Page 56 of Rule Breakers Fall Hardest

Shit.Please don’t let himhave another heart attack.

The pain is so intense that tears immediately fall from my eyes.

“Hey,” a soft voice says.

Still stunned, I blink up at Roman.

“Let me help you up.”

“Rosie!” Daire shouts. He shoves Cash away but takesa graze of knuckles to his cheek in the process. Then he drops to his knees, sliding across the ice toward me.

The genuine worry on his face makes my treacherous heart skip a beat.

“Rosie, Rosie, Rosie.” He chants my name, cupping my face gently with both hands—his gloves long gone from the tussle with his brother. He grazes a thumb around my eye, sending a zap of pain through me. “Shh,” he soothes, ducking closer. “Fuck. I’m so sorry.”

Behind him, a few feet away, Cash hangs his head and gives a sheepish look. “Sorry,” he mouths.

“Was I the one who got you?” Daire asks, probing the back of my head in search of further injury.

I nod. “It was an accident.”

“Doesn’t matter,” he mutters, shaking his head. “It shouldn’t have happened.” Without letting go, he twists at the waist and calls for Roman. “Go grab her some ice.”

“Dude.” Roman throws his arms out wide. “We’reonice.”

Daire grunts at his little brother. “You want her to put her face on the slab of ice in the rink?” He turns back to me, continuing his examination of my head. “Idiot,” he mumbles.

“Right. Ice. I’ll get that now.” Roman throws a thumbs-up beforeskating off.

“Come on.” Daire takes my hands. “Let’s get you up.”

With far more grace than seems possible, he stands on his skates while hauling me up with him. And once I’m on my feet, he scoops me up bridal style.

Squeaking, I push against his shoulder. “I can walk.”

In response, he just holds me closer. “This is quicker.”

With a sigh, I hold on and let him do his thing. I can’t argue with him there.

Off the ice, he eases me onto a bleacher. Peter has come down from where we were sitting a few rows up and slides in beside me.

“Are you okay, sweetie?” He angles forward and inspects my face with a frown.

“I’ll be o?—”

“She’s going to have a black eye,” Daire says, tugging at his hair. “This is your fault.” He glares at Cash as he walks by on his way to the locker room.

Cash doesn’t even bother replying, just shakes his head and continues on.

“The good news is, you took that like a champ,” Veda says, settling in on the bleachers behind me.

“Really?” I ask, my tears beginning to subside.

“Totally.”

“You’re a bunch of infants,” Asher mutters as he wanders by. “Grow up.”

Hudson says nothing, just shoots me a concerned smile before going to change.

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