Page 72 of Rule Breaker

“And?”

“And what? I agree with you. This is fun, but that’s all it is.”

Then he started walking again. And me? I stood there, lost for words. I should’ve been relieved that he was in agreement. We could fuck around, but no one would know. That was perfect, right? No hassle, no stress.

Then I thought about the party. The way Hailey had been all over Kayden.

With every kiss between us, Kayden became more confident. Hell, he’d blown me in the library, for fuck’s sake. Did that mean he wanted to hook up with other guys? And women too? And why did I care? It was none of my business who he wanted to fuck around with. None.

I stomped off after him, not sure why his laid-back attitude grated on my nerves. So much for my good mood. Bitchy Mad was back. With a vengeance.

CHAPTER 26

KAYDEN

DECEMBER

The cold was bitter. Not the weather. I meant Maddox.

Ever since that blowjob in the library, he was walking around in a piss-poor mood. Not sure why. After all, he was the one who came. He should’ve been smiling for weeks, right? I know I was. I’d never thought giving head would be such a rush, but it was.

Until Maddox’s bad attitude soured mine.

He barely spoke to me the rest of that evening, and Dane and Jackson watched us with concern. I waved it off, and when Dane asked me about it the next day, I said that Maddox and I had another disagreement. We didn’t. The total opposite. Maddox wanted to keep our fucking around on the down low, and that was fine by me. So why was he so cranky? Or maybe I was thinking way too much about his reaction. He was, after all, a self-proclaimed grump. Maybe after the orgasm, he reverted to his usual mode.

Still, I assumed things between us were different. That he wasn’t just my new fuck buddy, but my friend. Now, I wasn’t sosure we were anything. I thought we’d finally reached a point of understanding between us, and then Maddox withdrew into himself. Not that I should be obsessed about him. I had more important things to focus on than my sex life. Days went by with no communication from Maddox. I found it unsettling, but what could I do?

So, instead of sitting beside Maddox on the drive down to Maryland, I sat beside Dane. At least he’d talk to me. Willingly.

“Where’s your bestie?” Dane quipped.

“He’s so far from that.” I shook my head. “And he’s at the back of the bus, as usual. Ignoring me. He’s hot and cold, and either way, I always get burned.”

“What are you talking about, Kay?” Dane whispered.

I couldn’t help the fiery blush that heated my cheeks. “Not here.”

“No shit. Your face gives everything away.”

I playfully smacked his shoulder in retaliation.

Instead of sleeping the whole trip, I got out my notes and studied. My regular tutor had fired off a list of items for me to follow up on. He was alright, but I learned more in one session with Maddox than in several sessions with my school-assigned tutor.

After working for two hours, I grabbed a protein bar from my backpack, gulped down an energy drink, and went back at it. I didn’t need the extra caffeine or stimulation, but I was nervous as fuck about this trip and this game. And about the rest of the semester, the courses that I was struggling with. Not to mention sharing a room with Maddox again.

I should have talked to Coach and told him that my personal feelings for Maddox required me to switch rooms. But I wasn’t ready for the interrogation that would follow. And I’d have to actually define my feelings first, and that was scary as fuck. I’d never been so confused, consumed, or downright amused byanyone as I was with Maddox. I wanted to hug him really tight and not let go. Which was funny as fuck because he was sonotthe huggable type. I wanted him, for sure. Our chemistry was hot as fuck. But it was everything else that left me wondering what the hell I was doing. Still, I didn’t notice or want anyone else. Only him.

Finally, after two hours of studying, my eyes grew heavy. I fell asleep and woke up to Dane nudging me with his elbow.

“We’re here.”

Here meaning the hotel. Which meant a shared room with Maddox. I went from sleepy to anxiety code red in less than ten seconds.

We lumbered off the bus, and entered the hotel. Maddox was on his phone, ignoring everyone. I turned to Dane and I didn’t hold back my eye roll.

Once I had my hotel key card in hand, I headed for my room. I didn’t look back for Maddox or wonder when—or if—he was following me. I just wanted to hit my mattress and sleep. But since I got to the room first, I was confronted by a problem. A big one.

Only one fucking bed. Was this a joke?

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