Page 105 of Rule Breaker

Maybe this was crazy. What was I thinking? I’d finally eked out a bit of happiness, then bam, it was ripped away from me. Serves me right for letting my guard down, for thinking with my dick, and not my head. Not just my dick. My heart was involved in this madness, too. Even worse.

“Let’s go,” Kayden muttered, and motioned to the street.

We walked in silence, the crunch of the snow under our boots. The closer we got to the rink, the more I felt like puking. When we finally arrived, and knocked on Coach Banning’s door, I thought I was going to faint.

“Enter!”

Kayden opened the door, and we stepped inside.

“What’s up?” Coach asked as we closed the door and sat down.

“We have something important to tell you,” I muttered and clenched my hands together so tight I was cutting off my circulation.

“If it’s about tomorrow’s game?—”

“No,” Kaden interrupted. “It’s personal.”

Coach leaned back in his chair and stared at Kayden and then me. Banning could read a play and the players. I was sure we didn’t need to say anything else. He knew. He fucking knew. Then it dawned on me that our coach wasn’t much older than us. Maybe by a decade? Thirty, thirty-one? But I’m sure he was a hell of a lot wiser.

“Kayden and I are—” I stared at Banning. Would it be rude to say, ‘we’re fucking?’ Definitely. “You know, involved.”

Coach ran both hands through his hair and cupped the back of his head. He smashed his lips together and dropped his head back, staring at the ceiling.

I glanced over at Kayden. He looked as terrified as I felt.

“Are you freaking kidding me?” Banning muttered and then placed both hands on his desk.

“This is not the kind of thing we’d joke about,” I replied.

“Technically, there’s nothing I can say. You’re not breaking any rules. There’s no policy at Sutton U about intra-team relationships—” Coach paused.

“But?” Kayden added.

“Does anyone else on the team know?”

I nodded.

“Dane and Jace. Axel—” I paused. “Axel just found out. He caught us kissing. He’s pretty concerned about how this will affect our on-ice performance. All of them are, but Axel’s more…insistent.”

“I’d have to agree with the concerns. When personal feelings get involved, things can get heated, and we lose our perspective. Truthfully, I’ve never been faced with this situation before,” Coach admitted. “Players coming out to me, yes. But two teammates that are dating, no. Or is that the right word? Did this happen, past tense, or is it still going on?”

I looked over at Kayden again. Without thinking, I reached for his hand.

“We’re in a relationship,” I croaked.

Banning was shocked. Kayden was shocked.

But no one more than me.

CHAPTER 37

KAYDEN

“And nothing that happens between us is going to affect our play,” Maddox insisted. “We’re committed to this team and to winning. All in.”

Coach Banning said nothing in response. I gripped Maddox’s hand tighter.

“We aren’t planning on coming out, though. Or, at least, not yet,” I stated. “But we’re worried that Axel might start talking about us. And that if he does, and rumors start, it might force our hand. He’s pissed.”

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