Rules Of Our Own (Rule Breaker Series Book 3)

THE SKY IS a deep orangey red. The sun has already started its descent when Piper gives me another concerned glance before heading out. By her worried looks when she thought I wasn’t paying attention, I got the distinct impression Sidney had tasked her with looking after me.

I’m not sure how I got so lucky to have the friends I do, but they’re the only reason I’m keeping my shit together.

It’s not until the door clicks shut behind her that unease settles in my bones.

I sigh heavily and make my way over to the cabinets. I grab the long-stem glass from the shelf and the bottle of chilled white wine I recognize from Napa and pour the golden liquid an inch from the brim. I gulp down half, savoring the bitter burn at the back of my throat before refilling it.

My life’s become an absolute dumpster fire, and without Piper here to distract me, my mind quickly dissolves into a panicked mess of worst-case scenarios. I’m never going to get another internship. Jason will find me wherever I go and make some kind of sick game of controlling my life. I’m not naive enough to think this is anything else. He doesn’t actually care about me. He’s mad that I’m not doing what he wants, and now he’s going to prove to me he has all the power.

The worst of it is he does. I’m jobless and terrified, exactly how he wants me. The one thing he didn’t account for was two protective NHL stars coming to my rescue. I’m not going to sit here and pretend that’s not what happened. They scared off the monster and whisked me away to an enchanted castle.

I’m so freaking grateful for it. For once, I’ll put my need for independence aside for the feeling of safety. Because that’s exactly what I feel when they’re close. Like nothing can touch me. That they won’t let it.

Warmth coils in my stomach, and I push it down. I need to get a grip on myself and relax.

I walk through my bedroom, which is just shy of the size of my entire apartment back in Ottawa, and make my way into the bathroom.

I run my hand along the smooth coolness of the Carrara marble tile wall, watching as the light bounces off its mix of grays and blacks, highlighting its warm caramel veining. I take in the beauty of the vanity with its double sinks framed by a deep wood that warms the room. Then there is the centerpiece of this grand bathroom: a standalone bath that looks out onto a floor-to-ceiling window that’s just slightly tinted so no one can see me from outside, but I can still experience the stunning view. The entire thing looks like it belongs in a House & Home magazine.

I twist the tap and wait for the water to turn warm before putting the stopper in the bath. There’s an assortment of bottles in an open shelf tucked into the wall on the right, and I sort through them. Shampoo, conditioner, bodywash… My hand stills on the one that says body oil, and I imagine thick, callused hands kneading my muscles. A shiver rolls down my back, and I return the small glass bottle to its home, grabbing instead one of the scented bath bombs from a small basket on the bottom of the shelf.

I toss it into the nearly full tub and watch it fizz as it creates a mass of orange bubbles that smell like creamsicle. I hum as I inhale deeply before pulling my shirt over my head and divesting the rest of my clothes in a small pile on the textured stone floor. The tub is so big I have to sit on the side and swing my leg over. I let out a hiss when my toes breach the surface of the water but don’t stop descending. I want it hot. I want it to burn into my muscles and loosen their constant ache.

By the time I sink back fully, I’ve adjusted to the temperature and moan as my back contacts the curve of porcelain. Whoever said money can’t buy happiness was a freaking idiot.

With every breath, I relax more until my mind drifts to the two men I’ve been trying to avoid thinking about. When I woke up this morning, surrounded by River’s scent, there was nowhere else I wanted to be, but then he’d spoken to me in his odd formal tone, and a sickening rock dropped in my stomach.

It’s like he built a wall between us, and it wasn’t until we sat together that the smallest of things gave him away. When I set my fork down, he frowned until I started eating again. His eyes darkened as they took me in, and I damn near melted at the slight flush on his cheeks.

I close my eyes, and images of the two of them touching me, hands roaming hungrily over my skin, like they’d die if they didn’t feel every inch. My fingers inch over my stomach at the thought of being pinned between the two of them, and I lower them slowly, inch by inch, between my thighs.

I can almost trick myself into believing it’s Alex’s fingers dipping over my slippery core, and I moan as he presses two inside me, stroking at a torturously slow rhythm. My breath hitches, and my nipples tighten as I imagine their mouths descending on them, scraping the peaks with their teeth until my hips buck.

I press my palm against my clit and grind down like River did, causing me to let out a small cry. My hips rock, and the water splashes around me as I imagine him digging his hand into Alex’s hair, pulling him off my nipple with a loud pop. My orgasm hits me like a tidal wave as their mouths collide, and they let out simultaneous moans.

It takes several seconds for the image to fade and for my breathing to return to a normal pace. Where the hell did that come from?

My phone vibrates on the ledge, and I nearly jump out of my skin. I grab my towel and take my time to wipe my hands before swiping it open.

Alex: How’s it going, Kitten.

My cheeks flame, and I have to take several deep breaths. He doesn’t know what just happened. He doesn’t know I came to the thought of him making out with his best friend. It’s just a coincidence.Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

Me: Fine.

Thank God I didn’t have to say it out loud, or my voice would have cracked for sure.

River: Fine? Do you need something?

Alex: Fine or FINE?

Me: I’m good. 

Me. Just relaxing. 

River: What did you do today?

Me: Piper came over. Pretty sure Sidney asked her to babysit me. 

River: Good. 

I roll my eyes.

Alex: Want us to come over?

I stiffen and rub my thighs together because the truth is, my body definitely likes that idea. I groan because I know I’m not ready for that.

Me: No. Just getting out of the bath, then I’ll be going to sleep.

Alex. Jesus Christ, Mia. You can’t say stuff like that. Are you trying to kill me? 

I laugh, even as my core clenches.

Me: Calm down before I stop talking to you.

River: Don’t be mean, Mia. You know he can’t help it.

Shit. I was playing with fire, but recklessness has taken me over.

Me: How about you? Can you help it?

There are several long beats before his reply comes through.

River: Not when it comes to you. 

River: Good night, Mia. Sweet dreams. 

I squeal and dunk myself under the warm bathwater, letting it wash over me as I hold my breath, basking in the bubbles of excitement popping in my chest. The way Alex and River treat me is like an addiction that I can’t get enough of. There’s a connection between us that’s so much deeper than I’m ready to admit. Not when there’s still a chance this will all disappear again.

After graduating, leaving them had been absolutely devastating. No matter how many times I told myself it was the right thing to do, I still reached for my phone.

I used school and work to numb those feelings, burying them deep down, but being here with them makes it impossible to ignore. They chip away at any excuse I put between us, and for the first time since medical school, I don’t want to go back to my internship. I don’t think I’ll survive leaving them again. They owned a part of me then, and they still own it now.