He pushed the kickstand down and rested his motorcycle on it. Then he swung his leg off and straightened. I set the helmet down on the back.
“Home sweet home,” he said as he stared at his house.
I nodded. “It’s nice.”
He scoffed. “Yeah. Sure. It’s a piece of crap. I mean, it’s no Livingstone Hotel.”
“So, it looks lived in.” That was more than I could say about the penthouse suite Mom and Dad occupied. It never looked like a home, with random knickknacks everywhere. Instead, it was just as sterile as one of the guest suites. Tacky hotel art adorned the walls. There were no family pictures or any indication that a family lived there. It was as lonely as my life felt.
“Well, if that’s the measure we use to gauge the niceness of a house, then yes, ours is definitely lived in.” He nodded toward the side door and I followed after him.
Just as he reached to grab the handle, the door swung open, and a very frantic woman appeared. Her dark hair matched Jet’s, save the threads of grey that weaved through the pile on top of her head.
She had readers that hung from her neck and rested on top of the familiar light-blue uniform of the Livingstone Hotel’s maid staff.
Her forehead wrinkled as her tired eyes scanned me and then Jet.
“Where have you been? I’m going to be late.”
Jet shoved his hands through his hair as he shrugged. “Sorry. I had to help Crew get out of trouble.”
His mom waved her hand at him with annoyance. “What did I tell you about hanging around the Jones kid? He’s nothing but trouble, and that’s the last thing you need.” She held his gaze, and, from the intensity that passed over both of their countenances, I could tell she was hinting at a much deeper issue.
Curiosity bubbled up inside of me, but I just pushed it down. Jet had things about his life he was hiding—so did I. What did it matter if I didn’t know what his were? I had no intention of telling him mine.
He was my freedom sensei right now. That was all.
My ridiculously good-looking freedom sensei, but I was going to push that little tidbit from my mind right now. No need to conflate the two things.
“Ma—” Jet started, but his mom just held up her hand.
“I don’t have the energy right now. I’m late, and I can’t be late again.” She nodded toward the house. “Cassidy is inside. She’s watching some ridiculous reality show. Brit will be home later, so stay with Cassidy until Brit’s shift ends.” She narrowed her gaze as she leaned in. Like she was threatening Jet.
Jet didn’t seem phased. just nodded. “I got it. I’m not going to go anywhere. I know my job.”
His mom’s gaze passed over me before returning to Jet. “And no shenanigans in my house.” Her voice dropped.
My whole body flushed as I realized the implication of what she was saying. She thought...Jet and me? I shook my head. “Oh, you don’t have to worry about that. We’re”—I waved between us—”just friends.”
His mom’s lips tipped up into a smile, but I could tell she wasn’t really smiling. “Right. Well, with Jet, you never know, and I’d like to keep his little sister innocent as long as I can.”
My lips parted but no words came. I’d never had a guy’s family not like me. This was strange. Being stared at like I was about destroy the innocence of Jet’s sister was strange.
“Mom. Please. You’re going to be late.” Jet nodded toward the white four-door sedan that was parked on the side of the road.
His mom nodded as she pushed her hand into her purse and pulled out her keys. “Feed Cassidy...” She took a deep breath, and a look of regret passed over her face. “And keep him away from her, okay?”
When I glanced over to Jet, I saw his jaw flex as he nodded. “Yep. Bye,” he said.
I wondered who he was, but it didn’t feel right to ask. Instead, I watched Jet’s mom hurry down the driveway and climb into her car.
Jet had remained quiet as she sped off down the street and around the corner. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to say about what had happened between the two of them, so I just turned and gave Jet a small smile.
He was still staring off down the road, distracted with his thoughts. I almost wondered if he’d forgotten that I was standing there.
“Everything okay?” I asked as I moved closer to him.
Sure, we’d only just met, but I didn’t like seeing him upset. Maybe it was because I knew what it was like to have less than favorable parents, and, from what I’d seen, that was a sentiment Jet was all too familiar with.
His gaze snapped over to me. He studied me for a moment before a wide smile passed over his face. It felt forced and disingenuous. Like it was something he’d practiced for a very long time.
“I’m great,” he said as he climbed the few steps to the door and pulled it open. “Come on, I’ll introduce you to Cassidy. She’s the sane one in the family.”
I nodded as I followed after him. He walked into a small kitchen, where he kicked off his shoes. He turned and nodded toward mine. “You can keep them on if you want. I’m not sure when the floor was cleaned last.”
I shrugged as I slipped off my shoes. Mom had always insisted that I be polite, and keeping my shoes on went against that. Plus, I didn’t mind. I was sure the house wasn’t that dirty.
Jet walked through the galley kitchen and into the living room. Besides having the drapes pulled closed and boxes piled up along the far wall, it was a tidy house. A small girl with bright red hair was sitting on the couch with her legs crisscrossed, hugging a pillow. Her eyes were wide and her expression animated.
“Hey, Cass,” Jet said as he walked through the room and plopped down next to her. She waved her hand in Jet’s direction, telling him to shush.
“He’s about to hand out the last rose,” she whispered.
Not sure what to do, I walked over and sat on the other side of her. “The Bachelor?” I asked.
Cassidy nodded and turned to me. Just as her gaze met mine, she giggled. “Who are you?” she asked as she held out the remote and paused the TV.
“This is Brielle. She’s paying me to show her around Atlantic City this weekend.”
Cassidy giggled again as her gaze roamed over me. “Do you live here? Where did you get that dress? Your hair is so pretty,” she said as she reached out to touch it.
I gave her a warm smile. Even though we’d just met, I liked her.
“Slow down, Question McGee. You’ve got to let her at least answer one.” Jet poked Cassidy in the ribs, causing her to jerk and swat his hand away.
She climbed toward the back of the couch to get away from him. “Stop!” she squeaked as she wiggled away from him.
After scaling the back of the couch and then plopping safely on my other side, she glared at Jet and stuck her tongue out at him. He raised his hands before stretching out on his half of the couch.
“My plan worked,” he said as he placed his hands behind his head and winked at me.
Cassidy didn’t seem as charmed by his expression as I was. Instead, she shook her head.
“With you here, we’ll get him back,” she said, lifting her hand as she whispered in my ear.
“Really?” I asked under my breath.
Jet furrowed his brows. “What are you two doing? No plotting allowed in this house.” He straightened as he stuck his finger in Cassidy’s direction. “You can’t get other people to fight your battles for you.”
Cassidy’s jaw dropped. “It’s not fair that I can’t recruit backup. I mean, I am nine years old. I should get a break.”
Jet shrugged as he leaned forward to grab Cassidy’s discarded pillow. He propped it up behind him. “Check the rule book.”
I glanced between the two of them. “There’s a rule book?”
Cassidy groaned as she stood and made her way over to the shelf to the left of the TV. She pulled out a worn notebook from a stack of books, then she returned to the couch and leaned into me.
“We started this tw
o years ago, when Jet was put in charge of babysitting me,” she said as she flipped the cover open. In it were pages of rules. No eye gouging. No hair pulling...the list went on and on.
“Wow,” I said as I pointed to the no fighting on the first or third Sunday rule. “You guys are thorough.”
Jet nodded. “When you’re battling this one, you have to be.”
Cassidy gasped. “What? You’re the cheater.”
Jet shook his head. “See, that’s exactly what a cheater would say.”
Cassidy scrunched up her face as she glared at Jet. “Ooo. You’re so dead,” she said. She sprang up from the couch, sprinted down the hall, and slammed her door.
I glanced back at Jet, who was chuckling to himself.
“What happens now?”
He wiggled his eyebrows as he leaned over the side of the couch and returned with a shield made of tinfoil.
“We battle.”
Chapter Eight
I slipped behind a large bush in the backyard and crouched behind Cassidy who was peeking around the leaves. She giggled as she turned and made some movement with her hand around her face. I furrowed my brow as I attempted to decipher it.
“What?” I whispered as I leaned in closer to her.
She sighed—emphasis on the eye roll—and nodded for me to lean in. “He’s hiding back here somewhere, I know it,” she said as she pushed up her makeshift helmet with a hand that was clutching a foam sword made from a pool noodle and a dowel.
I peeked through the foliage to see a broken trailer, a tipping shed, and a few half-motorcycles scattered throughout the backyard. The long grass tickled my legs, and I found myself slapping it away like they were mosquitos.
“So what do we do?” I asked as she shoved one of her foam swords into my hand.
“We need to get to the amulet before he does,” she said, nodding toward the fence that lined the back of their yard. A small trophy could be seen in the middle of the sun-faded planks.
“That’s what we are trying to get?” I asked, swatting at another offending bit of grass.
She nodded.
“And what do we win if we get it?”
A very serious expression passed over her face. “We don’t have to cook dinner.”
That was a mission I could get on board with.
“Perfect,” I said as I crouched down and began scanning the yard.
“Now, you try to get the amulet while I come up the back. I’m smaller than you and can slink better.” She crouched down onto the ground to show me.
“Got it,” I said as I hunched over and pretended to tiptoe away from our hideout.
“Wait,” she squeaked.
I hesitated after her hand gripped my arm.
“He’s very cunning,” she said. The intensity of her stare caused me to smile.
“I think I can handle it.”
One of her eyes narrowed as she studied me. “That’s what Brooke said.”
I blinked a few times. “Brooke?”
She rolled her eyes, like she couldn’t believe she was having to go over this. “His other girlfriend.” She got a disgusted look on her face. “He brought her here, and she said she was going to get the amulet...” She sighed dramatically, her chest rising in a purposeful movement.
“And?” I asked as I leaned in, hoping she couldn’t see the jealousy that was creeping up inside of me. I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear what Jet and Brooke had been doing back here.
“And I found them kissing in the grass.” She stuck her tongue out as she shook her head.
And there it was. The exact thing I didn’t want to hear.
Jet kissing anyone made me feel sick. And then my thoughts returned to Jet kissing me.
Heat rushed across my skin as the feeling of Jet’s lips on mine came crashing into my mind. I swallowed, my mouth drying up as I studied her. I don’t know why I was reacting this way. I mean, just because he did that with some girl named Brooke, didn’t mean he was going to do that with me.
“Brielle?” she asked, leaning in.
“Yeah, mm-hm?” The heat of the evening air mixed with my thoughts and settled on my cheeks. What was the matter with me?
“Are you ready?” she asked as she held up her pinkie finger.
I nodded as I curled my own pinkie around hers. “Get the amulet,” I said.
“And don’t kiss Jet.”
“Yes.” Thankfully, she took off after our promise, so I didn’t have to say anything more. I watched as she sprinted through the grass and dove behind one of the discarded garbage cans.
With her gone, I focused my thoughts on the small trophy in front of me.
I could do this. How hard could it be?
Plus, I wanted to win. One, because I didn’t want to cook dinner, and, two, because I liked Cassidy. She was sweet and untainted from the world. And, it was sort of heart-melting to see Jet interact with her. They had a bond that I would never have, being an only child.
I crouched down as I hurried past the crooked shed, and then I pushed my body up against the wall as I peeked around the corner.
Nothing.
Part of me wondered if Jet had snuck off, leaving me to hang out with his little sister. After all, I was just an annoying tagalong to him. Frustration pricked my skin, but I pushed it down. There was no need to get upset. And if he had, so what? I mean, Cassidy was fun to hang out with, and being here was ten times better than being with Stefano.
Which was what I would be doing had I stayed home.
After a few minutes of nothing, I gathered my courage and took a step toward the fence that was about ten feet away from me. If I rushed, I could grab the amulet and win.
But, just as my foot settled in the grass, I felt something jab me in the back.
“Hold it right there.” Jet’s low voice caused shivers to rush across my skin. He must be only inches from me because I could feel his body warmth cascade over me. “No sudden movements, or I’ll impale you with my sword.”
I peeked around to see he held an identical foam sword in his hand. His other hand wrapped around my arm and pulled it close to his chest.
“How did you know I was here?” I asked in my best damsel-in-distress voice.
His chuckle was soft and genuine. “Wow. Really hamming it up, aren’t you?”
I shrugged as embarrassment settled on my cheeks. “Hey, when I go all in—I go all in.”
“Duly noted,” he said, his voice dropping down to a whisper.
“What’s with the trophy?” I asked as my body began to relax. It was strange being this close to Jet. But also comforting.
He was just a stranger to me earlier this morning, but now? I don’t know. It felt odd to say I was getting to know him—that we were becoming friends—but we kind of were. And I liked it.
“It was a trophy I won in the fourth grade,” he said. His voice sent shivers down my back as he leaned in closer.
“For what?”
He was quiet for a moment. I peeked behind me to see that his face had stilled. If I didn’t know better, I would have said he was blushing.
“Not going to tell you that,” he said.
I dropped my jaw. “What?” Then I glanced back at the trophy. “Well, maybe I just need to get over there and see for myself.” I turned to face him, trying to break his hold on me, but he must have anticipated my movement. His grip tightened on my arm, and suddenly, I was crashing into his chest.
“Oh, no you don’t,” he said, wrapping his arm around my waist. I was pinned to his very broad chest, and I couldn’t help but feel the familiar muscles under his t-shirt. It was strange to be this intimately aware of his body.
My heart did a little pitter-patter as I peeked up at him.
There was a playful hint to his smile as he peered down at me. Like maybe he was enjoying our closeness as well.
I narrowed my eyes, hoping to mask the feelings that were bubbling up inside of me. I steadied my gaze as I met his. “What could you possibly want to
hide from me...” I widened my eyes as I dropped my jaw. “Was it a Mr. America Pageant?”
He quirked an eyebrow. “Wow. Never in my life has anyone even hinted that I could participate in something like that.” He leaned closer so we were inches apart. “Should I take that as a compliment?” he asked. I noticed a drop in his voice, and his words came out deep and breathy.
I swallowed. Emotions were running like runaway trains throughout my body. I wanted to melt into a puddle from the way he was looking at me and from the way it felt to have his body pressed against mine.
Like we were two puzzle pieces that fit perfectly together.
Which was ridiculous.
Jet was my distraction from my real life. He and I could never be more than a weekend fling. After Sunday, my life was set.
Why was I allowing myself to think anything else could happen?
It wasn’t fair to me, and it wasn’t fair to him.
But I couldn’t help the teasing smile that emerged on my lips. Sure, I couldn’t date him, but I could flirt with him.
“I’m not telling,” I said as I batted my eyelashes at him.
He chuckled, and I could feel the vibration through his chest. I involuntarily stretched my fingers out against his chest. His gaze flicked down to my hands and then back up to me. His eyebrows were furrowed as he studied me.
Suddenly, we weren’t laughing. Instead, there was this tension that settled around us as he held my gaze.
The desire to flee took over me. My eyes widened as I attempted to straighten up, pushing against him as I planted my feet underneath me.
“Brielle, I...” he started, but his voice trailed off as he dropped his arms and stepped back. “Sorry,” he said as he pushed his hands through his hair and glanced over at me. “I get a little competitive.”
I giggled, hoping it would come out relaxed. It didn’t. I sounded like a crazed clown. Perfect.
Heat flooded my skin, but I forced myself to shrug. “I get it. I’m competitive too.”
Jet was studying me, and I couldn’t help but fidget. Something between us had changed. There was an intensity to his look that made me wonder what he was thinking.
Rule #5: You Can't Trust the Bad Boy (The Rules of Love) Page 7