Page 115 of Changing Rules

He comes to a stop at a red light and zeroes in on me.

And, as if I’m stuck in a tractor beam, I can’t look away. The eye contact makes my heart beat harder.

Desperate to break the tension, I continue. “But that’s not the point.” I lick my parched lips. “Ordinary or not, I don’t want to be seen with you, let alone photographed. One picture would be enough to make me media fodder all over again.”

He winces like I’ve elbowed him in the side. “And yet you have no problem being photographed with yourfriendin New York.”

My chest constricts. I’ve never experienced his jealousy before.

“What do you know about Kaden?”

“Not much, other than your Instagram feed is full of him, just like his is full of you. I thought he was your boyfriend until a couple days ago.”

With a huff, I shake my head. “He’s just a friend. If you’d looked more closely as you were stalking, you’d have noticed another girl in most of our photos.” I flash him my teeth. “Kaden has a girlfriend. Liv. She’s a friend of mine.”

“I didn’t know that. Marco and I never talked about you. I didn’t want to come between him and Meg.” He sighs. “I didn’t make the corgi account until Miller stole Meg’s phone one night and shoved a photo of you and that guy in my face. It was…fun.”

Dread rolls through me, nausea bubbling in my stomach. Jake has been torturing him, and it’s my fault.

I stare out the window until Aunt Millie’s house comes into view. The moment he pulls into the driveway, I unbuckle my seat belt.

“Thanks for the ride.” I reach for the door, eager to put space between myself and this man, who consumes me no matter how hard I try to fight it. I need to knock some sense into my skull, but to do that, I need him to keep his distance.

“Be—Isabella, erm…I-I have an away game on Sunday.”

I slump against my seat. “Okay.”

“Maybe you’d want to watch Milo?”

The corners of my mouth tremble, and despite my best efforts, a smile blooms on my lips. I miss Milo so damn much.

“Why can’t you take him to your parents’?” The butterflies in my stomach are performing some stupid dance, making me feel high.

“My mom’s been busy.” He drops his gaze to his lap. “She’ll watch him if I need her to, but…I don’t know. I thought maybe you missed him, that it’d be a good opportunity for you to spend time with him. I’m sure he’d be ecstatic. He’s been a pain in the ass since you left.”

Say no, Isabella.My good sense finally shows up, though it sways like a damned pendulum. Right now, my heart is in charge, and it aches as I remember all the days I spent with Milo and how happy he made me.

“I’ll ask my aunt. I think she’ll be okay with it. She always loved seeing him when we’d stop by—” I snap my mouth shut, cringing inwardly. Now is not the time for a walk down memory lane. “When would you need to drop him off?”

Clearly, my heart has already won this little battle with my brain.

His lips tremble, a cute smile ghosting at the corners of his mouth. “We leave Saturday morning. I could drop him off on my way to the airport.”

“How early are we talking?”

“Ten a.m.”

“Okay. Call—” Once again, I snap my mouth closed. This time, my teeth clack.Dammit. He’s trapped me with all this casualness, and now I’m questioning my own gut instincts.

I had the upper hand, teasing him and playing on his nerves, but maybe this was his goal from the start: to make me think I’m winning, when in reality I’m playing by his rules.

With a sigh, I nod. “I’ll unblock your number while I have Milo.”

“Will you keep it unblocked if I promise not to bother you?” The smile he gives me is far too bright. He’s totally enjoying beating me at my own game.

I snort. “You never do as you’re told.”

“I do. Once in a while.” He grins at me. “So?”

---