Unspoken Rules (Rules 2)

“I said she seems nice.”

“Who?”

“Your girl. Sorry, your friend.” He snorts at the word I used to introduce her to him.

A small smile hangs on to the corner of my lips.

“She is,” I say.

“How long you two been dating?”

“We’re not. She… it’s complicated.”

“Oh. So it’s just physical, then?”

“Yes,” I lie.

“You know, Haze, you were a lousy liar when we were kids, and you’re even worse now.”

I’m not even surprised when the words escape his mouth. The guy’s known me since I was five. What did I expect?

I throw my head back with a sigh. “What gave it away?”

“Come on, man. I’m not dumb. You brought her back here. Now, I doubt it’s because she’s amazing in bed or because she’s just a friend. You care about her, don’t you?”

I think for a few seconds, my mind racing.

“Yes, I do.”

This is the first time I’ve said that out loud since the night I told her I loved her. No wonder she might want more after that. Might as well ask her to marry me and then push her away while I’m at it. Watching her eyes close felt like someone gutting me on repeat. She was losing a lot of blood and about to pass out in my arms and it just… it just came out, I guess.

But now, I know it was a mistake. This can only hurt her more. I still don’t know why the hell I said it.

“And we haven’t, by the way.”

“You haven’t what?” he asks, but quickly puts the pieces together. “Oh. You mean…”

I nod.

“Not even a little?”

“Nope.”

He scoffs. “Wow. Haze Adams saves himself. That’s a first.”

My mind wanders to the dress stunt she pulled on me this morning. Does she know that I’m this close to pushing her up against the wall and ripping her clothes off, or is she really just that oblivious?

She asked me to unzip her dress, and I genuinely have no clue how I didn’t strip her naked right there.

Not to mention that she’s slept in her underwear every single night since she agreed to join me in my bedroom, and I’m beginning to think she’s testing me.

r /> No, I know she’s testing me.

Vic’s words come back to me. Haze Adams saves himself.

If he only knew.

“It’s not me I’m saving. It’s her. And trust me, it hasn’t been easy. She’s driving me completely insane. I’m telling you it’s like she’s doing everything in her power to make me break. All I want to do is back her up into a corner and…” I clench my jaw and stop myself from sharing the very dirty thoughts I’ve been repressing. “My balls are as blue as the fucking sky at this point, but I can’t do that to her. I know if I sleep with her, she’ll want more.”