Page 74 of Rule Breaker

I dropped onto the bed. “Ugh.”

“Can you?” Dane asked.

“Yes,” I replied. “Of course. That’s all it is.”

I sounded confident. It was no problem.

“Or you could approach Coach for a room change,” Dane offered.

“He’d insist on a reason why. And I’m not ready to go there. I’m fine. It’s fine.”

“I wish I could offer you advice. The only thing I can say is—” Dane paused. “Try to keep your voices down. The walls in hotels aren’t soundproof.”

“Not funny.”

“Not joking.”

“Dane,” I started. “How did you, you know, know that what you felt for Jackson was more than sex?”

There was a pause on the other end of the line.

“Back in high school, when Jackson and I were fooling around in secret, I kept telling myself it was just hormones. But whenever I’d see him talking to another guy, it drove me crazy. I wondered if he was interested in them. I thought about him all the time. Wanted to be with him and only him. And he was the one I confided in. About everything.”

I thought about the need I had to know all about Maddox. Was that just curiosity or did it mean more? I’d told him about my learning disorder and my ADHD. And it felt good to be open like that. To have someone finally see me. All of me.

“Thanks, Dane.”

“Hey, you wouldn’t be the first guy to fall for a teammate. Of that, I’m sure. But I’m not gonna lie, it does make me worry. About you, and the game.”

“I know. And I can’t afford to fuck up. I need this team.”

“We sure as shit need you. Remember that.”

The bathroom door opened, and Maddox stepped out.

“I gotta go,” I muttered.

“See you in the morning.”

I tapped end and threw my phone on the bed.

“You sure you’re okay?” I asked Maddox. “Three months ago, you didn’t even want to share a room with me, never mind a bed.”

He threw his shirt off and started to undo his jeans. Uh, that was not the response I was anticipating. And him getting naked didn’t help my poor, confused dick at all. Maddox didn’t reply. He just pushed his jeans off and threw them on the bed. Clad in nothing but tight black briefs, he stared at me for a moment, then slid under the sheets.

I guess I got my answer.

Searching my backpack with sweaty hands, I grabbed my meds and a bottle of water, and downed my pills. Then I headed for the bathroom to wash up.

By the time I got back out, Maddox was already snoring.

Huh. So much for my worries. I wondered if this meant he was done. With me, and with sex. While I was still rocking a semi and trying to get my mind off being alone in bed with him, he was obviously not concerned. Or interested. My earlier fears turned to frustration. I stomped over to the left side of the bed and got in. But with Maddox close, almost naked, and smelling so fucking good, there was no way I was going to be able to sleep. And knowing that I didn’t affect him the way he did me, I let out a sigh. A loud one.

I tossed and turned for God knows how long. Until Maddox’s snoring ceased.

“Knock it off,” he grumbled.

“I can’t help it,” I bit out. “I can’t sleep.”

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