Page 2 of Rules Are Meant To Be Broken

His cheeks stretched into a full smile for the first time in days. She had a wicked sense of humour, too.Damn. Beautiful, funny, and smart. Tonight wasn’t the time to be off his game. If he was going to get back on a horse, God, let it be this one, even if he wasn’t a hundred percent sure of his jockey skills anymore.

The reverberation of Beth’s rejection still rung in his ears. How had he not seen it coming? Was he that clueless about women? Yet here he was less than seventy-two hours later, already considering another one. He gave his head a slight shake. Picking apart his past relationships could wait.

He’d picked this woman because he needed to let off some steam. She definitely radiated steam, though she’d also proven to be more than just a gorgeous face worthy of a free drink. Shehad charm. She also knew how to push his buttons. A lethal combination.

He shrugged. “Well, if none of these other fellas have the courage to talk to you, then you’ve chosen a bar full of idiots.”

“Careful there, surfer-dude. Don’t make me like you.”

“Sorry,” he said.

“That’s better.”

Extending his hand, he offered, “Hi, I’m Xavier.”

She paused before her delicate fingers reached out and curled around his. It was a timid handshake. Not what he expected from such a confident woman, but her hand held his for a fraction longer than the social norm. She gave no verbal reply.

“Do you have a name?” he prompted.

“Several. They come in handy when filling in forms, ordering at Starbucks, and so forth.”

“Are you always this mysterious?”

Hesitating, she replied, “Not normally, no.”

For the first time he saw a slight fracture in her confidence in the hint of a self-deprecating smile. Was this all an act? Was the stunning vision before him not quite what she seemed?

Regardless, he was well on his way to smitten. Even if she wasn’t as self-assured as she’d like to appear, he couldn’t deny he was intrigued by this whip-smart, beautiful woman.

Into the silence, she asked, “I assume from your accent, you’re here to audition for the next Thor movie?”

He mocked a frown. “Not every Australian is related to Chris Hemsworth, you know.”

The corners of her mouth turned down slightly, and she quickly took a sip of her drink, maybe to cover the cheeky grin.

“You’re playing with me, aren’t you?”

Crossing her legs slowly, she asked, “What’s wrong with playing?” As she did, the tip of her shoe brushed the inside of hisleg. Her words, slow and deliberate, and her tilted head told him it was no accident. The game had officially changed. He sat up straighter. He didn’t know the rules, but he definitely wanted to be a player.

“I see. Your accent, it’s not from New York, is it? North-Eastern maybe?”

“Not bad.” She gave a slight bow.

“I’m guessing you’re a visitor like me. Or is this place a usual haunt?”

“First time,” she said, still smiling. “I don’t get out much usually. I had to sneak—” She snapped her mouth shut as if she’d said too much.

“Sneak? Makes it sound like you tied your bedsheets together and climbed down the side of a building.”

“Something like that.”

“So, with the accent, I’m going to take a stab and say—”

The ice-queen persona returned with the raise of an imperious brow. “No, we’re done with that conversation. Try something else. You were doing so well there for a minute.”

“Really?”

“No, not really. Bored, remember?” The wry smile made a welcome return. “What’s this breaking the law baloney? Is this one of thoseyour father’s a thiefkind of things? Let me tell you, Clooney would have a hard time making that line work.”

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