Page 18 of Breaking the Rules
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My eleven o'clocksteps into the shop with a nervous smile. Stephanie. Instantly recognizable from her Instagram, mostly shots of her hot pink hair or an outfit showing off her massive tits.
She's hot.
My body gets it.
But it's not like it was with Emma yesterday.
The guy I used to be wants to fuck Stephanie.
He wants to sweet talk, to flirt all through her ink, to let his fingers linger on her skin.
He doesn't care that she's nervous and vulnerable.
That guy is still there, at the back of my head.
He still wants to get wasted and take her home.
But the guy I'm trying to be—
He knows better.
"Hey, Hunter." Her red lips press into a smile. "You look just like your pictures." She opens her arms for a hug.
I accept it.
She squeezes tightly.
It's the closest I've been to someone in months.
It should feel good having a hot woman's body pressed against mine.
But it doesn't.
It's too much.
Too intimate.
Too demanding of something deep inside me.
She releases me with a smile.
I motion to the coffee machine and the water cooler next to it. "You want something to drink?"
"Coffee's probably a bad idea. With all the nerves?"
I nod. I've already had too much. I'm shaking. It's a cliché, trading an addiction to booze for one to caffeine and sugar, but that's 'cause it works. "How about a decaf?"
"Decaf?" Her brow furrows. "Is there a point?"
"Water?"
She nods. "Thank you."
I motion to the suite. "Take a seat. I'll bring it over."
She does.
