Page 100 of Breaking the Rules

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"You're a little old for that," she says.

"Thank you." Emma smiles. "But men don't always see reason."

Alice laughs. "No, they don't."

I shoot Collin a look. "This is at our expense."

He shrugs, sheepish. Completely enamored with Emma. "My dad is the same way with my sister."

"It's sweet that you care." Alice smiles at me. "I have a little sister too. I worry. Even when I shouldn't."

"God, I have like… a million older brothers. All the guys at Inked Hearts treat me like a little sister," Emma says.

Alice smiles. "It's good, having all that love in your life."

Emma smiles too. "Yeah, it is." Then she turns to me and smiles wider. "Even if they're obnoxious."

"You looking at me?" I ask.

"Not looking at anyone else." She turns to Alice. "You know Hunter is going to join full time?"

"Really?" Alice's eyes go wide. "That's great." Her voice is genuine She's happy for me.

She's happy for me.

I wish it meant more.

That I wanted her instead of Emma.

That would be so much easier.

But pretending I don't feel shit is how I got into this mess.

I'm not pursuing Emma.

But I'm not lying to myself either.

I want her.

I'm resisting her.

It's as simple as that.

"You never told me how you got into doing tattoos," Alice says.

Emma looks to me. "Yeah. How did you?"

"My older brother Chase was an artist." It's weird, thinking about him. About when he was still speaking to me. "I always wanted to impress him, so I started taking all the same art classes he did. When he started working as an apprentice, he brought home a tattoo gun. Showed me how to tattoo bananas."

Alice hangs on every word.

Emma too.

"First time I tried it, I fell in love. It was a rush, marking something forever." Once upon a time, it was the best feeling in the entire world.

"And you?" Emma clears her throat. "Alice, what do you do?"

"I'm an office manager," she says.

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