Rules of the Game (Rule Breaker, #2)

by Jessa Wilder

“I’m guessing fifteen more seconds till she’s done. You got it in you?” “Yeah, I’m fine.” Piper trembled, and I tightened my arms. “It’s okay. I’ve got you.”

When he whispered, “I’ve got you,” every memory of him telling me those same words came rushing forward. The times he’d pull me from nightmares and hold me until I calmed. He stood above that cliff and convinced me so long as I jumped with him, everything would work out. It was all lies. I wasn’t safe with him at all. He’d abandoned me when I needed him. I sucked in a broken breath. He broke me.

“Breathe.” Lucas’s low command had me sucking in a breath and his scent. He gently moved my hands from over my ears, holding them in his own, and his lips grazed my ear. “Breathe, Piper. It’s okay. I’ve got you. You’re safe.”

“There you go. That’s my girl,” he rasped and placed a kiss on my forehead. “We’ll be out of here soon.”

Lucas lowered me to the ground, murmuring reassurances, but my fingers didn’t loosen. I wasn’t ready to let him go. He pressed another kiss into my head, hauled me into his lap, and ran his fingers through my hair, gently pushing it back from my face.

Lucas ran his thumb over my cheek, wiping away tears. “No, it wasn’t. I’ve got you though. You’re safe.” “How?” I rubbed my temple and tried to clear my head. “How are you here?” His chest rose and fell against me, and he tipped his head back before saying, “I wanted to check on you after what happened at the fair. I didn’t want to leave it that way.”

“It sure felt like you enjoyed it,” I said through gritted teeth as I seethed. His stare bored into mine, and he waited until he had all my attention. “I never said I didn’t, but you were the wrong girl, and I fucking knew better. I’m sorry I hurt you. I really am.”

I climbed under the blanket and buried my face into the shirt. As much as I’d pay for it later, his scent was like an addiction I’d been denied for too long. Tomorrow, I’d find somewhere else to stay. I wrapped the blankets over me and buried my nose into his pillow. Tomorrow.

The open carton sat beside the baking tray. I bit my bottom lip and fought against the warmth growing in my chest. It wasn’t until after I finished my muffin that I realized he didn’t have one.

I needed to get over him. A slow smile spread over my lips. No better way to show him I didn’t care anymore than winning the Hunt.

She was stunning with her blonde hair pulled back off her face, exposing the delicate column of her throat, and she had on a simple black dress that hugged her body as it swished just above her knees. The muscle in my jaw ticked as I looked her over.

“What sort of plans?” I knew I didn’t have the right to grill her. I fucking knew I’d given that up, but damn if I didn’t want to drag her back into my room and lock her in.

My heart battered my ribs, pain radiating outward, and I choked it down. She wasn’t mine to protect, and I had no one to blame but myself. I rested my head against the wall taking deep breaths until my phone buzzed in my pocket.

“Keep telling yourself that. Maybe everyone else believes you, but I see the way you look at her. The way you’ve always looked at her.” His eyes softened. “Whatever it is, you can tell me. I know it all happened when Marcus died.” He took a long sip of his Gatorade. “It’s time for all of us to let go.”

I love jax

Jax groaned. “I don’t want you to see me like this, Pips. Not like this.” He sounded devastated, all the joy leaked from him, and I struggled to keep my voice steady. “It’s okay. We take care of each other, right?” “Right—” He brought his hand to his mouth. “I’m going to be sick.” We came with him to the bathroom, where he dropped to his knees and proceeded to empty the contents of his stomach, murmuring he was sorry.

“I miss him, so fucking much.” Jax’s voice broke, and my heart ached. “Me too, Jaxie, but you need to take care of yourself. Okay?” I looked at Lucas and whispered, “How often?” His eyes were downcast, and he clenched his jaw. “More than he should. We all cope differently.” His voice was stern, defending his friend, but it wasn’t necessary. “I care for him too.” Lucas’s shoulders relaxed, and he sat on the edge of the tub. “Fuck, Piper. I know you do. It’s just been a hard year. I’ve been trying to keep him together.”

“I’m still spinning. How bad was it?” He hung his hand over the bed and touched the ground like it would steady him. “Well, you ran out the front door of the house party.” I almost felt bad being the one to tell him this next part. Almost. “That’s good. At least I didn’t ruin their couch or anything.” He breathed out a sigh of relief. I bit my cheek to stop my smile before continuing. “Oh no, you just splattered the girl sitting on the front steps.” Jax lifted up and looked at me with wide eyes, searching my face for the lie. “No?”

“You could talk to her.” He slurred his words, taking him under. I huffed out a breath, walked to my room, and leaned against the wall that connected with Piper’s. I slid down the wall, kicking my feet out in front of me, and let my head fall back. It nearly killed me to step away when she’d rested against my chest earlier. I wanted to wrap her in my arms and bury my face into where her hair fell over the curve of her neck. Jax’s words circled my brain. You could talk to her. My stomach turned in on itself at the idea.

“He asked me out again.” My gaze snapped to hers. She was already watching me intently, her eyes roaming over my face, trying to read me. “Are you going?” “I think so,” she replied, still scanning for my reaction. The muscles in my back tightened, and my mouth went bone-dry. I fucking hated this. I didn’t have the strength to lock her out, not when I was so close to losing her forever. I dipped a finger into the flour mix and ran it over the tip of her nose.

Specks of white sprayed my shirt. “You’re fucking done for.” “You started it!” She squealed a laugh, circling the other side of the island, and a wide smile took over her face, stealing my breath. I’d missed her so fucking much. With flour in my hand, I chased her around, easily snagging her waist.

The thin fabric over her shorts tickled my palm before the heat of her thighs sank into it. Piper’s head fell back, resting on my shoulder, completely exposing herself to me, and she let out a small moan when I tightened my fingers around her throat.

Fuck. My control snapped like a band, and I dug my fingers through her hair, securing her mouth to mine. Her sweet taste filled my mouth, and I was lost. I dug my fingers beneath her thighs and lifted her to sit on the counter, then stepped between them. She devoured my mouth, dragging her tongue across mine and sinking her teeth into my bottom lip before soothing the sting with her tongue.

“I’m going to make you come so hard you won’t need to forget because you won’t

able to think.” I slid my hands higher until the heat of her stomach scorched my palms. “And before you come down from it, I’m going to do it again.”

Her breaths came in pants, and her nails dug into my skin, but I took my time, knowing this would be it for me. That I didn’t deserve this moment, but I was selfish enough to enjoy every second.

smiled against her mouth at her enthusiasm and drove my hands higher, groaning low when they were met with only skin, no barrier of panties between us. I rested my forehead in the crook of her neck. “Fuck, you’re going to kill me.”

Now that I knew she walked around with nothing on under her pajamas, I might fucking die every time I saw her.

The click of her door latch followed her, and my chest caved in, muscles rioting to go to her. To beg her for forgiveness… I wanted things to go a million different ways. But they didn’t. I was responsible for Marcus’s death, and she’d never forgive me if she knew.

Lucas’s name remained empty. I took another drink of my water, and Jax chuckled, giving me a knowing look that had a blush crawling up my neck.

my eyes went wide when he marked a one underneath. Lucas made an almost pained sound before bursting out of the back door toward his car and slamming it shut hard enough that the board rattled on the wall. My mouth hung open, but Jax’s laugh snapped me out of it.

I LOVE JAX

“Jax, I didn’t sleep with Eric.” “No shit.” He choked out a laugh. “What?” “You’d have to be an idiot to think you were actually playing this game.” Jax bit his smile, and his dimple deepened. “Thank fuck he’s an idiot.”

Dammit. This guy was a star athlete, admittedly superhot, and moved like the devil incarnate, and somehow, my body was reacting like he was my long-lost cousin. The thought made me scrunch up my nose.

“I miss you.” His words broke around the vowels, and I sucked my bottom lip between my teeth, my body tensing against tears. I took shallow breaths, surrounded by the smell of beer, cinnamon, and sandalwood. I knew he wouldn’t be here if he was sober, but I couldn’t stop myself from enjoying this moment, even if it was the only one I had.

Always. 07-24-2004 He’d gotten a tattoo of my birthday?

Crying

He cupped my jaw and ran his thumb over my cheekbone. I leaned into his touch, unable to help myself. “I wish this was real,” he said before wrapping an arm around me and pulling me into him.

“Where the hell am I?” “Apparently, you spent the night in Alex’s room.” He sounded entirely too amused. My brows pinched, and I fought through my muddled thoughts before jolting up. “Piper!” “Took you long enough.” “Fuck.” I rubbed my palms over my face. “Did she sleep here?” “Not from what I can tell.” He shrugged. “At least, she wasn’t here when I got up.”

But fuck, every fiber of my being supported being an asshole. Instead, I downed my weight in liquor and barely remembered the night.

“Lucas, you’ve been a brother to me for a long time. You are fucking up here.” He ran a hand through his hair and looked at the ceiling before his gaze bored into mine. “Why are you doing this to her?” I should’ve lied—hell, I wanted to lie, but the truth slipped from my tongue. “Because I fucking love her.” Jax’s eyes widened, and the muscles in his neck stretched. “Then tell her.”

Jax was the last to leave and gave me a mischievous smile. “You sounded like a real captain there. Tell me you googled that speech.” “Fucker.” I looked away because we both knew I did. Jax grabbed the back of my helmet and pulled my visor against his. His voice was dead serious. “He’d be proud of you.”

She threw her head back in a laugh that I couldn’t hear, but I knew exactly what it sounded

like,

This was my future. A million tiny knives cut me as I watched my girl with another guy. I took steadying breaths, but each one came out harder than the other. I couldn’t fucking do this. The buzzer rang, ending the period, and I busted out of the penalty box but bypassed the bench to head straight to the hidden door beside Piper.

“You don’t even know her. But I do. I know what cereal she likes, that her favorite movie is Pride and Prejudice, her favorite song is the ten-minute version of ‘All Too Well.’ I have spent my entire life loving her, and it’ll be a cold fucking day before some asshole brings her to my game.”

FINALLY

I turned to leave, but Misty stood in front of the door to the ice. “You need to do better. She needs you to do better.” I swallowed hard. “I don’t know how.” She placed her hands on her hips, blocking me. “She loves you.”

“Either claim her, or let her the fuck go.” “What are you, her keeper?” I hissed. River lowered his voice so only I could hear. “One of us needs to protect her.”

wrapped an arm around her, pulling her into my chest, and pinned her arms between us. “I fucking meant it, Piper.” “You. Left. Me.” Her chest rose and fell with her labored breaths, and her lips wobbled. Piper trembled in my hold, and I ran my thumb along her cheekbone, stroking her hair from her face. “Babe, I could never stop loving you.”

She pushed my head down until I couldn’t breathe, and I’d die fucking happy.

“We fought. It was bad.” My mouth trembled as reality started to settle over her. I tried hard to let ice take over, but all my defenses were ripped apart. “He got in the accident because he was angry at me and not paying attention. It’s my fault.” Piper’s eyes were soft as she scanned my face. “That’s why you stopped talking to me? That’s why you cut me out of your life?” She stepped forward and palmed the side of my face, running her thumb under my eye.

My ribs tightened over my chest, but I couldn’t let her deny it. “I did. I’m the reason he got into an accident.” She shook her head and wrapped her hand around the back of my neck, pulling me closer. “I was talking to him on the phone when he crashed. I was explaining that I loved you.” Tears overflowed and wet her lashes. “Do you think I killed my brother?”

Crying

Like a knife to the gut, my stomach wrenched because I’d done anything but take care of her this past year.