.

I didn’t say anything. I just drank again.

“Like Shannon for example. I mean, that is a prize winning piece of ass.”

“Fuck her fake ass. I want Frannie.”

“She’s under your skin, huh?”

I laughed but it sounded like screeching metal.

“That’s a fucking understatement.”

“What’s so great about her? A chick is a fucking chick man. Give me some of that.”

I handed over the bottle and slid down the wall to the floor.

“She’s different.”

He sat down next to me.

“How? I know she has nice tits but so does Shannon.”

I laughed again, this time it sounded almost human.

“She has fucking spectacular tits. But that’s not it. That’s just… a bonus. It’s her insides, man. Not her body.”

“Holy shit, Jace. You got it bad.”

He handed me back the bottle and I swallowed.

“You have no idea.”

I picked up my phone. It was late. Too late to call. But I could text her. I had already said everything I could. I had no other fucking options at this point. I had one last move.

Begging.

I typed out one word and hit send.

Chapter Sixty-Nine

Frannie

I stared at my phone. He was texting me again. It had been five days since I saw him.

Jace had texted me every day since then. Multiple times.

I was starting to think he was telling me the truth.

Telling the truth about the blond girl, at least. I still wasn’t sure about the rest of it. Mostly the part about him wanting me. For real.

The little insecure voice in my head was loud but I couldn’t dispute the facts.

He hadn’t been faking it when he kissed me.

He hadn’t seemed interested in Shannon at the track.

But none of that mattered, because now I was too sad to think about anything at all.

My Gran was dying.

Gran was the only person who’d ever really loved me. Well, except Nev and her mom. And Clay treated me like an older brother now. But Gran was… she was everything.

I stretched my legs, wandering around Gran’s room at the nursing home. The steady beeping of the breathing equipment and heart monitors were the only sounds. It was so sad… that she had to be here and not home.

Home.

That was a joke.

Home was never a safe haven. Not since Gran had started losing her memory. My parents had shipped her off to this place without missing a beat.