Page 104 of Rule Breaker

“Holy shit,” he whispered.

Goddamn it.

Kayden stumbled back from me so fast he nearly fell on the icy ground. I steadied him as best I could, but my stomach clenched tight when I saw the panic on his face.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I snapped.

He held up his bag. “Going to the gym like Coach asked, where else? What the fuck’s going on here? Are you guys together?”

“Get lost, Lund,” I bit out.

“Now it all makes sense. Sharing a room on the road, and all the fuss about those stupid bracelets,” Axel sneered. “Does Coach know?”

I moved to stand in front of Kayden. My boyfriend was eerily silent.

“I said, get lost. And mind your own damn business.”

“I’m making it mine. Banning doesn’t know, does he?” Axel scoffed as he walked closer. “You don’t have to answer. I can tell by Kayden’s face. He’s shit at playing it cool. Well, that’s about to change.”

“Don’t.” I stalked up to him. “We’re going to tell him. Until then, keep your mouth shut.”

Axel shook his head. “This isn’t good for the team. You know it, and I know it. It’s intense enough playing at this level. We don’t need personal shit fucking things up.”

“Nothing is getting fucked up,” I insisted.

Axel stepped closer and pointed at me. “You can’t guarantee that. And what happens when the rest of the team finds out about you two? And the teams we play against? You think about the scrutiny you’re going to face when they find out you’re queer? It’s going to be a shitshow. Guaranteed. How’s that going to affect our game?”

I wasn’t in total denial. Axel wasn’t totally wrong.

“It won’t be a problem,” Kayden finally replied. “It happened and now it’s done. Over.”

I was frozen again and no, I wasn’t talking about the temperature.

“Kay.”

“Go, Axel. Alright? Leave. Please,” Kayden whispered.

Axel glanced at Kayden and then back at me again. “Come clean to Coach before I do it for you.”

With that final warning, he turned and stalked off. Leaving me and Kay standing there, staring at each other, snowflakes kissing our faces.

“It’s done?” I spat out.

“I had to tell him something to get him to back off,” Kayden bit out. “I don’t trust him. He’s going to tell everyone.”

I ran a frozen hand through my hair and bit back a scream. Nothing was ever fucking simple.

“What do you want to do?” Kayden asked me.

“We tell Coach. We tell the rest of the team. Then we deal with the consequences.”

“And if the team doesn’t accept it?”

I held my breath. “I don’t know.”

“That’s a shit answer, Mad.”

“What do you want me to say? I’m not psychic, Kay.”

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