So Bad (Bad Boy Next Door #1) - Kelley Harvey
ONE
I round the corner and he’s there, both hands gripping some girl’s butt.
I stop, my foot poised for the next step.
Danny’s got her pushed against the wall. Her legs are wrapped around him, her skirt bunched at her waist. My stomach clenches tight and my heart jerks into high gear.
Do I turn and leave?
No. Rachel needs her stuff. She has packing to do.
As I pass by, the girl flips me off without breaking their kiss.
I make a beeline to get Rachel’s clothes. In the laundry room, I gather the things she asked for and hold them close, steeling myself to go by the groping couple once more.
I hug the wall as I come upon him and his—I don’t know, girlfriend? I doubt it. The tribal panther tattooed on his back stares at me and flexes as Danny’s muscles ripple when he rolls his hips forward. His jeans ride half way down his backside, while the dimples at his lower back, right above the curve of his butt, draw my attention. I try not to look, but that’s impossible.
He grinds against her. She pants and makes this sound, like a cat having kittens. Somewhere deep inside warmth curls and a pulse beats between my legs.
For the love of—
Yesterday, blonde on the hood of the car; today, a brunette in the hallway.
I avert my eyes. A condom wrapper lies at their feet.
“Classy.”
I zip Rachel’s suitcase while she adds a couple of last minute things to her carry on. My heart weighs heavily.
“I don’t really want to go, you know. Dad says I have to. Supposedly, it looks good for the pastor’s daughter to work at the orphanage his church sponsors. I wish you were going with me.” She glances up with glassy eyes.
“Me too.” I turn so she won’t see my frown. “But, hey, it’s all good. I’m going to get in a couple of classes over the summer. Puts me closer to graduating early.”
“Yeah, but it’s not fair. Mom and Dad could afford to send us both.”
I shake my head. “No. Your parents have done way more than anyone should ask. I mean, taking me in after Mom died and letting me live in your guest house.”
I could’ve gone into foster care for the last year of high school. Who knows where I would’ve ended up?
She bites her lip. “True. But they could do so much more, Mo.”
My mom could’ve planned better. She’s the one who up and died without life insurance or a will. I’m lucky Rach and I have been friends since kindergarten, or I’d have been screwed.
Rachel nods, her frown still marring her sweet face. “But I’m glad you got to come live here. It’s been amazing having you so close.”
“Yup, it has.” I tap her case with my toe. “All right. I think you’re ready. You want to ask Danny to haul these downstairs?”
She heads out, but stops at the door. “About Danny…”
I twist my fingers behind my back. “Yeah?”
“Look, I know you two don’t really get along, but—well, he doesn’t have many friends here during the summers. Could you please hang out with him some? It’s the first break he and I won’t spend together.”
My gaze darts around the room, avoiding her pleading eyes. “I don’t know, Rach. He doesn’t like me. And honestly, I—”
“It’s not that he doesn’t like you, Mo. He’s just—you know, awkward with girls.”
“Awkward? With girls?” Is she blind? Can she not hear him through the walls when he’s entertaining company? “Really, Rach. He’s anything but. How have you not noticed the string of girls he’s paraded through the house since he came home?”
She rolls her eyes. “I’ve seen them. But those girls are simple. Okay, so I guess you could say he’s awkward with real girls, not those plastic types who don’t have a thought in their head or any substance to their character. It’s easy for him with them because he doesn’t have to think about it.”
Yeah, I bet he wasn’t thinking all that much two days ago while he screwed one of those girls in the downstairs hallway.
I roll my shoulders trying to rid them of the tension bunching my muscles. “It probably doesn’t matter. I don’t imagine he’s going to have a lot of free time.”
“But you’ll hang out with him if he’s alone, right? I don’t want him to be lonely.”
I shrug and lie to my best friend. “Sure. Whatever. Let’s get you to the airport.”
*
I hug Rachel for the third time since we unloaded her cases from the trunk. “I can’t believe you’ll be gone until the end of August.”