Page 23 of Rule Breakers Fall Hardest

I still don’t stop.

Selfishly, I want to get my fill now, because I won’t be kissing her again. Ican’t.

“Hey!” The command is louder this time, followed by a shake of my shoulder.

Finally, I pull my lips from hers. Her red lipstick is smeared, half of it no doubt on my face, and her eyes are hazy.

“We better get out of here.” I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand. When I pull it away, it’s streaked with red. I use my thumb to wipe at the lipstick smudged around her lips.

She lets me, still frozen from the kiss. If it weren’t for the slow blink of her eyes and flutter of her pulse at the base of her throat, I’d worry I accidentally kissed her to death.

“Sir, you need to move. I have more couples to marry.”

I glower at the guy. “I’m fixing her makeup. You can wait a minute.”

The exchange snaps Rosie out of her trance. “It’s okay,” she breathes, stepping back. “I can fix it in the car.”

“Are you sure?”

She nods.

With that, we rush from the room, Bertie struggling to keep up with us on the way to the parking lot.

“That was some kiss,” she says from behind us, her shoes echoing off the stone floors. “I don’t think Tommy has ever kissed me like that before. I’m definitely not taking him back after seeing that.”

She rambles on as we burst outside. I don’t know how Rosie feels, but I’m suffocating.

I kissed her and Ilikedit.

Imorethan liked it.

Worse yet, I want to do it again and I can’t. It’sRosie.

“I’ll leave you kids to it.” Bertie adjusts her purse on her shoulder. It’s such a minute detail to notice, but I’m doing everything I can to keep my eyes off Rosie. “Have fun tonight!” She wiggles her fingers in a wave and heads toward her parked car. “I’ll send you the photos later, Ro!”

“Thank you,” Rosie calls after her, hands cupped around her mouth.

“What’s tonight?” I ask her dumbly.

She rolls her eyes. “Our wedding night.”

Fuck. I scrub a hand over my face. I hadn’t even thought about that. I stomp toward my car, pretending I’m not leaving mywifestanding on the sidewalk.

“Where are you going?” she calls after me, panic edging her tone.

I look back over my shoulder to where she’s standing with her arms wrapped around her. “To get drunk.”

“Are you serious?” She storms after me, her heels clicking on the concrete. “I can’t go back to my dorm! You heard Bertie. It’s technically our wedding night. She’ll know something is up if I go back!”

I pull out my wallet and flick through my credit cards. I choose the one I want and shove it at her. “It has no limit. Get a hotel room. Buy a car. Go crazy. I don’t fucking care.”

“Daire!”

Without another glance her way, I get in my car and tear out of the lot like I have any chance of outrunning my demons. My brain is a whirlpool of spiraling thoughts about how I shouldn’t have chased so many girls. How I shouldn’t have gone after one of my professors. I’vemade poor decision after poor decision, and now I’m dragging someone else into my mess.

As I pull onto the road, I spare a brief look back at Rosie, at her stricken expression and her defeated posture, and guilt sinks like a stone in my stomach.

It’s okay. I’ll be drunk soon enough, and I’ll forget all about that look on her face.

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