Page 54 of Unwritten Rules
As we reach the driveway to my house, a sheet of rain drenches us. My eyes widen as I stare up at Sinnett, his head dipped low, watching me with intense eyes. The song continues to play in our ears, blocking out the sudden rain shower. I really should’ve checked the forecast before leaving the house.
“Shit,” I mutter, holding my arms above my head as if they’ll stop the rain from seeping into every inch of my body. “I better get inside. Here, take your jacket.”
“Wait,” Sinnett rasps, holding his hand up.
I drop my arms to my side, no longer caring about the rain. How could I when Sinnett is looking at me like that? Ocean eyes hold mine hostage, and I fight the urge to shudder when his hand comes up to push strands of wet hair off my cheek. The moment his skin brushes against mine, a full body shiver racks through my bones.
One touch. That’s all it takes from this man to make me come undone for him. One. Touch.
“Sin…” I breathe, heart rate spiking to the point a doctor might be concerned about the condition of my heart. “What are you doing?”
“I’m embracing the moment,” he murmurs, deep voice mixing with the rain falling heavily around us.
I blink through the rain. “You are?”
“I am.” He nods. “And it’s fucking terrifying.”
My heart squeezes in my chest. “Why?”
“Because I shouldn’t do this,” he squeezes out. “I have so much on the line that could blow up in my face, but at this moment, I can’t find the energy to care.”
With Ed Sheeran’s voice singing in my right ear, Sinnett holds my cheek in his hand. And like a child with no willpower, I lean into his touch, relishing in the warmth radiating from his skin. I’m afraid that if I speak or make a move, the moment will be ruined.
“I shouldn’t want you, Tate. But I do.Fuck, do I want you.” Inky strands of hair fall over his forehead, shielding his ocean eyes from me. “But the question is: do you want me?” From this angle, head tilted back as I look up at the man I should be keeping my distance from, I see the war raging in his features. A battle I can’t help him fight.
Do you want me?
No matter how many times I repeat the four words in my head, the answer is always the same. Sinnett is right when said he has a lot on the line—we both do. If we break the rule keeping us from toying the edge of this forbidden cliff, if I give in to my desire for Sinnett, we would be betraying my father. Sinnett has his career to think about, and my job and relationship with Dad would be on the line.
Wait.
I’m an idiot. A stupid, forgetful idiot.
“But you have a girlfriend,” I squeeze out. My hands fist in the pockets of the jacket—a jacket I shouldn’t be wearing—my nails digging in my palm.
Sinnett’s features twist with anger as his brows crease. His hand slips from my cheek, and I hate that I’m the reason for the loss of touch. “A girlfriend? What are you talking about?”
“Zoe,” I murmur. “Isn’t she your girlfriend?”
“No,” he bites out, and runs a hand through his hair. “Who told you that? Did Zoe say something to you?”
With the music in my ear now silent, I have nothing to distract me from the fury festering in Sinnett’s features.
Oh, God. I really put my foot into it this time.
“No. Raya told me. She said you and Zoe have a complicated relation?—”
“We’re not together.”
“But she said?—”
“Tate, I don’t care what Raya told you,” Sinnett interjects roughly. He groans and runs a hand through his hair. “We never dated. We used to?—”
“Fool around,” I finish for him, my voice barely above a whisper. “I get it.”
I’m not surprised that Sinnett isn’t one to commit to a woman wholeheartedly. Being a professional athlete means you have the pick of the crop whenever you want it. I’m not naive enough to believe Sinnett isn’t potentially seeing other women. Hell, he was probably hooking up with Zoe around the time we got together. And while the thought stings, I can’t let it get to me.
Sinnett exhales a sharp breath. “Yeah. Whatever bullshit Zoe is spinning about us, it’s not true. I haven’t been with her in months.”
