Page 14 of Rules Of Our Own

Lucas rubs his hand down his face. “Cocky bastard.”

I snorted, fucking loving all of this. There’s a comfortableness when I’m with them. Something I hadn’t felt before…before meeting River. Where the hell is he?

Jax relaxes into his chair, bringing Sidney back with him. “Okay, dickwad.”

Piper busts out laughing. It was her favorite insult since they were kids, and Lucas hated it.

“Oh, you think that’s funny, Killer.” Lucas drops his face into the crook of Piper’s neck and snarls. Her mouth snaps closed, and her hands tighten on his thighs.

Lucas carries on like he isn’t groping his girl in public.

“You guys are gross.”

Jax chokes on a laugh. “Just wait. This will be you soon.”

A thrill shoots down my spine as my mind conjures an image of Mia sprawled over me while we all hang out together. I shake my head. “Don’t get ahead of yourself.”

All four of them look at me like they know more than I do. Like, they’re just waiting for my dumb ass to catch up.

River saves me from responding by dropping down in the free spot across from me.

“What are you talking about?” he asks. He’s always been less quiet with us than with anyone else.

“Nothing,” I force out, trying to be casual, but the way his right brow raises, I know I failed miserably.

“Okay.” He tilts his head, drawing out the word. We’ve known each other since we were thirteen, playing for the same AAA team, and he’s always been able to read me like a book. Back then, he was the only one to notice my family didn’t come to my games.

Now that I think of it, it’s probably when we started to treat each other more like family than friends. River’s parents weren’t around either. He didn’t live with them, and they didn’t bother making the few-hour drive to watch him play.

My phone buzzes, and I roll my eyes at the article my mom sent. Some new achievement my brother’s done. It’s not that I’m not proud of him, because I am. We might not be close, but that doesn’t mean I don’t respect the shit out of what he’s done for the scientific research community.

No, what fucking stings is the only thing that’s ever impressed my parents is being intellectual, and I’ve always been just a jock to them. Fuck. Making the NHL barely deserved a call from them.

River watches me, and the muscle in his jaw ticks. I can tell he wants to ask, but he won’t. He knows not to push it. That I’d rather pretend my parents weren’t dicks than admit it bothers me.

“Heads up.” River tosses me a new beer, and I catch it easily. He searches my face, and I give him a faint nod, letting him know I’m fine.

The group’s silent, heads bouncing back between River and me like they’re trying to decipher our silent conversation.

I plaster on a smile and tell a joke to divert the conversation like I always do. Being the funny one is just as much of a defense mechanism as it is a part of my personality. “Pips, I can’t believe you’re marrying this asshole. It’s still not too late to run away with me.”

“Say it again, I dare you.” Lucas growls, pulling a laugh from me. I love fucking with him.

I ignore River’s hot stare, tired of him reading my mind, and stand, pulling my shirt over my head with one hand. “It’s too fucking hot. I’m jumping in.”

I don’t wait for anyone else before executing a perfect dive into the crisp liquid, letting it cool my heated skin. I stay down until my lungs burn and I have to fight against the need to take a breath before swimming to the shallow side and surfacing. The water hits just below my waist, and the warm sun already heats my exposed skin. I shake out my hair, then rake my fingers through it, pushing it off my face. River’s sitting shirtless on the edge, feet dangling in the water, watching me.

Heat floods me, and I swallow hard, wondering if he can read all of my secrets.

CHAPTER8

MIA

A few hours later,I tighten my deep green sarong around my upper waist and catalog my features in the mirror. What seems like permanent purple bruises underline my green eyes, and my string bikini cuts into the skin around my back. I survived the past few years with a single-minded focus, and the wear is starting to show on my face.

Where I softened over the years, Alex and River became defined. All chiseled jaws and rippling abs. Heat floods my lower stomach. It should be a crime to be that hot.

My fingers twitch to grab the cover-up I laid on the bed. The urge to hide is more than I want to admit.

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