Fernando - Bad Boy Love (Bad Boy Love Series Book 1)

by Jessica Gray

  Her face flamed, and she shook her head. His words had put a vision in her mind she had trouble dispelling. While she would love nothing more than to dwell on that vision, she had a career to defend. Grabbing her position of authority as a shield, she swallowed and confronted him with a frown on her face. “Flirting with me is inappropriate.”

  Fernando looked contrite and apologized. “Sorry, miss.”

  But Gwen wasn’t fooled for a moment. His brown eyes sparkled with a devilish glee and she mentally groaned.

  Great, he totally knows I’m attracted to him.

  Clearing her throat, she continued down the checklist. “So, what kind of jobs could you do?”

  “Isn’t that your job? To help me figure that out?” He’d said it with the stubborn demeanor of a teenager. Normally, she wouldn’t let an offender get away with this attitude, but her attraction to him was too strong to put up a fight. So she simply nodded and scanned his file.

  Fernando had no high school diploma and no formal work experience to speak of. Getting him any kind of decent job would prove to be extremely hard. She reached for a sheet of current job offers and handed it to him, careful to avoid touching his fingertips in the process. Her hand was still tingling from his handshake several minutes earlier.

  “That is a list of current job offers. Some, but not all of the offers on that list are from companies that are willing to hire people on probation, or who have had trouble in the past and are trying to straighten out their lives. Do you need some help deciding which job might be a good fit for you?”

  Fernando looked at the list and then shook his head. “Nah. I can handle it.”

  Gwen highly doubted that statement was true. He’d never held a job in his life, and she figured he’d never applied for one either. He had no experience to fall back on, and yet, he was acting as if getting a job was as easy as waking up in the morning. Typical macho behavior.

  He left a few minutes later, and her heart rate finally dropped to a normal level again. She shouldn’t be having any kind of feelings for Fernando, but the attraction she felt for him was unlike anything she’d ever experienced. It was impossible to ignore.

  “God, I hope he didn’t realize how attracted I was to him. The last thing he, or I, need is for him to believe there’s even the slightest possibility of us having a romantic relationship. Gwen, my girl, you have got to get ahold of yourself. No more flirting around the hot offender. None.”

  She closed his folder, packed up her things to return to her office and grinned, thinking how her co-workers always teased her about her penchant for talking out loud to herself. With an internal groan, she finished her self- lecture. “Fernando Garcia is off limits, and you have no business getting involved in a romantic relationship. Not even if he was a straight shooter. Think about your career. It’s illegal. Inappropriate. And a huge abuse of power, and the moral codes of society.”

  Chapter 3

  Fernando walked into his apartment twenty minutes later to find Amada sitting on the second hand couch with a letter in her hands. The pair had been living together since their parents died more than a decade ago, leaving a fourteen-year old teenager and an eight-year old girl to fend for themselves.

  He’d given up a lot to ensure his sister grew up as protected as possible and looking at her now gave him a feeling of joy inside. She’d stuck to the “right” side of the law and recently graduated from high school while working night shifts at a cleaning company.

  “Hey, sis. What’s that?”

  Amada looked up at him and answered his question with one of her own. “First, tell me about the meeting with your probation officer.”

  Fernando grinned and sat down next to her. “She seems nice.”

  “She?” Amada parroted with a raised brow.

  “Yeah, she.” He made a concerted effort to school his features and thoughts from his sister. The last thing he needed was for her to find out he was attracted to Gwen.

  Like you’ve ever been able to keep anything from her.

  She was like a detective when it came to reading the thoughts and feelings of other people. A profiler. A trait that was more often than not very annoying, but he loved her anyway. Amada was his family. It had been just the two of them for such a long time, he had trouble remembering the time when his parents had been around.

  “Enough about me. What’s the letter?”

  Amada beamed at him and handed it over. “I got into the psychology program.”

  Fernando took the letter and read it through before he hugged her with one arm, “Congratulations! That’s awesome. My sis will be a college grad someday.”

  “It’s so exciting, isn’t it?” She hopped up and down on the couch, and Fernando chuckled, feeding off her enthusiasm.

  “So, what kind of amazing things do you plan to do with your degree once you’re finished?”

  Amada’s brows furrowed and her dark brown eyes – so similar to his – grew even darker as she answered, her voice growing serious. “I want a better future for myself.”

  Immediate guilt stabbed into Fernando’s heart, and he swallowed. While his mind knew her words hadn’t been a commentary on his ability to provide for her, he felt guilty nonetheless. He’d given her all of his love, but when it came to material things, they’d just barely scraped by.

  The memories of the first several months after their parents’ murder slapped him in the face and brought the inevitable aching to his bones. As if mourning their parents hadn’t been enough grief, things had further spiraled downward from that moment on. A distant relative had been named their legal guardian. A man they’d barely known but had grown to hate and fear very fast. Their guardian had been a drunkard, unbearable on good days and excruciatingly mean on his more frequent bad ones.

  Rage speared through Fernando when his mind flashed back to the defining moment in his life. He’d come home unexpectedly and found Amada begging their guardian not to touch her there. He’d seen red and beaten the crap out of the man. It had been the first time Fernando had used violence to get what he wanted, and it had felt so good. Powerful. Invincible.

  The next day, the asshole had moved out to live with his newest flame, showing up at their place once a month to collect his share of the child support in exchange for putting in an appearance whenever social services came around, which thankfully hadn’t been often.

  Fernando had learned quickly how to use the newfound thrill of using brute force to care for himself and his sister. Always telling himself that he’d do whatever was necessary to prevent that man from coming back in their lives on a daily basis, or worse – being placed into the foster care system. The hate for that man and his drug addiction was still deeply ingrained into Fernando, even after such a long time.

  Amada’s hand on his shoulder snapped him back into the present. “Thanks for taking such good care of me. Without you, I wouldn’t be the person I am today.”

  Fernando hugged her tight, amazed as always at the way she could read his thoughts. Hearing her put into words her gratitude made the back of his eyes burn with emotion. Tears he would rather die than show her.

  God, I love you, sis.

  In a way, his little sister had saved him. He felt a tremendous sense of responsibility for her, which had kept him from going too far more than once, always afraid of what would become of her if he weren’t around to protect her. With her, everything had been easy. He’d always been able to make the right choices when it came to Amada, it was just the rest of his life he seemed to screw up on a regular basis.

  And while he’d done many things he was ashamed of, he took a small solace in the fact that he’d never taken hard drugs, and he most certainly had never laid a hand on a woman who didn’t want him to.

  “I just wish things had turned out differently,” he said more to himself. “I never got a chance.”

  He still carried a grudge against the authorities that should have done a better job in caring for two orphaned children than giving
custody to a man like him. His grudge had grown over the years and had served as a moral justification to defy their laws. If the authorities wouldn’t protect them, what right did those assholes have to expect him to play by their rules?

  “You know, it’s never too late to change,” Amada said gently. “Maybe you should look at this probation time as a chance to turn over a new leaf.”

  Fernando smiled down at her, loving her positive outlook on life. “Maybe.” He pulled the papers Gwen had given him from the jacket pocket and tossed them onto the wooden crates they used as a coffee table. “First, I have to get a job.”

  Amada sat up and thumbed through the papers. “Want me to help you fill out these applications?”

  He knew she was offering because that was what she did – trying to help him and everyone else she came in contact with. But his pride wouldn’t let his little sister help him find a job. He didn’t know why everyone thought getting a job was so difficult.

  First, Gwen had thought he needed help. Now Amada? Did he look dumb as a rock? He had a plan, and it involved calling the numbers on the paper, presenting himself at the appointed time and place, and accepting the job once it was offered. He’d be a working class asshole by the end of the day.

  Chapter 4

  Gwen walked down the boardwalk, observing the colorful people and buildings that made up Venice Beach. One side of the promenade was rimmed with palm trees, white sand beaches, and the Pacific Ocean. The other side held a variety of small shops, bistros, and cocktail lounges. All of them catered to the tourists and locals who frequented the area.

  She spied Vivian waiting for her and waved at her best friend. “Hey, you beat me.”

  “So I did.” The two women hugged and entered one of their favorite bars along the strip.

  “This is exactly what I need after my crazy day,” Gwen said and chose one of the hi-top tables overlooking the promenade.

  “Hey, I’m going to go wash up,” Vivian said, heading towards the bathrooms at the back of the small establishment.

  “I’ll order for you.”

  “Great. Anything on tap is fine.”

  Signaling for the waitress, she watched her friend walk away. Vivian Armstrong and she had been best friends since high school and had even ended up at the same college. While Gwen had studied social work, graduating after four years with a Bachelor of Science in Social Work, Vivian had studied journalism.

  Gwen had gone on to add some psychology and crime classes to her resume, but Vivian had shaken the dust of college off her feet and immersed herself in her career. A career that had ended up with her becoming a court reporter while she waited for her big break as an investigative journalist to materialize.

  Vivian returned from the restroom and accepted the beer the waitress set before her. “Thanks.”

  “No problem. You ladies enjoy.”

  Vivian took a long sip and sighed. “God, I needed that.”

  Gwen took a long drink of her own. “Tough day in court?”

  “Not tough. Boooring. I mean, it’s a job with a steady income, and it pays the bills, but it’s not my dream.”

  Gwen smiled. “You still set on following in Patrick’s footsteps?” Patrick Armstrong was Vivian’s cousin and a renowned photojournalist who spent his time travelling the world with his travel blogger girlfriend, Angela. Gwen had seen most of his work and it was good. Very good.

  Vivian sighed and lean her cheek into her palm. “Yeah. But I wouldn’t want to constantly travel across the world like Patrick does. I want to investigate mysteries and solve crimes.”

  “A traveling Sherlock Holmes.” Gwen laughed.

  “Without the overcoat and hat, if you please.” Vivian patted her dark auburn hair in an exaggerated gesture. “I wouldn’t want to mess with perfection.”

  Gwen shook her head at her friend’s antics. Vivian had long, very thick hair she wore in a haphazard ponytail most of the time. She never bothered to make sure it was perfectly combed straight; she just twisted it up and secured it with a clip. On Gwen, it would look like a serious case of morning bed hair, but on her friend, it looked amazing.

  Vivian took another drink of her beer. “Enough about me, how was your day?”

  “More of the same. You know yourself how staggering the relapse rate in this area of California is.” Gwen had been in this job for almost a year and had been disappointed more times than she cared to remember.

  She’d graduated from college full of ideals and had chosen this line of work because she wanted to help people turn their lives around, only to wind up disillusioned when she discovered most of her probationers didn’t want to be helped. Not really. While they didn’t especially like their way of life – and the threat of a prison sentence – it was the easiest and most convenient way for them to live. Most of them shied away from the effort it took to clean up their act and start over again.

  “But you knew that when you started the job. And if you can help only one person to lead an honest life, your effort hasn’t been in vain.” Vivian put an arm around Gwen’s shoulders. As a court reporter, Vivian was familiar with the reoccurrence of criminal behavior and had often told Gwen she should be happy if she managed to effect change in one out of every ten people.

  “You’re right. And I got a new probationer today who might be different. I actually have a good feeling about him.”

  “You think this one might actually want to leave his criminal past behind?”

  Gwen mentally crossed her fingers. “I think his chances are better than most.”

  “Maybe he’ll be your one.”

  My one? Mine?

  Gwen’s stomach twisted at the thought of him being hers. “Maybe.” She grinned and nudged Vivian’s shoulder as two muscled joggers approached the bar. They stopped for a moment to stretch, and Gwen started fanning herself. “Do you think they stopped here on purpose?”

  “Probably. Look at those muscles.”

  “I’m looking,” Gwen assured her with a soft laugh. “Aren’t we frequenting Venice Beach for the breathtaking scenery?”

  Vivian sighed. “I sure wouldn’t push a guy like that from the edge of my bed.”

  The joggers continued their run, and both women got a good look at their firm backsides. When they’d jogged out of sight, Vivian asked, “Isn’t your new probationer Fernando Garcia?”

  Gwen stared at her friend. “How did you know that?”

  “I was the court reporter during his trial.” Vivian gave her a sly glance. “Nothing to say about his looks?”

  Gwen just barely kept herself from sighing like a lust struck teenager. “If you’ve already seen him, I don’t need to say anything.”

  Vivian giggled. “Well, if he’s as hot up close as he appeared to be from far away, you should have fun meeting with him once a week.”

  “He’s a client. But I agree, his physique is marvelous.” Gwen agreed with a giggle of her own. “God, his broad muscled chest and his strong arms. You should see them. There’s not a single trace of body fat on him anywhere.”

  “Anywhere?” Vivian teased, her blue eyes sparkling.

  Gwen rolled her eyes. “Come on, you know what I mean.”

  “What makes you think he’s willing to change?”

  Gwen hesitated for a moment. Normally, she wouldn’t dream of discussing one of her clients in detail, but since Vivian had been present in the courtroom and already knew his history, she gathered it wouldn’t do any harm. She wouldn’t divulge anything Vivian didn’t already know.

  “He saved the guard. From what I understand, going against the other gang members like that could have been disastrous for him. If they’d turned on him, he might be dead along with the guard. But they didn’t, and that man is alive today because of his actions.”

  “Yes, the guard was pretty grateful and vouched for him. That was the only reason he got away with probation. It wasn’t his first conviction, you know?”

  Gwen nodded and traced a bead of condensation on
her glass with her finger. “I read his file too. But there was something in the way he carried himself. As if he were ashamed of his ways. On top of that, I didn’t pick up any attitude from him at all during our first meeting.”

  Vivian watched her friend for a moment with squinted eyes. “You’re falling for him.”

  “What?” Gwen yelped, then looked around and lowered her voice. “Of course I’m not. You know better than that. I know better than that. It’s illegal to have a relationship with your probationer, remember? I do like my job – most of the time – and would like to keep it.” Gwen clamped her mouth shut and took a deep breath. She was on the verge of protesting too much. Then she kept protesting. “The man is a criminal. Even if he wasn’t my probationer, which he is, I don’t fall for guys on the wrong side of the law.”

  “Okay, sure. My bad.” Vivian held up her hands and changed the subject. “My parents are having a barbecue next Sunday and would love to see you.”

  “Next Sunday sounds great.” Gwen loved being around Vivian’s family. Her friend was the second youngest of six siblings. Being with her and her five brothers never ceased to be fun. And Vivian’s parents were the most lovable people she’d ever met. They had readily adopted Gwen into their large and close-knit family back when she’d become best friends with their daughter in high school. And even though she was now an adult, they still treated her as one of their own children.

  Gwen’s parent’s lived across the country, and she had a solitary brother who lived in Paris, France. They rarely saw each other.

  “What should I bring?” Gwen asked.

  Vivian dropped a few bills on the table to pay for their drinks, and they headed towards the door. “You know better than to even ask. Mom will provide everything as usual. All you have to do is show up.”

  Gwen smiled as they parted ways on the sidewalk. “That I can do. See you.”

  Chapter 5

  Fernando dragged his feet toward the probation office, nervous about his meeting with Gwen. Last week had drained all the energy out of his bones. She’ll be disappointed. He didn’t understand why it mattered so much to him, but he wanted Gwen to be proud of him.