Page 24 of Your Rule to Break

My back hits the wall and I tip my head, looking at the line of lights, and close my eyes for a few seconds.Breathe in, hold, and out, hold. I repeat the exercise a few times and get the urge to open my eyes.

Zack. Coming this way.

“You good?” he asks, his voice soft.

I’m not sure, which is unsettling. It’s not that I always have the answers but I typically have them when it comes to me and my feelings—hyper self-awareness and all that.

Before I can string together an answer, or an excuse, Zack steps closer, putting his left forearm on the wall. My breath stops in my throat. I’m frozen.

What is this?

He uses a finger, the one not an inch from my head, and lightly touches my chin, tipping it up to him. Zack turns his head and slowly starts to lean in.

Is he?

Fuck.

It’s in this moment that I know, I want nothing more in the world for him to kiss me.

Chapter 15

Zack

I’m too close. Toofucking close. This is the cruel game I’ve been playing all night—and I’m not the only one.

I chalk it up to the rules she set. Maybe there’s not much at risk, since this has an expiration date? No chance to get caught up?

Fuck. I don’t know.

What I do know is Emilie is a magnet, pulling me to her, which explains how I ended up in a dark hallway. Whoever she was talking to at the bar was about to follow her in and that wasn’t going to work for me.

I’m practically breathing her in—citrus and vanilla. Her eyes reflect the lights on the ceiling; they’re like dark honey with emeralds encroaching on the edges. That’s how close I am.

“What are you doing?” Her voice is breathy and shallow. I feel her swallow, my finger still underneath her chin.

I move in, my lips grazing her cheek before I whisper in her ear, “Someone was about to follow you in.” My eyes look to the side, giving her a clue.

For a second, it feels like her back arches and her hips move forward, maybe by half an inch but it feels much more than that.

Emilie darts her eyes to the guy who was at the bar, who is currently standing around like he has his dick in his hand.

He thought he was going to pop in here with her? Not tonight, my guy. Game over.

“Colton is harmless,” she murmurs in my ear as I’m dipped down, still leaning into her.

I move my face back enough to take hers in. “Old boyfriend?” I might come off as a jealous prick, and that’s really saying something for a fake boyfriend, but I don’t give a fuck.

Emilie’s body moves with a snicker. “Jealous?”

Yes.

“You didn’t answer my question,” I reply, the muscles flexing in my jaw.

Her lips pull into a lopsided smile and she sinks further back into the wall. “Not a boyfriend.” Her eyes are looking into mine like there’s an answer to something she’s been needing. “More like a fuck friend.”

Fuck friend?I didn’t expect her to say that.

“Whenever we crossed paths and were available, we’d hook up. Nothing emotional.” Her voice is matter of fact, like she’s telling me about the weather.

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