BANG (27 page)

Lit me up in a way that was going to take a long, long while to cool down.

Nevada
 

We were laughing as we did it. That was a first. We were both naked from the waist down and fully dressed from the waist up. It was so cold though that it was really a matter of necessity.

Still, it was kind of funny.

Three times we did it on that towel. Three times with just a short break in between. Somehow, he managed to keep me warm.

And keep the sand out of my you know what.

Well, mostly.

Clay was dozing with his head on my lap when I shook him awake. The sun was coming up over the Pacific Ocean. His beautiful blue eyes blinked at me in confusion and then he smiled. So warmly that my heart seemed to actually flutter.

“We have to go.”

He sighed and sat up, pulling me against him.

“Wait. Not yet.”

We watched the sunrise in silence until the sun was fully up. At last he stood, helping me to my feet. We walked slowly to the car, not laughing now, not joking. Even though we were full of sand and shaking ourselves out.

He turned the car on and looked at me.

“Let me take you to school with me. We can get an apartment off campus and enroll you someplace nearby for second semester. If we are together then you can’t object to me helping with some of the costs.”

I looked at him.

“What and give up your previous frat?”

He swallowed.

“Shut up Nevada. You know you mean more to me than that. I-“

I stopped him. I knew what he was about to say. So I said the cruelest thing I could.

“Take me home Clay. You’re no good for me. And I’m no good for you.”

His face paled but I blundered on.

“This is my life now and I just have to make do with it.”

“That’s bullshit and you know it Nev.”

I said nothing, just waited. He drove me back towards home, stopping once to get us each a coffee. As we got to the outskirts of town I told him to pull over.

“You can leave me here.”

“No, Nev. Let’s go get your bike and get you the whole way home.”

I shrugged.

“Whatever.”

He cursed under his breath and started driving back towards the club. When we got there my bike was gone. Typical.

Clay stood beside me staring at my cheap bike lock on the ground.

“Where to?”

I sighed and gave him the address of the apartment complex we’d moved into.

Chapter Twenty Two

Clay

We pulled into Nevada’s apartment complex. I looked around, feeling my temper start to rise. It was better than the motel, but not by much.

What the hell was I going to do with this girl?

We parked and I got out. She was trying to tell me something when we both saw it.

Rather, we heard it.

My father was standing outside their apartment.

Apparently the investigator had found out more than he’d told me.

And he’d told dear old dad instead.

“Dannnnaaaa!”

People were looking out their windows to see what the early morning commotion was all about. I watched as Dana opened the door and stepped out. She immediately started taking my father to task in a low, but distinctly angry, tone.

Two things became clear to me. One, that they didn’t realize we were there. Two, that my father was begging.

Begging forgiveness. Begging for a second chance. Begging for her to marry him.

Holy shit.

I glanced at Nev to see how she was reacting to the scene as it unfolded. She looked horrified. And then amused.

By the time my father had mollified her mother, Nevada was all out laughing. Fuck it. So was I.

How much crazier could this get?

My jaw dropped as it got much, much crazier.

My father got down on his knee and proposed to Dana.

The fucker even had a ring. A big shiny ass ring.

We watched as Dana nodded and my father swept her up into his arms. They kissed for a few minutes. Then they finally noticed us.

I knew suddenly that my problems looking after Nev had been solved. She’d take tuition from her stepfather. But I had a much, much bigger problem now.

The love of my life and I were about to be related.

Nevada

We sat around the table at the diner perusing the menu. I was starving after a night sleeping on the beach with Clay. Well, laying on the beach.

I didn’t exactly get a lot of sleep.

We all ordered. My mom and I both got omelets. Mr. Westfield got eggs and bacon. And Clay got pancakes.

He wiggled his eyes at me a little when he was done ordering.

I blushed. I couldn’t help it. How could I ever, ever forget the sight of him eating pancakes off my nude body.

Or what had come after.

“The divorce will be simple. I have a prenup. But let’s not talk about anything unpleasant. Let’s talk about something nice. Let’s plan a nice trip to Paris for Christmas. Or Barbados. Does that sound nice? How about a new wardrobe for school?”

Clayton rolled his eyes.

“Start with a bike.”

“What?”

I kicked him under the table.

“Nothing. I’m fine thanks. You don’t have to pay for me to go to school. I’ll figure something out.”

“Like hell you will!”

Clay was glaring at me now. I didn’t care. I just smiled calmly and sipped my coffee.

“Don’t be silly Nevada. It’s not a problem. We’re all family now.”

Mr. Westfield leaned over and kissed my mother’s hand. They’d been holding hands non-stop.

Family.

All family.

I stared in horror at Clay. He raised his eyebrows at me. He knew what I was belatedly realizing.

Oh my GOD.

“Yes Nevada. We’re all family now. My trust fund is your trust fund.”

“Clay, don’t be crass.”

“Father, I am more than happy to share. In fact, I’d like to speak to Nevada alone for a moment.”

I stared at Clay in awe as he pulled me outside. I stood in his sweatshirt and my strip club uniform in the diner’s parking lot watching him pace back and forth. The situation was surreal to say the least.

“We have to two choices.”

I was all ears.

“We could be step siblings.”

He stopped at stared at me.

“That is not really an option by the way. I’m just including it for the sake of being inclusive.”

I blinked at him.

“We could date. I could switch schools and we could date.”

I frowned. I did not want him giving up his Princeton degree.

“Clay you can’t do that- it’s Princeton!”

“UCLA is a great school. Besides, they have an excellent law program.”

He was starting to make sense to me, God help me.

“We could get an apartment together. And then you wouldn’t have to stop school or take money from my father.”

“How is that going to work exactly?”

“You could take money from yourself.”

I laughed.

“Now I know you’re crazy. That doesn’t even make sense.”

“As my wife, my trust would be yours. Or it would be after I sign a paper that made it yours.”

My mouth must have been hanging open. I was in shock. He stepped closer to me.

“Plus, if we get married before them, it will be them who are the weirdos. Not us.”

I stared at him in awe. He meant it. He really meant it.

“Clay you don’t have to do this.”

“Yes, I do. Not because I feel guilty. Because I want to be with you. I want to take care of you-“

I opened my mouth to protest. He stepped forward and pulled me into his arms, silencing me with his lips. I was dazed when he lifted his head.

“And have you take care of me. You are very good at it you know.”

His gorgeous blue eyes were serious as he stared down at me. I knew I must look atrocious but he didn’t seem to care. He thought I was beautiful just the way I was.

“I don’t understand Clay. We’re so young…”

He grinned at me.

“You are above the age of consent Nevvie.”

“But-“

He stopped me by getting on his knees.

“Nevada Jones. I love you. I loved you as Mouse and I love you even more now. You are the most beautiful woman alive, inside and out. Will you please agree to be my wife?”

Tears spilled over my cheeks as I stared down at him.

And then I nodded.

I heard applause as he picked me up and spun me around. A crowd had formed. Somehow, when Clay was involved, that was inevitable.

I didn’t mind though.

It’s just who he was.

And he was mine.

Chapter Twenty Three

Clay

Dad took it well. Mostly anyway. Dana was another matter altogether.

Her lips had thinned. Her eyes had narrowed. Two bright splotches had formed on her cheeks.

She had insisted on us having a little talk. Alone.

We’d finished brunch and then Dana and I took a little drive while Dad drove Nevada home.

I thought Dana was going to yell at me when I pulled over but she didn’t. She gave me a hug. And then she whispered in my ear.

‘If you hurt my daughter, I will kill you.’

I’d nodded vehemently. I was not going to hurt Nev. Not again.

I would never do that again.

Hurting her hurt me. That’s the way love worked I guess.

She smiled and patted my cheek.

‘Also you have to wait until she’s 21 to get married.’

I sighed. She was right I suppose. What were two years and change compared to the rest of our lives anyway?

I could hardly wait to get married.

And to think, I’d never even had a serious girlfriend before.

The next few weeks were a whirlwind. Claire moved out. And Dana and Nevada moved in.
 

I can’t lie. Having her under the same roof made the rest of the summer pretty much perfect. I snuck into her room every single night.

It was bliss.

Even if the house was in chaos with wedding planning.

We still found creative ways to be alone.

The first thing I did was get her a new bike. I got one too. We spend a few days camping and biking down by Wright beach.
 

I literally could not get enough of her.

And even though I didn’t think he’d handled the Dana situation well, my father surprised me. He was smiling a lot now. He obviously had some regrets about the way things had been since my mother died.
 

It was like he was waking up from a long sleep.

He took me golfing. Sailing. We even played tennis a couple times a week.
 

At our house though. Not at the club. I was persona non grata there. Not that I gave a shit.

I was starting to realize that my father had been a very unhappy man. No, it didn’t excuse him being such a crap father. But maybe, just maybe, there was a better relationship in our future.

And Nev was happy. Happy for her mother, happy for me, she even seemed to like my father. It turns out he’d been pretty decent to her over the years.

If she was happy, I was happy.

Well, other than the time she’d presented me with a repayment plan for her tuition. Neat rows of amortized amounts. Like a mortgage.

I’d crumpled it up and chucked it into the gas fireplace. I’d explained to her that as my future wife I would prefer she not incur needless debt. Then I’d pulled her over my lap and taken turns spanking and soothing her gorgeous little bottom.

She’s laughed and tried to rear up at first. She’d gone silent and breathy when she realized I was serious about spanking her. And then even breathier when she realized how much she enjoyed a good spanking now and then.

It turned out my future wife was a little bit kinky.

I wasn’t complaining. Not one bit.
 

Nevada

I stood in the chapel holding the bouquet of pale pink roses. Across the aisle from me stood Clay. He looked so handsome in his gray suit and blue tie. It nearly took my breath away. My dress was blue silk. I felt like an old school movie star in it with my hair professionally styled.

Classy.

And cool.

A far cry from Mouse. Or the girl who slung cocktails in a strip club. But I was all of those people and more.

I wasn’t going to forget it either.

The church was filled to the brim with people. I recognized a lot of them from the club. Usually they ignored me. Today they were all smiling.

The organist began playing and I stared down the aisle, craning my neck with the rest of the guests.

My mother appeared in a white dress that would put a fairy princess to shame. High waisted, with a bustier covered in pearls. The floating full skirt trailed out behind her. Her hair was twisted up artfully on top of her head. She wore her mother’s wedding ring on a blue ribbon. You would never notice it unless you knew it was there in her shiny curls.

But I knew.

Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.

I’d loaned her the ribbon. Just to make sure we had our bases covered. Unfortunately, it had made her cry so hard that her makeup had to be reapplied.

I glanced at Mr. Westfield. He looked ecstatic. He should. He’d gotten a second chance with my mom. I’m not sure I would have given him one.

Apparently he’d been after her for years. She’d kept him at arm’s length even though she’d had feelings for her boss. But he was married.

Finally things had come to a head and they’d had one night together. But my mom had immediately regretted it. And Mr. Westfield had behaved like an ass, offering to set her up in a condo.

Things had already been strained by the time Claire found Clay and I in bed together.

So in a weird way, it had been a good thing. Of course, at the time I wanted to murder him. And kiss him.

All at the same time.

Love was funny that way.

I watched the ceremony with misty eyes. Clay kept giving me warm looks. I knew what he was thinking.

He was thinking of our wedding day.

He’d turned out to be entirely devoted to me. More than devoted.

Enamored.

I had to admit it was nice. Especially since he had my heart as well.