Always Only You by Chloe Liese (z-lib.org).epub

Playlist: “Hallelujah,” Jake Shimabukuro
“I SAW A SUBARU OUT FRONT.” FRANKIE JERKS HER HEAD TOWARD THE HOUSE
but keeps her eyes on Pazza dashing across the sand. “Neighbor’s car?”
I throw the ball for Pazza, then turn to look at Frankie.
So beautiful. No makeup, her hair slicked back in a bun from the pool, those
soft lips she tugs between her teeth, dark lashes blinking slowly.
She leans in and drops her voice. “Maybe it’s the mystery lady’s car. She
finally got wise and paid a visit.”
I can tell she’s mostly joking. She wouldn’t be down on the sand with me if
she truly thought someone else was waiting for me in my home. But it’s so hard
to know what to say when Frankie brings herself up without knowing it’s
Frankie I’m always thinking and talking about.
The wind snaps between us and tugs a dark ribbon of hair across her face.
Carefully, I slide my finger along her cheekbone and tuck that loose espresso
strand tight behind her ear. I shouldn’t, but I can’t help myself. She leans, almost
imperceptibly, into my touch. I let my fingers trace the shell of her ear, whisper
lighter than a breeze down her neck, before I drop my hand.
“It was my brothers,” I manage hoarsely.
She frowns. “Your brothers? Where are they?”
“They left. Right when you got here. Trust me, you’re not ready to meet
them. Not the man-cubs. You saw the carnage they left on the table.”
Her soft laugh and smile hit me, a double wave I wasn’t braced for. I can
count on one hand the times I’ve made Frankie laugh. It feels like a gift.
“Did you tell your family about UCLA?” I sweep up Pazza’s ball, fake her
out, then send it flying in the air.
“I did. I called them before water aerobics and told them. They were excited
for me.” Frankie clears her throat. “Oh, and I had a voicemail from my landlord.