Rule Number Five: A College Hockey Romance (Rule Breaker Series Book 1)(10)

I placed one hand on the door and the other on the wall, effectively trapping her between my arms. A thrill went through me when her wide eyes darkened when they met mine. The world quieted around us, all my attention on her shallow breaths that came out in pants as her gaze dropped to my mouth, and her tongue snuck out, wetting her bottom lip before biting it. Fuck, I wanted to free her lip from her teeth and replace them with mine. My heart pounded in my chest, and it took everything for me not to close the distance between us. She visibly shivered, watching me with dark eyes, and it took an obnoxious amount of willpower to back away. “I wouldn’t want to break your rules.”

Her brows pinched together, and I inwardly smiled at her look of disappointment. When this was over, she would be chasing after me. I clenched my jaw, leaving her before I did something desperate, and walked into the room. We were still five minutes early, but the class was practically filled to the brim. It was tiny, with only a few rows of desks, not surprising for such a specialized course.

Looking up, I couldn’t help but grin. There were only two seats left.





FOUR





SIDNEY





My heart pounded in my chest, and I had to take several deep breaths to get it under control. What the hell just happened? One second, we’d been bickering, and the next, I was chasing after him through the halls. He walked into class without a hint of defeat and more than a bit of humor in his eyes. Like he hadn’t just pinned me to the wall, making me burn for him. For a brief moment, there was a possessiveness about him, like he was going to kiss me then and there, and then a wall went up between us, and he reminded me of my rules.

I would be a liar if I said I hadn’t thought of him since that night at the club. Oh, no. He’d played a starring role in more than one of my fantasies. It kept replaying in my dreams like I was mourning the night that could’ve been if I hadn’t shut it down.

Why did he have to be a hockey player, of all things?

In hindsight, he had all the typical markers: messy hair, giant build, cocky smile. I normally had a radar that spotted them a mile away. Apparently, I had let a much lower region control my actions that night, or I would’ve clued in sooner.

I would love to say I was behaving like a prickly porcupine because the barista tried to skip me in line, but the reality was all my defense mechanisms snapped into place the second I saw him. It was that or nuzzle into him like some desperate puck bunny. I hadn’t been obsessed with him or anything. I just hadn’t not not thought about him.

I walked into class and gulped down the last sip of coffee before tossing the empty cup into the garbage with a frown. Dammit, I was looking forward to drinking that. I skimmed through the classroom, looking for a spot, and scrunched up my nose when I spotted the remaining empty seat.

Of course it was beside him. Of course it was. I laughed, putting my hands up in the universal—I surrender—gesture as Jax held the chair for me. He looked chivalrous, but the gleam of victory in his eyes told me otherwise.

As I got closer to him, I could practically feel his gaze track over my body, like he couldn’t quite figure me out. I did the same, taking in his appearance. I’d been too caught off guard in the cafe to check him out. He looked strong and sturdy, like he’d find it easy to pick me up and toss me around, and his wide chest stretched his dark shirt, making the barest definition of his muscles visible. He wore fitted gray sweats that hung low on his hips. It was a typical jock outfit, but he made it look sexy as hell. I dragged my eyes up over his sharp jaw, landing firmly on his full lips, which turned into a cocky grin at my gaze. I snapped my eyes away, acting extremely interested in the floor tiles, and tamped down all my indecent thoughts. This guy was completely, one hundred percent off-limits.

“I still won.” I pretended my face wasn’t bright red and slid behind the two-person wooden desk into the chair he held out for me.

“Not a fucking chance.” He gave me a victorious smile as he took the seat beside me.

I couldn’t help my grin. “Nothing in the rules says anything about chairs. Doors only.”

“Do you have rules for everything?” His laugh rang out through the class, but it was cut short when everyone in the room turned toward us. They fixated on him. But honestly, who could blame them?

He stiffened and slid a blank mask over his face. He looked like someone good at keeping others locked out. It was a huge contrast from his grin a few seconds before. While I sat here, heart pumping with the exhilaration of the last ten minutes, he looked unaffected, almost bored.

What the hell?

My phone vibrated, and I did my best to covertly check it, rolling my eyes at the message.



Dad: Sorry I missed dinner. You know how it is. I promise I’ll catch up with you next week.



I shoved my phone back into my bag, determined not to let my dad standing me up again distract me from class.

Most people had turned forward, but there were a few holdouts still looking this way. I twirled my finger, gesturing for them to turn around, and they spun to the front in a dramatic fashion.

Really mature, Sidney.

My arm pressed against Jax’s when I pulled my laptop out from my bag, and I could feel it vibrating with his suppressed laughter. A smile cracked my face, realizing he wasn’t as collected as he looked. I knocked my elbow into his, which earned me a sideways smirk. That’s better.