Rule Number Five: A College Hockey Romance (Rule Breaker Series Book 1)(9)

“I like a challenge, Sidney.”

Her teeth gnawed on her bottom lip as she scanned my face, no doubt wondering if I was serious.

So fucking serious.

I itched to know what would’ve happened the other night if she didn’t have her stupid rules in place and what it would take to get her to break them.

“Well, you’re not going to win this one.” She huffed out a laugh and took a few steps toward the second exit door, bringing me back to reality.

How long had we stood in the coffeehouse entry?

She made a show of opening the door. “After you.”

I eyed her apprehensively as I walked through; she looked too pleased with herself to trust. “Thanks.”

“It’s the polite thing to do.” Sidney’s mouth quirked at the side, and her words were beyond sarcastic.

The tension built between my shoulders. This girl was under my skin, and I was finally in a position to catch her.

Nothing about her made me want to be polite. I walked through the door, and my mouth twitched at the high-pitched squeak she made. She let out a little groan of exasperation when she saw me smiling but struggled to contain her smirk. I love that I was getting to her.

There was a long path that connected the cafe to the building my class was in. I didn’t like the idea of splitting from Sidney, having already lost her twice, but before I could say anything, she stopped to shove her BCPT textbook into her overfull bag. A thrill went through me as I realized we were in the same class.

Man, she looked good, bent over. The little minx scratched her face with her middle finger as I walked by. Guess she didn’t like me checking out her ass.

“Behavioral Change, yeah? Looks like we’ll be spending the semester together.”

She sucked in a breath and, her brows pinched together.

Good. I needed to get under her skin the way she burrowed under mine since she’d been pressed against me at the club. My body hummed with a rash idea, and I picked up my pace, putting a decent amount of distance between us. Then I pulled one of the weirdest asshole moves there was. I held the door open way too fucking early and waited. It always looked super polite, but it put the other person in an awkward position. Do you pick up your pace? Do you smile? Do you keep smiling all the way there, or do you smile twice?

Two girls walked through. “Thanks, Jax,” they both said in a singsong voice, as if I was holding the door for them. I took a step back, nodding in their direction, but my gaze stayed on Sidney.

Her brows pulled together, and she bit the side of her cheek, trying to figure me out. She must have noticed my mischievous grin because she slowed down, ignoring me altogether. Her movements were exaggerated as she casually checked her phone, taking her time. I could see a slight grin as she turned her head away from my stare, looking sexy as hell. That earned her points in my book. She wasn’t backing down—she was enjoying the game.

“Could you go any slower?” I called out.

“Some of us like things to last more than a few seconds.” By the way her eyes sparked to life and dared me to say something back, she knew exactly what her words implied.

I couldn’t hide the laugh from my voice. “Fast or slow. All that matters is everyone gets to their destination. Right?” I held the door at the top, forcing her to walk beneath.

“Sure, keep telling yourself that, big guy.” She was so close, the top of her head skimmed the bottom of my arm, and her shiny, dark hair bounced as she walked. I couldn’t help but breathe her in. She smelled delicious, her citrus-vanilla scent immediately drawing me back to the night at the club. I shook my head and did my best to snap out of the memories.

I tried to reach the next door first, but she beat me by a second. She spun and hauled it open for me. Her eyes narrowed in challenge. “Don’t worry. I’ve got it.”

She stood there, hot as fuck, and I had to take a beat to shake out my head. She looked fucking devious. Somehow she turned opening doors into a fucking dare, like she knew exactly how to get to me.

Game on, Trouble.

“Thanks, but I wasn’t worried. I knew I could count on you.” I wet my lips and walked toward her, giving her a side-eye. As soon as I got past her, I hauled ass up the stairs, taking two at a time. The stairwell was crowded, but people moved out of my way when I wore my game face.

Sidney was forced to slow down, trying to avoid bumping into people, and I could hear her apologies as she struggled to follow me. Her laugh was breathy as she panted, finally breaking through the students. We shared a conspiratorial glance, and I grinned. I couldn’t fucking help it.

My heart pounded in my chest as I beat her to the next door. I pulled it open and did a little bow, smiling so hard my cheeks hurt. “After you.”

Already at a half run, she had the advantage and raced past me, yanking the classroom door wide with so much force she nearly hit herself. Her coffee sloshed as she dodged the impact, and she looked at the now near-empty cup with disappointment. She was going to miss that.

I stalked toward her, blood rushing through my ears as adrenaline pumped through my veins. God, I loved chasing her. I moved slowly, no longer in a hurry to get inside. She was cornered between the door and wall, exactly where I wanted her.

“I win.” She smiled triumphantly.

I hummed in appreciation. There was something about this girl I couldn’t resist. “That’s a case of perspective.”