Rules of the Game (Rule Breaker, #2)

by Jessa Wilder

Piper placed her hand over my heart. “I could never hate you. I’ve loved you since I was seven.” She gripped my shirt, pulling, and her lip trembled. “You told me you didn’t want me. You made me think I was just a part of some stupid game.” “I’ve always wanted you. Always.” My gaze pleaded with her. “I’m so sorry, Piper.”

“Because there’s never been anyone else.” I guided a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. “For either of us.” She stepped back, mouth dropping open. “Since when?” “Two years ago.” Tears streaked her blotchy cheeks, and her face crumpled inward. “You decided I wouldn’t forgive you. You decided we were over. You decided it was your fault, and you let me go.” I searched her eyes, and realization sank in. I broke this. I broke us. “I’ll fix this.” “How?” I faked a smile. “You’ll see.”

“Oh, you two look close.” Jax rubbed his hands together, practically giddy, and crossed to the opposite side of the island. “Lucas finally get his head out of his ass?” “Fuck off” was Lucas’s reply before going back to his cereal.

Do i repeat how much i love jax?

Lucas had never admitted his feelings about me to anyone. I shifted in my seat, suddenly not hungry, when strong fingers laced with mine. “What’s wrong?” Lucas questioned, searching my gaze. My vision caught on our connected hands, then went straight to Jax. “Fucking finally.” He gave us a lopsided smile before shoveling cereal into his mouth.

Lucas leaned in and placed a soft kiss to the side of my mouth. “I’ll see you tonight.” I nodded and sighed. He seemed to know exactly what was going on in my neurotic brain. “What’s tonight?” He cupped the side of my cheek and guided my chin up. “Night one of me proving to you just how much you mean to me.” “You don’t have to—” He took my lips in a long, slow kiss. “I want to.”

“I missed you.” “You just saw me.” “You seem to think that matters.”

“How did you remember this is my favorite?” Lucas met me with serious eyes. “I remember everything about you.”

raised a brow at him. “You hate this movie.” “You love it,” he said matter-of-factly and hit Play.

“Watch the movie,” he rasped in a low command, and a shiver trickled down my spine, sending goose bumps erupting over my skin. I settled back and rested my head on his shoulder. “You’re distracting.” Lucas kissed my temple, and I could feel his smile. “Good.”

He squeezed my breasts, thumbs and forefingers teasing my nipples. “What’s got you distracted?” “You,” I breathed out, struggling to pull air into my lungs. My skin burned with the need to feel him everywhere. “Best fucking answer.”

He widened his legs, giving me space. “Open.”

“Not until this is real. Not until you completely trust me.”

She seemed to want everything to be okay between us, and I was so fucking thankful for that. But I’d really fucked up. I left her when she needed me, and if I wanted what I knew we could be together, then I needed to show her unequivocally that I never stopped loving her.

“I’ve wanted to carry your backpack since we were seven. You think I’m giving up the chance now?” She scrunched up her nose. “Seriously? You do realize you terrorized me on the daily?” “I’ve always been a little obsessed with you.” I kissed her forehead and entwined our fingers. “Fuck, I wish we didn’t have away games this weekend.”

“About fucking time.” He slapped my back. “You bringing her out tonight?” Warmth filled my chest. “I’m never doing anything without her again.”

absolute simp for me?” She raised a brow playfully. “Yeah, a girl could get used to it.” I captured her mouth in a desperate kiss. “You fucking better. Now, come on before I change my mind and we stay in tonight.”

kissed her words away and dropped my head to hers. “You have every right not to trust me, but baby, I’m going to fix that because there will never be anyone else for me than you.”

My focus was caught on Piper. The way she lit up when she laughed or her cheeks tinged pink whenever anyone mentioned me. My gaze roamed over her features, and my ribs contracted until it felt impossible to breathe. I was so fucking in love with her. I wished Marcus could’ve seen it because he had nothing to worry about. I would never hurt her again.

None of the guys were paying attention to us, and River was still facing away. His cheeks were tinged pink. Fucker.

“You made my jersey today?” I breathed out the words, unable to fight the sense of wonder. He brushed his lips against mine. “I couldn’t come to your game without it, could I?”

“You have no idea how much I wish I could stay. I’m proud of you, Piper.”

He rubbed his thumb over his bottom lip. “Fuck, I love you with my last name.”

“What does that mean?” I asked, searching her face. Her skin had a worrisome gray tint to it. She scrunched up her nose. “Women stuff.” I raised a brow and wrapped my arms around her lower back, tugging her closer. “You’re on your period?” Pink stained her cheeks. “Can we not talk about it?” She grimaced, and my hands tightened. “Does it hurt?” She rolled her eyes, some of her usual life coming back. “Yes, cramps hurt.” I led her back to her bed and pulled the comforter over her before placing her laptop beside her. “I’ll be right back, okay? I’ve just got to grab something, and we can hang out here tonight.”

Me: What do girls need when they get their period? Jax: How the fuck would I know? Jax: You are such a simp. Me: Listen dickhead. One day a girl’s going to knock you on your ass and I’m going to thoroughly enjoy rubbing it in. Jax: Never. Gonna. Happen.

Sidd

“I’m happy for you, Lucas. You two were meant for each other.”

“You didn’t have to do this, Lucas,” she said and slipped a piece of chocolate between her teeth. “I wanted to. I’ll always want to take care of you.”

“From now on, I’m always going to be here when you need me.” I kissed the top of her head and hit Play on the movie.

“I told you all the places I wanted to go. Places that I thought would help heal me. But really, I just needed to be near you.” Jax rolled his eyes. “Fucking buttering me up won’t get you out of this.”

I smirked. “It’s a safe bet that if I teased you about something, I actually felt the complete opposite.” She hit my arm, and Jax groaned. “No foreplay in front of the kids.”

“He earned it.” I laid my head against hers as we sat together in silence until Jax stepped into the room, and his face crumpled the second their eyes met. Jax sat on her other side and pulled her into a fierce hug. His shoulders shook with the force of his tears. I got up and walked over to his other side and wrapped my arms around him as tears pooled in my eyes. We’d lost someone irreplaceable, but we still had each other.

Goose bumps ran up the side of Piper’s neck as she stood at the cliff’s edge. Memories of how different our lives had been the last time we were here flowed through my head as Jax and I flanked her.

I’m sorry I went behind your back instead of explaining to you just how much I fucking love her.” Tears froze my cheeks, and I wiped them with my jacket sleeve. “I’m sorry I didn’t take care of her for you this past year. I promise I won’t make the same mistake again.” I tossed a stone into the water and watched the small splash. “I love you, man.”

She wasn’t the one who was about to see her boyfriend be auctioned off to another woman. My thoughts stalled on the word boyfriend, and tingles spread through my chest. There wasn’t any doubt in my heart that Lucas loved me, and I trusted him. Before the night was out, I would make that perfectly clear.

I swore my heart skipped a beat when he reached back into the bag and pulled out a garter and stocking. His fingers trailed over my sensitive skin, his eyes focused where we touched, and I’d never felt this attractive in my life. He made me feel like I was sex incarnate. He kissed my thigh above each band, then stood and slipped my bra over each arm, turning me to do up the back.

He stroked my cheekbone with his thumb. “I have to go with the guys.” What was going to happen tonight assaulted my thoughts, and I pulled away and bit out, “Oh, right. The auction.” “Are you jealous, Killer?” His smirk told me he knew I was. I rolled my eyes. “I don’t get jealous.” “Sure you don’t.” He chuckled.

I glared at her and then faced the stage, ready to have every nerve in my body rebel. Lucas was already looking at me, a cocky smile on his face. Whatever look I gave him didn’t have the desired effect. I could see his chest shaking with his laugh. He would pay for that.

“What the hell are you doing? That’s my paddle.” “Yes.” She looked entirely too calm for someone who’d just dropped that kind of money. I leaned in close, suddenly worried that she’d lost her mind. “Misty, can you even afford that?” “No.” She stretched out the word, and then her lips formed a catlike smile. “That’s why Lucas is paying.” I reeled back. “What?” “You didn’t think he was going to let anyone else win, did you?”

“He was so passionate about hockey that you couldn’t help but be swayed to play. Hell, he’s the reason why Jax and I are here today. Marcus’s respect for the game transcended from standard teenage competitiveness to a true love of the sport.” Lucas sniffed, and my eyes welled with tears. I blinked furiously. “It’s because of that love that I’ve started the Marcus Adams grant. It funds underprivileged kids in the community to be able to play.”

Crying

He cupped my jaw in both hands and stroked his thumbs over my cheeks, wiping away the tears. “I wanted to.” I wanted to. That wasn’t the first time he’d said those words, and they started to wrap around my heart. I searched his eyes, and all I saw was warmth before lifting onto my toes and pressing my mouth to his. “I love you. I trust you. Please don’t make us wait anymore.” His eyes

“I have loved you since the day you moved in next door. I’ve spent my time loving you when you weren’t looking, afraid that if I had you, I wouldn’t survive losing you.” His hands dipped into my hair and held me in place. “I will never do that again. You make me strong, Piper. You’ve made me see that life isn’t worth living without you by my side.”

“I love you, Piper.” Blue eyes met mine, and she grazed her fingers over my jaw. “I love you, Lucas.”

Piper’s mouth broke from mine. “Did you just rip my dress?” “Maybe.”

My gaze traveled down to where the garters held up her pantyhose, then further to her heels, which were several inches high. I groaned in the back of my throat, thanking every deity in existence for whoever had brought her to me.

“I know you’re pissed about the dress, but I will buy you a hundred dresses. I will give you whatever you want.” I placed a kiss on her inner thigh. “I’ll gladly get on my knees for you.” Another kiss a few inches higher. “Grovel at your feet.” Piper sucked in a breath as I kissed her directly over her clit. “I’m fucking obsessed with you.”

“You’ve ruined me,” she said with a dry, raspy chuckle.

“Come for me, Lucas.”

girl power

“Fuck, woman. You’re going to kill me.”

Her words penetrated my chest, wrapping around my heart, and held me in place. I’d been an idiot for waiting so long. I gripped the side of her face, tilting it, and captured her mouth in a slow, possessive kiss filled with everything I didn’t know how to say. By the time we broke free, we were both gasping, and she held on to my shoulders for support.

Her gold hair fell over her shoulders, the ends dipping in. She looked like a siren tempting me into the cliffs.

“You’re mine now, Piper, and I’m never letting you go.”