Page 50 of Unwritten Rules
He slaps a hand on my shoulder, his body shifting closer to mine. “I know you like Tatum. Hell, a lot of guys on the team have the hots for her.”
Ice floods my veins. “Theywhat?”
“Calm your tits, Sin. Jesus. It’s like you’ve done more than just hook up the one time with how you’re acting over the girl.”
“Am not,” I bite out, hand flexing around the half empty cup.
“Are too.” Khai shifts his body to face me, but my eyes stay locked on Tatum. “Look, you either need to go for it and acceptthe hellfire Coach Phil will rain down on you, or you need to let her go and walk away. With you being back on the field in a couple of weeks, you can’t afford to be distracted over a girl.”
God, he’s right. I know he is, but it doesn’t change the fact that I can’t walk away from Tatum. It’s as if I’m drawn to her in a way that has me desperate to be around her, but my mind demands we keep our distance because I can’t afford to go to war with her father over her—not when I enjoy playing for the Wolves and want to stay with the club beyond my contract at the end of this season. But if I break Coach’s one rule, or even think about touching his daughter, there is no coming back from that. Remembering the seriousness of his warning, I have no doubt he would do anything to protect his daughter.
I shove a hand through my hair and exhale a deep breath. My jaw clenches as I find the right words to express the turmoil raging inside of me. “I know, I just—It’s hard, okay? I don’t understand why I can’t stop thinking about her, and I’m even more confused about what I should do.”
Khai slaps a hand on my shoulder, drawing my attention from the dance floor to him. “I get it, I do. And while I want you to be happy, I know that if you stay in this strange limbo of not knowing what the fuck to do, you’re going to spin out, and it won’t be good for you or the club. We need you in peak condition, both mind and body, when you get cleared. No distractions.”
I wish he wasn’t so damn perceptive.
“I know,” I grunt, my chest aching with the weight of a decision I’m not sure I’m ready to make yet. “I just… It’s something about her, man. I seriously can’t put my finger on it.”
“Maybe it’s worth finding out why you feel this drawn to her,” Khai says, tone far from joking. “And if it doesn’t work out, then at least you know you tried.”
I open my mouth to respond when out of the corner of my eye, I see two men approach Tatum and Raya. One is blonde with a crooked nose, and the other has frosted tips, like he just walked out of a 2000s rom-com. Every muscle in my body tenses as I watch the preppy fuckers dance their way into the girls’ space, slapping on what they think is a charming smile, but I have no doubt their intentions are anything but pure. Jaw clenching, I watch as the men separate Tatum and Raya. My blood boils.
“You okay?” Khai asks, waving a hand in front of my face.
I point at the dance floor. “Those two fuckers separated Tate and Ray, so I’m keeping my eye on them.”
Sensing the concern in my voice, Khai shifts so he’s got a clear view of the scene unfolding before us.
It’s taking every ounce of self-control I possess not to march over there and tell them to get lost. Could they not see the girls were happy dancing with each other?
Tatum smiles at the frosted tips guy dancing with her friend, but the gesture feels forced, not quite reaching her eyes. His hands are on Raya’s hips, but she doesn’t appear uncomfortable. My hands drop to my thigh, and I fist the material of my jeans to channel the anger tearing through my veins. If this fucker so much as puts a hand on her?—
The edges of my vision scream red.
Tatum spins so her back is to the blonde guy, hand clutching her drink, and the motherfucker drops something into the liquid so quickly I almost missed it. Tatum turns to face him again, and the guy smiles, clearly pleased with himself.
Time moves at a snails’ pace and everything around me ceases to exist. I’m pulled back to the night my sister knocked on my door and told me what her boyfriend had done to her. How hehurther. I’ve never known fear quite like that moment, wondering the extent of what Ryan had done to her. I wanted tokill him. I really did. But Mia insisted that I let it go because she had no plans to ever see him again. It wasn’t good enough for me, knowing he could do the same thing to the next girl. When she fell asleep, I drove to his apartment, ready to beat the shit out of him, but unsurprisingly, he wasn’t home.
For the sake of my sister, and not wanting to be thrown in jail for assault, I left it alone like she asked. I walked away when I should’ve done more. Said more. But I didn’t.
This time is different. I refuse to sit back and allow that asshole to hurt Tatum when I can do something about it. I’m not walking away this time.
Shoving the chair out from under me, I ignore Khai yelling over the music for me to stop, to think about what I’m doing, but I don’t. My attention is focused on the blonde fucker who has his hand on Tatum’s hip as they dance, wearing a shit-eating grin, thinking he’s about to get lucky tonight.
Not on my fucking watch.
He doesn’t sense my presence before I’m shoving him to the side, pushing the slimy fuck as far away as I can. Tatum gasps, her eyes rounding at the edges as they meet the side of my face. But I don’t look at her. No. My eyes are set on the blonde guy who stands a few inches shorter than me, crooked nose flaring like a raging bull.
“What the fuck is your problem?” he roars, squaring his shoulders. His friend leaves Raya to back up his buddy.
Lucky me. Two dickheads for the price of one.
“You better get the fuck out of here before I waltz my ass over to the bouncer and tell them you slipped something into her drink.”
His face pales at the same time Tatum gasps, peering down at the drink in her hand. The tremble in her hand doesn’t go unnoticed by me, and now I’m reconsidering my decision not to beat this guy’s ass.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” His posture is straight and confident, but his voice quivers at the edges. “You had no right to touch me like that.”
