The Rulebreaker
“He warned me about you earlier.”
“What?” My smile drops. “What about me?”
“Nothing bad, just not to break your heart or something. I mean, he didn’t say that exactly, but he basically said if I hurt you he’d kill me and feed me my balls or something. He seemed upset about the whole thing,” Landon says casually. “But then Colson told me you’ve been friends forever and I realized it’s probably something he says to all the guys you hang out with just in case. I mean, I do that with my little sisters.”
“Hm. Nice to know.” I reach into my backpack and pull out my psych book. Landon does the same. “How many sisters do you have?”
“Two. Might as well be twenty, as troublesome as they are.” He flashes me a smile. He’s really freaking handsome and has perfect white teeth that stand out against his dark skin.
“Well, they’re lucky to have you.” I smile. “I’m an only child and I always wanted an older brother.”
“From the looks of it, you lucked out and got three. Those Cruz brothers are definitely loyal.”
“Ha. Yeah, they are.” I open the book and start leafing through it. Anything to get out of a conversation where Maverick and I are anything like siblings.
I can barely remember the last time I looked at him like a brother. Thankfully, Landon takes the hint and moves the conversation to the impending test we have. We study for a while. Long enough that the server comes by at least six times to refill my water and ask if we want more bread or any more food because they’re about to shut down the kitchen and the DJ is about to start playing.
“You wanna stay here or go someplace else?” Landon asks.
“Are we going to keep studying or just chill?”
He looks around, waves at a few guys he knows, and looks back at me. “I mean, I love Tony’s on a Thursday, but if you’d rather hit up Franklin Street or a brewery or something, I’m down too.”
“We can stay here.” I smile and start getting out of the booth. “I need to take this to my car and go to the restroom.”
“I’m going to get a drink at the bar then since we’re not going to stay at this table. I’ll be in that general area.” He signals toward his friends.
I nod, grab my things, and head outside. The chilly wind hits me as soon as I step out there and suddenly I’m grateful I pulled a jean jacket out of my closet at the last minute. You never know what the weather will be from one moment to the next in North Carolina. That’s one thing I learned quickly after moving here. I lock my car and walk back inside, beelining to the bathrooms. Once I’m done and finish washing my hands, I check myself in the mirror. I still look fine. My curls are extra voluminous tonight after the deep conditioning I did this morning and my makeup is still on point. I’m feeling myself as I walk out of the bathroom and find Maverick standing there, holding a drink in his hand.
“Fancy meeting you here.” I smile at him.
“How’d your study date go?”
“Well, that portion of the date is over.”
“And there’s another portion coming up now?” He takes a sip of his drink. I step forward and take the glass out of his hand, smelling it before taking a small sip.
“It’s good. Tequila?”
“And club soda.”
“I don’t normally like club soda, but this is good.”
“You love lime, so it’s probably that.”
“True.” I smile. “Anyway, yeah, we’re just going to hang out here for a while. What are you up to tonight?”
“Playing masochistic games. You know, the usual.”
I frown. “What?”
“Nothing.” He chuckles, taking another sip and glancing away. “I’m going to hang out here as well.” He looks at me. “Are you going to the Halloween party Saturday night?”
“I have a game that afternoon. I guess it depends on how badly I get beat up.”
“I’m always available for massages.” He winks.
“Mav.” My heart pounds harder in my chest.
“What?” He cocks his head to the side, shooting me that flirty smile that I know for a fact makes women crazy, and right now, I’m women.
“Why’d you bring me flowers?” I cross my arms and rock slightly.
He smiles, standing upright. “Why do you think I brought you flowers?”
“I don’t know, that’s why I’m asking.”
“It’s on your list.”
I blink. “My list?”
“The list of things to do in order to impress someone. You said to give her flowers.”
“But . . . you gave them to me.” My heart is racing now.
“Did I impress you?”
“No.”
“No?” He raises an eyebrow. “Wrong kind of flower?”
“No, the flowers are beautiful, I just, I don’t understand why you would want to impress me, to begin with.”
“That’s a good question.” Mav chuckles, glancing away momentarily. “I think Landon’s waiting for you. Go have fun. We’ll talk later.”