Page 23 of Breaking Rules

A smile blooms on his lips. “For you, I will.” He searches my face and arches an eyebrow. “Do you want a ride home?”

“No, thanks. I’ll call an Uber.”

He dips his chin. “If that’s what you want.”

“I’ll have ideas ready to show you on Friday.”

“I can’t wait.” The smile he gives me is far too adorable for such a big man, particularly one who’s as big of an asshole as he has been.

I wet my lips. “Um, I better go. You don’t need to walk me out.”

“Okay.” He slides back onto his stool and picks up his phone. “See you, Isabella.”

“Bye,” I tell him, finally forcing my feet to move. Though I was frozen in his proximity, once I’m halfway across the room, I’m hit with an intense desire to run. But if I do, he’ll know his closeness affects me, and I won’t give him the satisfaction.

The moment someone knows they can snare another with their words or actions, they have all the power. There’s no way I’ll show him my weaknesses, my vulnerabilities. I made that mistake when I was young, and I paid the price. Never again.

Once I’m outside, I breathe in and out to calm myself down. My reactions to Xander have drained me of my energy, and I don’t have the first clue why. He isn’t the first guy to irritate and annoy me. He isn’t the first person who has made me feel uncomfortable, not the first man I’ve found myself attracted to. But with him, it’s different. I’m resisting not only his flirting, but also his attempts to get to know me, and I’m not sure what scares me more.

I pull my phone out, but before I can navigate to the Uber app, I decide a walk will help me clear my head. It’s a thirty-minute walk to Jake’s, and by then I’ll have surely calmed down.

As I head down the street, I call Meg.

“Hi,” she says by way of greeting, her tone subdued.

My hackles raise instantly. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

“Liz has been an ass all day. It’s been exhausting dealing with her.”

“Did you talk to her about it? All this stress can’t be good for you or your business.”

“I tried, and nothing changed. She got dumped again, and somehow it’s my fault. Again. God, I hate it.” Meg groans. “Please tell me something good.”

“Are you free on Saturday?”

“I think so. Pretty sure Netflix will understand if I reschedule our date so I can hang out with you.”

With a shake of my head, I laugh. “Will you come to dinner at Jake’s place? A few of his teammates will be there, nothing big.”

“Sure. Sounds fun.”

“Thank God. I don’t know if I could survive it without you.”

“Why is that?” she asks.

“Xander will be there too.” I sigh. “Alexander Walker.”

“And? That new quarterback is the hottest guy I’ve ever seen. What’s so bad about him?”

“I’ve known the guy for two days, and he’s already the most annoying person I’ve ever met.”

She laughs. “Really? I didn’t have him pegged as an asshole. Guess I won’t flirt with him then.”

My heart sinks. He’s not an asshole. That’s half the problem, but I don’t say anything about it to Meg.

“I’ll text you the details.”

Once I’ve tucked my phone back into my purse, a strange feeling wiggles its way to the pit of my stomach. I’m weirdly possessive over a man who has the innate ability to make my skin crawl and dampen my panties simultaneously. The idea of something happening between Meg and Xander brings me a bucketful of unease. It’s probably because I want to keep her safe. The last thing I want is for her to get her heart broken.

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