Page 32 of The Rule Breaker
“Great,” I lie.
Isabella’s brows shoot up, her drink hovering just below her lips. “Yeah? Do tell. Did you kiss her?” She tilts her head, pressing her lips together.
I scoff, shaking my head. She’s trying to play it cool, but I see right through her. She’s jealous. Or pissed. Maybe both. And I like it more than I should.
“Don’t try and act coy,” I say, tilting my head slightly. “Ask me outright, Isabella.”
Her forced smile falters just a little before she masks it with a sip of her drink. “Did you hook up with her?”
My smirk widens. I like teasing her, talking to her like this, even if I shouldn’t. “I didn’t even go.”
Her brows knit together. “What?”
I shrug, leaning back against the wall, letting my fingers graze the rim of my cup. “I didn’t go on the date,” I admit.
Ask me, I silently beg her.Ask me why.
“Why?”
My jaw clenches, a muscle ticking. “Kinda can’t stop thinking about someone else.”
Her lips part slightly, but she recovers quickly, arching a brow. “Oh yeah? Blondie and her friend back there?” she teases, tilting her head toward the party behind us.
I let out a low laugh. “Definitely not.” My gaze drifts over her face, the curve of her lips, the way the dim lighting catches the gold specks in her eyes. “Kinda think this girl doesn’t like me or something,” I joke, letting out a dramatic sigh. “It’s a tragedy.”
“No?” She tuts, shaking her head. “Might be your overinflated ego.” A smirk tugs at her lips as she lifts her drink. “Well, I’m sure there are plenty of girls willing to take your sorrows away. You won the game, after all. There must be thousands of girls willing to hook up with you tonight.”
“Thousands?” I arch a brow, stepping just a little closer.
“You know what I mean,” she says, waving her hand dismissively, but there’s a challenge in her eyes.
I nod, taking a step closer, though every instinct in my body screams at me to take a step back. And then another. And another. But I can’t help it. Not with her standing so close, her silky hair falling around her face, the scent of her shampoo filling the space between us.
“Yeah, I know what you mean.” My gaze drops to hers, and for a second, I lose myself in those big brown eyes. They’re pulling me in like gravity. Her words, though, feel so fucking arbitrary. If she knew just how often I think of those curls of hers, of her lips, of the way she fits into every thought I have, she wouldn’t have even asked me that question.
“If I were interested in hooking up with anyone else, I wouldn’t be here talking to you, would I?”
The silence stretches between us, and I’m very fucking aware of her breath, shallow and hesitant. The only sound is the trash bag crinkling with every breath she takes.
Her eyes flicker up to mine, a challenge in them. “Too bad nothing can ever happen between us.”
Why is that again?
Right.
Brother. Dad…Rules.
There are a million barriers between us, but in this moment, it’s just me and her, standing close enough to feel the heat radiating off her skin. No one else around to stop us. And all I can think about is the dirty thoughts running through my head—starting with those lips and ending with ripping off that garbage bag off her body.
I hum, brushing my thumb along her soft cheek before cupping it, feeling her warmth seeping into my palm. “You’re right.” I stifle a groan when her lips part, and a soft noise leaves her lips. Fuck, I want to kiss her. Want to swallow those noises.
But I drop my hand and take a step back before I do something we’ll both regret. Though, I’m not sure if I’d regret it all that much.
I shoot her a smirk. “But it’s still fun to tease you.”
She scoffs, shaking her head. “You’re such an asshole.”
I laugh, the tension between us easing as if nothing happened. “And you were two seconds away from telling me how you want to rip off my old lady curtains.”
