Rules Of Our Own (Rule Breaker Series Book 3)

RIVER’S DISAPPEARED, leaving me to do whatever the hell I want. At least for now. I don’t even bother trying to stay away from Mia, slipping through the crowd and closing the remaining distance between us. She looks at me with wide green eyes but doesn’t shift away, instead introducing me to the woman she’s standing with.

“I’m sure you know Alex Grayson, star forward for the Boston Bruins. He’s been a huge help supporting the Prosthetics For Kids charity.”

“Yes, I’ve seen you in the videos. Excellently done and such a large donation.” The woman across from her smiles at me. She looks to be in her late fifties or early sixties, and she’s rocking it. Silver hair pulled back in a sleek style, black dress that doesn’t cling to her but looks perfectly together. She’s a silver fox if I’ve ever seen one.

“Alex, let me introduce Julia Garner, the CEO of Casper Developments.” Mia bites her bottom lip, but I can still make out the hint of a smile she’s trying to hide from catching me checking the matron out.

Fuck me, I’m standing in front of a real-life billionaire.

I plaster on my most endearing smile. “You know how it is. I believe in this charity, so I have to put my money where my mouth is. I’ve been extremely fortunate, and it’s really the least I can do.” I purposely focus the conversation around myself so she doesn’t feel like I’m calling her out, but she also hears the message I’m laying down.

“Unfortunately, I’m not sure I can pull off the whole soaked look,” Julia says.

Time to throw on the charm. “I wouldn’t say that. I think you’d look good soaking wet.”

The woman’s cheeks flame red, but I can tell she liked receiving the compliment.

She arches a perfectly shaped brow. “You know, most men wouldn’t say that to me.”

I shrug. “Most men are idiots.”

She laughs. “Okay. Challenge me.” She says it to Mia, who’s now grinning.

“I challenge Julia Garner to the Center-Ice Challenge.”

“I accept and pledge five hundred thousand.” She tosses Mia a playful wink. “Can’t let these young boys show me up.”

I swallow hard. Holy fucking shit.

“Uh…thank you…oh my God.” Mia stutters out her gratitude.

The woman waves her off with a conspiratorial smile. “I’m going to go see who else I can rope into this. I bet I can get a few of these old men to play along.” There’s a gleam in her eyes, and I don’t doubt her for a second.

Mia and I are as alone in a room full of people as we can be, and her face is lit up. “Five. Hundred. Thousand.” She practically levitates off the ground with her excitement.

“That’s only the beginning, Kitten. Hell, I’d be surprised if she doesn’t collect a few million tonight on her own.”

Mia looks stunning, painted in gold, pale blonde hair tumbling from where she’s pinned it up. It’s making her look ethereal and putting every other woman here to shame.

Fuck, I want to kiss her.

I blow out a breath and give her a lopsided smile. “You look beautiful.”

Her gaze travels from my patent leather shoes up my suit-clad thighs, and pauses on the tie I chose.

Her cheeks grow an adorable shade of pink. “You should talk. You look good in that suit, Alex.”

I smirk. “I know.”

“Have you always been that cocky?” she asks playfully.

“Ever since I’ve been this pretty.”

“What am I going to do with you?”© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

I lower my gaze, biting the side of my lip. “Whatever you want.”

Her chest freezes for several seconds before she shakes her head like she’s waking up from a dream. “Behave.”

“Around you? Never.”

She throws her head back and laughs, and I eat it the fuck up. If I do anything in life, let it be making this girl happy.

I lower my voice. “When I get you home—”

Mia’s face registers surprise where she’s looking over my shoulder.

I turn, following her gaze, and spot a guy I’d been chatting with earlier. James McKay—turns out he’s a huge Bruins fan.

“Do you know him?” I ask.

“Jason’s dad,” she whispers, and my head snaps her way.

“You’ve got to be shitting me.”

The blood drains from her face, and a spark of anger starts in my chest, rapidly growing into rage. That fucker is the one who got her fired?

I grab Mia’s hand and practically drag her through the crowd. She doesn’t say anything as we approach Jason’s dad.

Thinking about Jason makes my mouth taste sour, and I fight the urge to spit my disgust.

James looks back at me. “Hey, good to see you again. I was just telling my friend here we should get box tickets.”

Mia tilts her head to the side. “But you don’t live here.”

He looks down his nose at her. “Miss. I have several offices. Nothing’s far when you own a plane.”

I want to hit him for his tone of condescension, but I’ve got bigger plans. “I want to introduce you to my girlfriend, Dr. Mia Brooks.”

James tilts his head to the side, like he’s trying to place her. It only takes a second for recognition to settle in. “The girl who dated my son to get a job, then stole from the hospital?”

A low growl rumbles in my chest. “No. The girl your sniveling son’s practically stalking. Won’t listen to the word no—I sure hope you didn’t teach him that. He thought he could manipulate her into taking him back by getting her fired.”

The man’s eyes shoot wide but quickly narrow on Mia. “That’s quite the accusation. Do you really expect me to believe you?”

“I have proof that he’s stalking me.” She holds out her phone, but James doesn’t take it. Mia bites the corner of her lip. “If I can get you definitive proof that he’s the one stealing from you, what would you do?”

There are several moments of charged silence before James replies. “If you can gather proof—real proof, mind you, no hearsay—I’ll get you your job back.”

A rock drops in my stomach, and nausea burns my throat. That job had been her dream, and here it is on a silver fucking platter. I want to beg her not to take it. Say I need her here, but I could never do that to her.

“Thank you, but I have a family I love here.” The words tumble from her mouth, and she instantly blushes, eyes snapping to mine.

Is she talking about us? My pulse thunders in my ears, the world tilting around me, and I want to haul her over my shoulder, find River, and get the fuck out of here.

James studies her before replying, “That’s your decision. I can promise you if you provide me with the information, Jason’s behavior won’t go unpunished. Now, if you’ll excuse me, it’s time for my speech.” He hands her his business card, then leaves abruptly.

“I need you to come with me.” My voice comes out in a strangled whisper.

I don’t know if it’s the desperation in my voice, but she follows without a word. There’s a door off the back of the room, and I sneak us both in.

It’s a storage room, filled to the brim with different-style chairs and extra tables stacked over each other half haphazardly. The only light comes from above, tall flickering bulbs casting everything in warm shadows.

“I’m sorry,” she rushes out. “I shouldn’t have said that. We haven’t even talked about it.”

I cup the sides of her face, cutting her off with a swift kiss.

“Mia, I love you.”

“You don’t have to say that just because I did.”

“Are you kidding me? You’ve buried yourself so deep inside me that there’s no way to know where my love for you starts and where I end. It’s one and the same. You’re all that I am, and I’m so fucking grateful to have you. I fucking love you.” I coat my words in sincerity.

“You love me?” Her voice breaks, and my ribs squeeze around my heart.

“Always.” I crush my mouth against hers and groan when she instantly opens for me. She tastes crisp like champagne, and as I devour her mouth, I back her against the wall beside the closed door.

Her hands bury themselves into my hair, pulling me harder against her. Like she’s desperate to close the space between us. I break apart, kissing along her jaw and down the column of her neck.

“Say it again,” she breathes, tilting her head back against the wall, making room for me.

“I love you.” I graze my teeth along the shell of her ear, smiling as goose bumps erupt under my touch. “I love you, Mia.”

Her grip tightens in my hair, yanking me back to her lips. She devours me with needy, desperate kisses that I return with equal desire.

Her nails rake down my neck, and her hips rock against me, searching for friction. Doing my fucking best not to ruin her dress, I pull the hem above her hips and lift her until her legs wrap around me.

Her mouth breaks away from mine with a hungry moan.

“I need you, Mia. I need you so fucking much. I need you right now.”

She rolls her hips against my hard cock in response. “Yes! God yes.”

I grip her ass with one hand, pinning her between the wall and me, then rip her underwear at the seams and tuck the remnants into my pocket. Pushing my pants and boxers around my ankles, I nestle my cock against her entrance, barely entering her. I pause, my mind swirling. This should be romantic, not some back-room fuck. Our chests heave against each other’s, and her brilliant green eyes meet mine.

“I love you,” she says, voice sure, and shifts to bury my cock into her core. I buck, entering fully, unable to stop myself.

“We’ll do this slow and sweet later,” I promise.

She bites my lower lip. “Shut up and fuck me.”

I groan against her, losing my last vestige of control, and thrust into her. Her moans grow louder as her back pounds against the wall, taking every ounce of me. I capture her needy sounds with my mouth and tingles start in the small of my back, traveling down my hips. My dick grows impossibly hard as my orgasm begs to be released.

Like fuck she’s not coming with me. 

I drop my forehead against her, saying between gritted teeth, “I’m fucking close. Come with me.”

She nods her head, hissing in each breath. I slide my hand up her thigh and circle her clit with my thumb. She cries out, back arching off the wall, and trembles in my arms as I draw small patterns against her. I listen to the sounds she makes, moving quicker or slower until her moans break and her orgasm rocks through her.

My hips jerk unevenly as I follow her over the edge.

Dizzy from my release, I press my chest into hers and bury my face into her neck. Her heart’s pounding, matching mine beat for beat as we both come down from our high.

I lower her legs to the floor and smile at her rosy cheeks. I pull out my phone, snap a pic of my cum running down her leg, and fire it off to River before fixing the hem of her dress.

Me: Getting cleaned up. Meet us out front, we’re getting the fuck out of here. 

River: Leave it. If you’re going to fuck our girl without me I want to taste you on her.

My dick’s already half-hard. These two are going to be the death of me.

Mia lifts up on her toes and whispers against my mouth. “I love you.”

My eyes close, and my chest clenches as I let the words seep into my soul. “I love you more.”

I pull the sheet over Mia and River, covering her naked back. They’d collapsed into exhaustion a few minutes ago after our third round. He’s holding on to her with both hands, and her face is pressed hard into his chest like they can’t get close enough to each other.

My chest is so tight I can hardly fucking breathe watching them. I dreamed of this—of course I fucking dreamed of this—but I’d been terrified to hope. Being with them feels like I stole the answers to happiness, and I refuse to give them back.

I’ve never felt as free as when Mia said she loved me. It was like the entire world clicked into place except for one piece. River’s hair tumbles over his forehead, and I reach over to push it from his face. I’m deeply, irrevocably in love with him. I think I’ve always been in love with him, and I’m not sure I can survive him not loving me back.