Julian: A Dark Angel Series Companion Novella (Dark Angel #3) Read Free Page B

when did I become so parental?
    “Deal.” He smiles.
    “Number one, pick up after yourself. I don’t tolerate slobs.”
    “Well, how do you explain your bedroom?”
    “A momentary lapse of concentration that will not happen again.” No, Roxy will not happen again.
    “Right, so you screwed your brains out with a chick that gave great head but in daylight her face belonged on a wanted posted?”
    “Rule number two. My life is private. You want to stay here, respect my privacy.”
    “What are you hiding, Uncle Jools? Some weird BDSM fetish? Somewhere in here is a secret entrance to your cave?”
    “Rule number three, please stop calling me ‘Uncle Jools’. Fuck the respect bullshit. Yes, I’m your uncle, but Julian is acceptable.”
    “Okay, well now my rule, and I only have one.”
    “You kidding me, kid?” I have to laugh at this one. Tristan and rules?
    “Actually, two. No coke in the house. I don’t want to find you OD’ing on some line you did.”
    What the fuck? The nerve of the kid!
    “I don’t do that shit anymore.”
    “Well, you used to, so just don’t. Get some help or something.”
    “And two?” I ask, annoyed.
    “If I stop calling you ‘Uncle Jools’, you stop calling me ‘kid’.” He holds out his hand to shake on it, something I reluctantly do.
    “Great, now for the piece de resistance !” He opens the zip to his precious cargo and reveals his PlayStation 4. Video games? Talk about juvenile. The last time I played was Legend of Zelda back in the nineties. Right before Chelsea…don’t fucking go there… not now.
    “Listen ki...Tristan. I’m not a video game kinda guy. Since it’s your first day in Cali, how about we head down to Venice beach?”
    “Awesome, bro!”
    “Yeah, awesome.” I shake my head before letting out a small laugh.
    The first laugh I’ve had in months.
    …
    We walked along the esplanade, and like always, it was entertainment central. One could spend hours here just watching the different acts that would so desperately try to drum up a crowd for a little bit of cash. People of all different ages would glide past us in roller-skates. Ladies in shorts and bikini tops would casually walk by, their sun-kissed tans and long blonde hair shimmering in the sun. Tristan would stop every so often, his feeble attempt to flirt with the hoard of girls.
    “So, you’re an Aussie? Do you know the Hemsworth brothers?” They would giggle.
    “Sure! Jason and Keith? In fact I went to school with them.”
    It was cringe-worthy. I didn’t have the heart to tell him they were referring to Liam and Chris, but felt like I needed to when they walked away in a fit of laughter.
    “Snobs!” he yelled out.
    “Uh, kid…I think they were referring to Chris and Liam Hemsworth.”
    “Don’t call me that, and who?”
    “You know, the two Aussie actors.”
    “Oh… Thor! I knew that. Mate, the women here are hot! Damn, I’ve been missing out on so much in boarding school…” His voice trails off as we walk past the weights area where Arnold Schwarzenegger wannabes are showing off and trying to be the next big thing.
    “How do you think I can get guns like that guy?” Tristan points to a somewhat slim guy, though his forearms are nicely cut. God, this is so gay of me for staring.
    “Gee, ki…Tristan, you would need to start taking steroids or something. Have you even finished puberty?”
    “Nice one…NOT! I might have to check out the local gym. You’re not bad, what do you bench?”
    “I don’t go to the gym. I just do weights at home.”
    The gym is where you meet beautiful ladies who have a fucked-up past with a shitload of baggage. Lesson number one. The type of women who rip your heart out of your chest, stomp on it in front of your very own eyes, then throw it back in your face saying, “Ha ha, loser.”
    “Like Bruce Wayne?” he blurts out, followed by a chuckle.
    “How original. I haven’t heard that before.”
    “Really? Because you really look