Page 13 of The Bad Boy Rule

I’m surprised when he says, “Yeah, let’s go with that.”

My brow lifts. “Whatever. Look, there’s no other ice time. We either share it, or we lose it, so as badly as I don’t want to have to be around you foranylength of time, there’s no other choice. I’m not giving up my time, and I’m sure you aren’t either, so we suck it up and deal with it. Just like last week”—I wave my handtoward the red line in the middle of the ice—“you stay on your side, and I’ll stay on mine. Got it?”

SIX

SAINT

“Yeah, Golden Girl, Igotit.” I lift two fingers to my forehead and give her a salute, tossing her a shit-eating smile that has her glaring even harder at me. Her pink, pillowy lips are pursed into an annoyed scowl as she throws daggers at me with piercing emerald eyes, arms crossed over her chest, chin lifted in defiance.

She finally rolls her eyes and lifts her middle finger toward me before she skates off.

Damn.

That ass.

I run my tongue over my teeth, shaking my head at the thought.

Lennon Rousseau has surprised me, and that takes a lot.

I’ve always been good at reading people.

I’m the quiet one who sits back and observes rather than engages, and if I had a superpower or some shit, it would be knowing exactly who someone is the moment they open their mouth. I’ve usually got someone all figured out from the jump, but this girl?

This girl… she’s a fucking spitfire. She doesn’t back down, doesn’t take my shit lying down, and that’s the part that surprises me.

I expected her to never show up again after how much of a dick I was to her last time, but instead, she doubled down. I spend the majority of my time on the ice intimidating grown-ass men into fucking up, but this fun-sized little redhead wasn’t even fazed. I would almost respect it if she wasn’t the daughter of the man I hate.

Which is exactly why I haven’t been able to stop thinking about her and what led me to ultimately asking Legros about her the other day at practice. And looking up articles on the internet, searching for her socials, even though I don’t have any myself.

She’s right, she did leave an impression, and apparently, my new obsession is finding out everything I could about both her and her asshole of a father.

I’ve spent the last eight years of my life thinking about how I could ever inflict the same amount of pain on Edward Rousseau as he has on my family.

It’s one of the only things I felt like I had left when my life was falling apart… my hatred.

I held on to it like a raft on a sinking ship.

Her father’s always deserved whatever fucked-up karma was headed his way. I just never thought that it would be in the form of me.

Until now.

It seemed almost too perfect for this, forher, to just fall into my lap like this.

It’s like the universe was presenting the perfect opportunity to me, wrapped with a bow on top. And I’d be a fucking fool not to take it.

What better way to get revenge on the man who ruined my life, who fucked up any good I ever had, who fucked up myfamily’s reputation than to give him a taste of his very own medicine.

What would it look like if I took Edward Rousseau’s precious, untouched good girl and dirtied her up?

The idea began with the first little granule of information—her name—and has since morphed into something else entirely.

I’m going to ruin her the very same way her father ruined my family.

Every bit of information I learn from this point forward, I’m planning to weaponize and use against OU’s golden girl to get the revenge I deserve. Granted, I know she’s not just going to stumble over to this side of the tracks for a guy like me, so I know I’m going to have to put in work, probably be slightly less of an asshole, but that’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make.

Although something tells me she likes going toe to toe with me, even if she doesn’t realize it yet, or if she does, she’d rather bite off her tongue than admit it.

Looking over, my gaze moves back to where she’s skating in slow, measured circles on the opposite side of the ice, looking every bit the rich, spoiled daddy’s girl.

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