Page 22 of Breaking Rules

The bed is flanked by nightstands, and on the opposite wall stands a built-in bookcase. My smile grows bigger as I scan the book titles and peruse the photos scattered across the shelves. There’s a picture of Xander as a child. Even then he was handsome, though when he was a little boy, his hair was blond.

Is that why he prefers blondes now?

Shaking my head at my own stupidity, I step away. I assess the walk-in closet next, then the office, the guest room, the living room, and the second bathroom. Finally, I head to the kitchen, where I find Xander sitting on a stool with his phone in his hand, Milo lying on the tile.

“I was right,” I say. “The whole place is Scandinavian. All clean lines, simple forms, and neutral colors. I like the dark green and black accents that make certain elements stand out.”

“Yeah, my designer was good at her job…just not very good at keeping her hands off my money,” he says, setting his phone on the countertop. “What’s next?”

“I’ll need some time to find pieces that will work for the space. I’m no professional, so I’ll need to do some research before I create a design plan. Once I have that done, I’ll show it to you, and if it looks good, I can get the bathroom finished.”

Head tilted to one side, he says, “When do you think you’ll have something for me?”

“On Friday. Oh, that reminds me. You’re coming for dinner on Saturday, right?”

“Planning on it.” A sly grin lifts his lips.

“Great.” I fidget with the hem of my dress. Why does he always have to look at me like that? “I think Jake invited Marco Garcia and a couple other people.”

“The more the merrier.” His gaze darkens. “I’m a lucky guy.”

“Why?” I pinch my brows together.

“I’ll have a date with you on Saturday, and maybe even Sunday.” He chuckles, his eyes sparkling with mischief. He’s goading me, thinking he’ll get a reaction, but I’ve had enough of his flirting. It’s too much.

“Okay, this has to stop.” I round the counter and tower over him, my hands on my hips.

“What has to stop?” His eyes bore into mine, and there isn’t a single sign of regret in them. He’s enjoying this, and that only pisses me off more.

“Stop flirting with me. Stop making all those suggestive comments.” My heart hammers against my rib cage, and a sudden wave of dizziness overwhelms me. Nine times out of ten, I’ll do anything to avoid conflict. It’s what I’m best at: keeping quiet and letting things roll off my back. Now, though, I’m done tolerating his behavior. “If you can’t, you’ll need to find someone else to design your bathroom.”

He gives me a once-over, his eyes ablaze.

My cheeks flame, and my chest tightens as anger gets the best of me. He brings out a tough side of me, one I didn’t know still existed. My mother did all she could to kill that particular trait in me, but apparently it just went into hiding.

“I like this fierce side of you,” he finally says, his tone soothing. “It’s sexy.”

“God, Xander.” I shake my head and take a step back. “I’m your friend’s girlfriend. Yourteammate’sgirlfriend. Don’t you see your flirting makesmeuncomfortable? It’s disrespectful tome. You’re confusing and annoying.”

A beat of silence passes between us before his deep blue eyes narrow on me, their hint of green nowhere in sight. “Okay,” he says with a lift of his shoulder. “If it bothers you, I’ll stop.”

“Yes, it bothers me.” I tuck my hair behind my ears and sigh. “So please, keep your words to yourself.”

He stands, forcing me to take another step back, and extends his hand. “I’m sorry for my behavior. I was wrong. Let’s start over, okay? I’m Xander. It’s very nice to meet you.”

I shake my head. This is ridiculous, but I find myself slipping my hand into his anyway. “You too.”

A violent zing of energy rushes from the tips of my fingers to my veins, my heart, almost making me jolt.

I swallow and slowly retract my hand.

“Just to be clear. We set boundaries?”

“We did,” I confirm.

“Okay.” He shrugs again. “Just so you know, if someone’s gonna cross them, it won’t be me. From now on, I’m your friend, Isabella.” His voice drops an octave lower, sending shivers down my spine. “A friend.”

“And here I was hoping you could be serious for more than one minute.”

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