Page 41 of Unwritten Rules
I drag my bottom lip between my teeth, and nod. “It was worse because I was injured and couldn’t hit the gym like I normally would. So I apologise for how I spoke to you.”
“No need to apologise. I think you might recall that I rather enjoyed it.”
My pulse jackhammers at the base of my throat, and I fight the urge to reach across the console and touch her.
“I think it’s safe to say we both enjoyed that night.” My voice is thick and words low, setting off the fire licking in my veins.
Tatum hums, the sound doing nothing to ease the warmth blooming in my chest. This woman is too much. She has somehow embedded herself into my skin, and like a cat trying to get rid of fleas, I can’t seem to shake her, no matter how hard I try. She’s in my head when she shouldn’t be, and my body craves her at the most inappropriate times. I shouldn’t want her—nor am I allowed to, courtesy of her father—but my mind and heart haven’t quite gotten the memo yet.
The Navman tells me I have arrived at the destination, and the car crawls to a stop out the front of a house similar to that of my parents. Its modern exterior is hidden in the depths of the shadows, and trees line the property, making it difficult to get a visual of the rest of it.
My eyes sweep across to Tatum, who is already looking at me. I exhale a long breath, needing to choose my words wisely, because when I’m with her, I’m nothing but a fucking mess. Before I can get the words out, Tatum beats me to the punch.
“Thank you for the lift home.” Her voice is warm, wrapping around me like a gentle hug. “I appreciate it.”
“It’s no problem at all,” I squeeze out, chest tight.
Tatum’s hand lingers on the door handle, her back to me. Seconds later, her eyes appear over her shoulder, soft irisesmelting into mine. “And if you ever need to blow off steam or get out of the house, listening to music and driving the streets does wonders.”
I raise a brow, caught off guard by her words. “You’ve done it before?”
“Barrenridge only allows so many activities before you’re bored shitless. My friends and I used to do it a lot in high school, and I found it was a great way to calm whatever turmoil I had going on with exams or personal issues.” Tatum shrugs, the movement breezy. “If you ever find yourself in need of quiet company and a killer playlist, you have my number.”
And then she’s gone. Just like that.
My eyes track her path up the sidewalk, stopping in front of a white door before slipping inside. A soft orange glow from the light on the porch illuminates her enough that I see her wave goodbye before closing the door, disappearing from sight.
I close my eyes and drop my head against the headrest, the palms of my hands digging into my eyes.
I don’t know what just happened, but being with Tatum does something to my heart that’s foreign and fucking terrifying. Her sweet voice and even sweeter smile are enough to bring me to my knees, as pathetic as that sounds.
What are you doing to me, strawberry?
God, I’m so fucked.
It’s getting increasingly more difficult to stay away from her. My heart is at war with Coach Phil’s warning, and to my surprise, the instructions to steer clear of his daughter are being drowned out by the way my heart fucking beats for her.
Chapter Eleven
TATUM
Raya’s warning about steering clear from the Wolves’ players two days ago, especially Sinnett, evaporated the moment Sinnett appeared in the parking lot after the game and offered to drive me home. I should’ve declined and called my dad instead, knowing I needed to keep my distance since my one-night stand has a girlfriend.
And like the fool I am, not only did I accept the lift home, but then my big fat mouth had to dig my grave deeper by offering myself as quiet company whenever Sinnett needs to blow off steam.
What the hell, Tate?
I’ve replayed the drive home that night in my mind for the past forty-eight hours, trying to pinpoint the moment I lost my damn mind. Sinnett has been a constant fixture in my mind for three weeks and no matter how many times I tell myself I need to keep my distance because too many factors come into play that could cause issues down the line, I can’t get his damn ocean eyes and infectious smile out of my head.
And don’t even get me started on what he did the next morning.
I had woken up ready to get an Uber to the stadium and call a tow-truck to get my car, when I saw a text message from Sinnett.
SIN: Don’t worry about your car. I handled it for you.
Beyond confused, all I could do was stare at the screen, searching my brain for a possible explanation. When I couldn’t come up with anything, I asked him directly.
TATE: And by handled you mean…?
