Page 16 of Rule Breaker

Shaking my head, I grabbed my stuff, checked the bed again, and then headed for the door. But I didn’t leave. I didn’t want Maddox to have to walk onto the bus alone. Not on game day. We always paired up, so no one had a chance to get in their heads and psych themselves out.

Despite his angry words, I was pretty sure Maddox had laughed. At me, but still. As much as I didn’t love feeling like an ass, I’d take that over the silent treatment any day. And, if I could make him chuckle once, I could do it again. There had to be a kernel of something good inside him, something that would be worth the pain of dealing with his prickly thorns. I reminded myself that people lashed out hardest when they were hurting.

I waited in the hallway, bag at my feet, perusing my phone. Five minutes later, he stepped out.

“Fuck off,” Maddox grumbled as he slammed the door shut.

If I had to room with him over the whole season, I was going to lose part of my hearing for sure.

“Your mouth says fuck off, but your eyes say—” I paused dramatically, and he walked right past me, heading for the elevator.

“The exact same thing!” he finished, yelling over his shoulder.

“No! You laughed in there. I heard you. And I saw your mouth curl up in a smile. Don’t deny it.”

“And?” He turned around, his steely blues locked on me. “You were acting like an ass; of course I laughed. Who wouldn’t? I’m pissy, not dead.”

“Woah,” I held my hands up in the air. “You realize this is the most you’ve said to me since we’ve met, right? Are we, like, starting to become actual friends now or something?”

Oh man, I couldn’t wait to see his reaction to that statement.

Maddox gave me two middle fingers and turned on his heel. He speed-walked down the hallway, his ass cheeks bouncing with every step. I’m surprised his jeans didn’t bust wide open. And why I couldn’t stop staring at his ass was beyond me.

What the fuck was in those pancakes this morning? Did I get roofied and not know it?

“You like me,” I teased as I caught up to him. “I knew it. It’s just a matter of time.”

“Are you sure you’re okay to play today? ‘Cause it seems like you might have injured your head this morning,” he returned.

We stepped into the elevator. And I did what I usually did when I felt awkward. I kept on blabbing.

“How did you sleep last night? Did I wake you? Sometimes I snore like a fucking freight train, and?—”

Ping. Ground floor.

The doors opened and Maddox stepped out first.

“—It drives my siblings crazy when I fall asleep in the car on road trips. I’m one of six kids,” I continued. “What about you, Mad?”

“My name is Maddox. Maddox, Rocher, or Rock.Do notcall me Mad. And please, shut up already.”

“I like Mad. Not Mads with an ‘s.’ That’s too cute for you. But Mad is like, perfect.”

He grunted and stalked out of the hotel, but I was right behind him.

As we headed for the bus, Maddox pulled out his sunglasses and shoved them on his face. His expression was still sour, but I could’ve sworn I saw his lip twitch.

CHAPTER 8

MADDOX

Ididn’t need adrenaline to get worked up for the game. Just being around Kayden sent my blood pressure sky high. If I had my blocker with me, I would’ve been tempted to put it over his face. Not that I was a violent person. The total opposite, despite my surly temperament. If anything, when there was a fight on the ice, I broke out in a cold sweat, no lie. Some guys loved that shit. Guess they thought it made them feel powerful. It made me want to puke.

Kayden followed me onto the bus, my constant shadow, chattering away about fuck knows what. The snickers of our teammates got louder as we passed each row of seats.

“Button it, Kayden. Save your energy for the game!” Axel shouted.

Laughter surrounded us.

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