Breaking the Rules Read online

  "Could you guys keep it down?" The guy to the left of me asked, his voice filled with annoyance.

  Jackie moved around me. "No, we can't. When the class starts, we'll pipe down, but for now, mind your own business."

  I moved in between her and the guy who should not be wearing yoga pants. He needed a sock. An extension. Something. "Hey. Be nice."

  "I feel aggressive." She rolled her shoulders. "I'm going to see Parks soon. I have to. I need to get some of this tension out of my body."

  "Are you guys dating now?"

  "No. We're just sleeping together." She moved back and swung her arms back and forth.

  "Then sleep with someone else."

  She gave me a look. "Why would I do that? He's amazing, Dana. Like the best I've ever had."

  "Is the sex mutually exclusive?"

  "No." She turned back to the front. "You're totally diverting now. Back to you and Kendal. If it's not the risk of losing him or never getting him, then what is it."

  "It's the risk of him settling for me when he really wanted Ana."

  "If he wanted Ana, couldn't he just ask her back out?"

  "I don't know. I guess." My phone buzzed on the floor beside me and I dropped down, checking it and praying that it would be him. It was. He wanted me to come over later that night, no demanded me to.

  "Nice," Jackie cooed as I stood up. "He texted you?"

  "You're so damn nosy." I popped her in the stomach softly and turned to face the instructor as the class started. Maybe yoga wasn't such a good idea. What if things went well with Kendal? I'd end up in his bed, sore as hell from a class I never wanted to go to in the first place.

  "And breathe in deeply and lift up on your toes, stretching your fingers to the sky. Think of yourself as a tree, sway in the wind," the instructor called from the front of the classroom.

  "Really?" I whispered and glanced over to find Jackie smiling. She was so in for payback for forcing me to a yoga class. I was the most inflexible person we knew.

  "Just do what the chick says. It will help the blood flow in your body." She wagged her eyebrows. "To all of your parts."

  "Gross. Stop talking. Please." I closed my eyes and extended my hands toward the ceiling, giving myself over to the ridiculousness of it for the next hour. I could let my mind wander around what the night might hold for me.

  I had to make things right. Being depressed and hating life wasn't me at all. I wanted my joy back, and I knew that would come with either cutting things off with Kendal, or fixing them.

  The path to true happiness seemed to be available in the latter of the two objectives. He hadn't been the one to turn away from me or shut me down.

  I'd been the one running and slamming doors in his face.

  All because of insecurity over my sister.

  It would have helped if I could have talked to her, but she was off the grid. I growled at the thought and swept my hands along the floor like the instructor requested we do. I picked up my phone and ignored Jackie grumbling at me to put it down.

  My mother had trackers on us when we were younger, and we hadn't changed our phones. I texted her to see if she could activate all of us and see where Ana was. I needed to work things out with my sister before I could work them out with Kendal.

  I didn't get a response, which wasn't unusual. My mother enjoyed her quiet time more than anything since my father passed, as if sitting out on the porch was an invitation for him to leave heaven and join her.

  "Hey. You okay?" Jackie squatted next to me as I swayed, still bent over.

  "Yeah. I'm fine." I wiped at my eyes and stood up. The room was empty, everyone was gone. "What the hell?"

  "Did you get lost in enlightenment?" The gangly yoga instructor stopped in front of us, her hair in a messy bun, her skin flawless.

  I glanced around, still a little out of sorts. "I guess so? I don't know. One minute we were starting and I swear it wasn't but a second later and we're done?"

  She laughed and Jackie picked up our mats and walked them to the back of the room.

  "Then it was a good session. You must have a lot on your mind. Your eyes are cloudy with emotion." The girl reached out and touched my shoulder. "Do you want me to see if one of our masseuses can see you today?"

  "No, but thank you." I smiled and walked toward Jackie. "That was a much better experience than I expected it to be. I closed my eyes for a minute and it was all over."

  "The power of connecting with the source." She wrapped a sweaty arm around my shoulders as we walked out into the chilly October afternoon. "What's next? You want to grab lunch and hang out for the afternoon?"

  "I would, but Kendal wants to talk at his place tonight." I walked to the passenger side of her small Prius and got in.

  She glanced my way as she got into the car and buckled up. "That's great news, right?"

  "Yeah. I just need to decide if I have it within me to get over him sleeping with Ana." I ran my fingers through my damp hair. "I need to see her, but she's impossible to find."

  "Call her."

  "She won't answer." I reached up and adverted the hot air away from me.

  "Text her."

  "She'll ignore it. She hates being around the family or talking to any of us. She was my father's favorite, and when he died, she sorta did too." I tugged on my seatbelt.

  "Track her ass." Jackie snorted and pulled out of the parking lot, looking like a model for yoga wear. How I lived in a world where almost everyone around me looked better than me was a mystery. A sucky-ass mystery at best.

  "I asked my mom to track her. She's the only one with that functionality." I glanced out the window. "I want to just let it all go. Obviously my sister isn't interested in him or she never would have left him."

  "And he's not interested in her, or he would run back to her and wouldn't be trying so damn hard to get your attention, right?"

  "I guess." I turned and studied my friend. "I'm in love with him, Jackie. It's not just a silly infatuation. I'm thinking about moving my degree plan to Baylor and extending it a semester just to make things work between us."

  "What? No the hell you're not. That's ridiculous!"

  I laughed. "Olivia said the same thing."

  "Well, she's right. I'm right." She reached over and took my hand. "I know you love him, but you gotta see if the two of you are going to make this thing work. Let me ask you one really important question, and you have to be one-hundred-percent honest. Promise?"

  "Yeah. Of course." I settled back into my seat, letting myself relax.

  "Is the sex good, great or mind blowing?"

  I rolled my eyes. "Seriously? That's your question? I thought you were going to ask if I was willing to take a bullet for him."

  "Oh, that's a good one too. Are you?"

  "Yes. I am. That's sorta what being in love is about, right?"

  "Maybe. Now, the sex question."

  "It's mind-blowing. I didn't know it could be that good, okay? Happy now?"

  "No, I'm actually really sad for you. You're missing out on mind-blowing sex because he was with your sister in the past? He didn't even know you then. You need to move past this."

  I let out a loud huff. "Weren't you the one that wanted to throw his ass out of a high window because he was a man-whore for sleeping with my sister?"

  "Maybe. Doubtful. I'm usually not really violent." She gave me a blank stare before turning back toward the road.

  "I'm going over there tonight. We'll figure it out. I just need to get to Ana first." I pulled out my phone and let out a whoop! My mother was going to track her for me the minute she got back from the grocery store. I'd have time to take a quick shower and see my older sister before going over to see Kendal.

  "Why are you so interested in seeing Ana first?"

  "I need to know that she's not in love with him anymore."

  "And if she is?" Jackie clicked her tongue against her teeth, as if I were an idiot for not assuming that my sister might still have feelings for Kendal. />
  "Then I guess I'll walk away."

  "What? No!" She shook her head, looking far more agitated than she needed to. "Who gives a fuck if your sister is in love with him. This isn't about her. It's about you and him. What do you want? What does he want?"

  "I want him." I ran my hands down my face. "I think he wants me. I don't know. I just feel like I need to clear things up with her."

  "I vote that you don't."

  "Well, you don't get a vote," I grumbled and pulled my phone close to my face. "She's a pain in the ass, but I still love her."

  "Enough to give her your man? I love a lot of people, but none that much. That's insane."

  "If she loves me, then she'll know how I feel already, Jackie."

  "This is getting more fucked up by the minute, Dana. Just go see Kendal. You don't need to bring your sister into the middle of this. If she wanted him, the bitch knew where he was all this time. She could have gone back to him. Period."

  "Maybe you're right." I undid my seatbelt as we pulled up to my apartment. "I'll text you later and let you know what's going on."

  "Please do, and stop ignoring that Talon guy too. I see him blowing up your phone."

  I glanced down at the ten unread messages I had from him. "I hate hurting people."

  She reached for my phone, snatched it and typed away as I reached across to her seat and tried to wrestle it back from her. "Let. Me. Take. Care. Of. It."

  "Give it back!" I finally got it from her and growled. "I swear I'm going to send Parks a note that you have clinical herpes."

  "No such thing." She glanced down at her nails and back at me. "You're welcome. You need to tell that boy to find someone else to bother. What is Kendal going to think when he sees your phone tomorrow morning after your all-night-fuck-fest and it's got some dude's name on it with messages galore?"

  "I hate you." I got out of the car and bent down. "Not really. Thank you. I'll text you later."

  "I love you too. I want details. Dirty, juicy-"

  After slamming the car door, I ran upstairs and let out a long exhale as I closed the door behind me. Talon texted back a sweet note, which made me stop and read Jackie's. She'd done a good job of letting the poor guy down.

  "Much better than I would have done." I walked to the couch and dropped down as my mother texted me the address where Ana was. Jackie was right. I didn't need it.

  I stared at it for a few seconds feeling like I should know where it was. Not wanting to spend the rest of the afternoon worried about my sister, I plugged the address into google and pulled up the map.

  "What?" I pressed my hand to my chest and stood up. Sickness rolled through me. I didn't need to wonder if my sister still had feelings for Kendal. Obviously she did.

  She was at his house.

  Chapter 9

  Kendal

  I half-expected to feel overwhelmed or awkward in front of her, but neither emotion showed up. I was in control of myself, fully assured of what I wanted, and it wasn't her.

  "Beautiful house." She glanced around, her dark hair brushing over her back. "I'm sorry about the big showdown at my mother’s. I didn't know you were dating my sister."

  "Of all the people in the world, right?" I chuckled and moved past her into the kitchen. "You want something to drink? I have coke or water."

  "No. I'm not staying long. I just wanted to apologize and see what I could do to help you and my sister get back together." She pressed her hip against the counter nearest her and crossed her arms over her chest. "And I need to apologize for not standing beside you all those years ago. It was stupid, and my loss."

  "It's the past." I turned and got a coke from the fridge, popping the top and turning back to face her. It was almost odd how calm I felt around her. Six years before my heart would have been pounding, my cock rock hard and every emotion known to man pumping through me.

  Now? Nothing.

  "What can we do to fix it?" She tilted her head, her eyes searching me for something she wasn't going to get.

  "I'm going to fix things with Dana tonight, I hope." I reached up and ran my fingers through my hair. "I'm in love with her. I want her to be my wife, to move in with me, to rule my world."

  She smiled. "I like the sound of that."

  "Good. Then tell her that whatever was in the past between you and I is stuck in the past." I took another drink of my soda and set it down. "She's comparing herself to you. She's trying to figure out if I still love you."

  "Do you?" Her voice softened a little. It wasn't seductive, but questioning.

  "No. I feel nothing." I shrugged and checked my watch. "You want the best for her?"

  "Yeah. She deserves it after her last boyfriend beat her into the ground emotionally."

  "Then tell her there's nothing between us and there hasn't been in a really long time. This is just a fucked up coincidence. Nothing more."

  She nodded. "I can do that. I want happiness for her. I want it for you too."

  "And we had that together." I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. "Let me walk you to the door."

  "Okay." She turned and walked through the foyer, stopping suddenly and turning to face me. I took a step back to give us some distance. "You were willing to break the rules for me."

  "And I am for Dana too, Ana. I'm older and ready to start a family. Your sister is the only woman I want that with." I moved around her and opened the door. "Help me make that happen?"

  "It's the least I can do for not running hard and fast after you back then." She walked out and didn't look back as she made her way to her car.

  Did she still love me? I couldn't tell.

  I didn't care either way. She was a memory... a painful one.

  Turning, I walked back into the house and closed the door behind me. Excitement raced through my chest. Dana.

  I'd get a chance to redeem myself to her, to help her see how much I wanted her in my life. I wasn't going to fuck it up. Not a chance.

  I jogged to the bedroom and pulled off my clothes before jumping in the shower. I wanted everything to be perfect, including me. She needed to know what she meant to me, that I was her man and wouldn't stop until she was mine.

  My body ached for her touch.

  "Soon," I mumbled and stroked myself a few times. Soon she would be pressed to the bed beneath me, letting me worship every inch of her.

  I wasn't going to take no for an answer.

  *

  "Dana." I smiled like a kid in a candy store as I pulled the door open. The angry look on her beautiful face caused my high to dim a little.

  "How dare you!" She walked in and pushed me in the chest with both hands, causing me to take a step back.

  I planted my feet and lifted and eyebrow. "Be careful, woman. I'm not the type of man who's good with being pushed around."

  "Where is she?" Tears filled her eyes as she pushed me again.

  I grabbed her wrists and tugged her toward me. "Who are we talking about and why are you so upset?" She smelled like heaven, the tropical scent of her shampoo rushing down to fill my lungs. I growled and took two big steps toward her until she was pressed against the door. "You smell so fucking good." I leaned down and pressed my lips to the side of her hair. "Stop for a minute and talk to me."

  "My sister!" She pushed a little, but not nearly as hard as she had before.

  "Ana left two minutes after she got here." I moved back just a little, but kept my lower half pressed to her, holding her in place. I pinched her chin gently and forced her to look up at me. Her dark hair was wild, her eyes filled with passion. I was completely lost to her. "She came to try and fix things between me and you. Nothing else."

  "I don't believe you." Her breathing was off as emotions raced across her face. She was terrified. She still loved me.

  "Then don't believe me, but I wouldn't lie to you. I didn't walk away last week, baby. You did, and I've been in hell since then." I leaned down and brushed my lips by hers, loving the soft whimper that came from her.

>   She didn't want to fight me. She wanted me to fight for her.

  "Look at me." I kissed her again, short, hard.

  "What? Let me go. I came over to talk, not be manhandled."

  "You think this is me manhandling you?" I laughed low in my chest before moving back and bending over a little. I pressed my shoulder against her stomach and picked her up as she yelped.

  "Put me down! Kendal! What are you doing!!"

  I ran my hand over the curve of her ass, cupping the back of her thigh and pressing my fingers against her center. Her jeans were too thick to really get a good feel of her body, but they'd be off of her soon enough.

  "I'm manhandling you." I walked toward the bedroom as she kicked and tried to throw a fit. "That's the best you got?"

  "Really!" She upped her game a little, almost kicking me in the dick.

  "Better. Much better." I dropped her on the bed, letting her fall hard. Reaching out, I gripped her hips and pulled her to the edge of the bed as she growled loudly at me.

  "What are you doing?"

  "I already told you." I moved to my knees and slid my arms around her waist, pressing my cheek to her stomach and closing my eyes. I tightened my hold on her as my heart pounded in my chest.

  She panted loudly, but seemed to be calming down a little. My heart broke when I heard the sound of her first sob. Her fingers ran through my hair, scraping down the back of my neck as she let herself cry.

  I stayed there, holding her as tightly as I could until she pulled at my shoulder. Only then did I move up and cover her body with mine.

  "I can't lose you. I hate this life without you," she mumbled, her beautiful lips swollen, her eyes filled with unmet need.

  "Then don't lose me." I brushed her hair back. "Ana came to fix things between me and you." I brushed my nose by hers and breathed in deeply. "I’ve missed you every night for the last week. You know I didn't find you because you were her sister, Dana. You know I don't still love her or I would be with her. We met at my sister's deathbed. Remember, baby?"

  She nodded. "Yes. I know. I just wish I were more. Ana is so-"

  "Stop." I rolled my hips, forcing her to open her legs for me so I could settle down between them. My erection was thick and twitching as if trying to get the poor girl’s attention all on its own.