Bro' by Joanna Blake Page B

didn’t mind. Even though I hated it, seeing her on that stage had done things to me.
    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