Rule Number Five: A College Hockey Romance (Rule Breaker Series Book 1)(7)

But nothing, and I do mean nothing, topped the crashing disappointment that sank low in my gut when she’d shrugged and walked off. Because I was a hockey player, of all things. That was supposed to get me laid, not cock-block me.

Her rules landed like a challenge, and I’d been looking for her ever since. Here she was, dropped in my path like it was meant to be.

I parked in a teacher’s spot, not giving a single shit if I got a ticket. If I didn’t hurry the fuck up, she’d disappear again. I practically jumped out of the truck, feet pounding on the cobblestone path, and tried to catch up to her. When I turned the corner, her blue coat had vanished in the sea of students heading to class.

Where the fuck is she?

I huffed out a breath, pushing down the disappointment of losing her, and headed toward the coffee shop. Was it stalker behavior to show up earlier next Monday and wait, hoping to see her? Probably.

What the actual fuck was wrong with me? It had been one night. Not even. Nothing but a fucking moment between us, but her rules had dug their claws into me ever since. I hated it as much as I enjoyed the thrill of finally being interested in someone.

“Hey! Aren’t you Jaxton Ryder?”

Small hands clamped around my arm, halting my steps, and a blonde stared up at me, her doe eyes wide. I gritted my teeth, stopping a sudden sneer from crossing mouth when she leaned against me. It took every ounce of self-control not to shake her off.

“I know you’re him. You took us all the way to finals last year.” Her voice was sickly sweet. She was trying to be cute, but that shit was not attractive.

Alex nearly fell off his chair this morning, laughing, when I put on a beanie and grabbed my sunglasses. His smug ass thought it was hilarious that I believed I could pull off a “Clark Kent”—his words, not mine—and walk around unrecognized.

Fucking great.

“I heard you’re playing next weekend. Maybe I can come by after the game?” she said, her voice soft, attempting to be seductive, but she couldn’t hide the underlying hint of desperation.

I didn’t miss the fact that she said “after” the game. Her baby blue eyes, bleach-blonde hair, and decent rack should’ve tempted me, but she had that needy gleam to her. She thought if she could catch me, she could keep me.

She was wrong.

I stepped back and removed her hand from my chest. “I’m sure the guys will be happy to see you.”

“You won’t be there?”

I deadpanned, making sure she got the point, “Oh, I’ll be there.”

Her face crumpled into a pout, but I turned before she could say anything.

“Have fun at the game,” I said dismissively over my shoulder and walked away. Maybe I sounded like a dick, but that girl had stalker written all over her. She’d no doubt gotten here early just to corner me on my way to class. The irony that I’d been considering doing the same to Sidney was not lost on me.

Today was the first day of my last semester of college. In a couple of months, I would have a degree in kinesiology, and then I would be off to play for the Boston Bruins. They’d drafted me three years ago when I was still playing Juniors. I was all set to go right to the pros, but my meddling mom had sent me a list of players who sucked it up and went to college. So here I was.

Unlike football and baseball, the NHL drafted most of their players before they got to college. They used a loophole where you didn’t physically sign the contract, but you were committed to the team. It was to the point that if you played college hockey and weren’t drafted, you were likely a second-tier player.

My long strides ate up the distance as I walked along the cobblestone path to the coffee shop. A buzz of noise greeted me when I entered. The place was so packed students with early classes, the line stretched around the wood bistro tables to the front entrance. It was set up exactly like every other cookie-cutter cafe chain, cash at the front and pickup line down the side.

I removed my beanie, tucking it into my pocket, and my gaze landed on the girl directly in front of me. A grin lifted the corner of my mouth, and my heart beat in my ears.

Found you.

Sidney’s foot tapped incessantly, and she’d checked her watch at least three times in the past thirty seconds. She hadn’t seen me yet, but I couldn’t look away from her. Sidney stepped fully in front of me and glared at the cute barista, who was trying to skip her to take my order.

“I’ll have a large dark roast. Please.” Her voice was sharp. The type you would expect from a coach, not a mini-skirt-wearing co-ed.

Entertained, I waited my turn quietly and watched her walk to the other end of the counter without spotting me. I quickly placed my order, ignoring the way the barista was leering at me, and circled around the cafe so I could approach Sidney from behind. I stepped into her space, not touching but close enough to drop my mouth to just above her ear and whisper, “There you are, Trouble. I’ve been looking for you.”

She shivered, and my gaze followed the goose bumps that trailed down her arms. We were frozen for one blissful second before she spun around and laughed. “Oh, shit!”

A low chuckle rumbled in my chest, and my grin turned up in the corner. “Surprised to see me?”

She turned back to face the counter, and my mouth quirked at the tinge of pink that crawled up her neck. “I didn’t expect to see you again.”

I put a hand to my chest. “I’m hurt you don’t remember I go here.”