Page 71 of Bad Boy Next Door
Twenty
Jade
Iwoke in Nick’s bed, half under his body. For the first few seconds of consciousness I felt safe, happy. Then unease crept in.
This was the first time in my life I’d woken in a man’s bed—sleeping over was so not my thing—and it was like I’d woken on another planet.
Slowly, I slid out from under Nick’s limbs. He grunted and snuffled a few times, on the verge of waking, but I executed an escape that would impress David Blaine fans.
After carefully closing his bedroom door, I started to clean up the kitchen, which looked like a battlefield. Fitting, since the pancakes had looked like they’d been through a war.
Then I remembered. Nick was supposed to bemyservant now.
Every instinct inside me wanted to tidy the kitchen, but I restrained myself and left the mess and went next door to shower and get ready. Crystal was picking me up in an hour.
The second I got into Crystal’s friend’s car, my sister started talking and didn’t take a break until we were across the Golden Gate Bridge. Not that I minded. I was thrilled she was enjoying her classes and glad to hear all the details in person.
“Wait a second.” I interrupted a story about one of the men she was sleeping with. “Isn’t Clive your prof?”
“He’s on faculty, yeah.”
“Isn’t dating him against the rules?”
She signaled, then shifted to the left lane of the 101. “I won’t report him.”
“That’s your takeaway?” I laughed.
“What?”
I leaned against the passenger side door. “Crystal, there are reasons that faculty aren’t supposed to date students.”
“Since when are you one to follow rules?” She frowned at me.
“Just be careful, okay?”
“You’re not my mother, you know,” Crystal said in a well-worn refrain, and for a second we were both much younger.
“I can take care of myself,” she continued. “Besides. Clive and I aren’tdating, just hooking up when we feel like it. What’s the harm in that?”
“If you say so…” No matter how old we got, I’d never stop worrying about my little sister, wanting to protect her from all the big bads in the world.
“Enough about me,” she said. “What’s going on? You’ve been tight-lipped.”
“Tight-lipped? What good would opening them do? You’ve been talking nonstop.”
“Only because you weren’t saying anything.”
I rolled my eyes, but it was not worth getting into it. We’d just passed a sign for San Quentin. “Things are good.”
“How about that Nick guy? He still giving you a hard time? Making you do stuff for him?”
“No, that’s over.” I wondered how much to share with my sister. “Turns out the Nick who lives next door isn’t the guy who arranged Frank’s deal.”
She spun her head toward me. “You’re kidding.”
“Nope. Someone else entirely.” I pointed ahead. “Eyes on the road.”
“And he was making you do stuff anyway?” She shook her head. “What an asshole.”
