Rules Of Our Own (Rule Breaker Series Book 3)

“WHEN PROSTHETICS FOR KIDS came to us with this opportunity, how could we say no?” Alex answers the news reporter, the bright sun shining off his blonde hair. It’s surprisingly warm for a fall day in Boston, the grass in Lucas’s backyard still a vibrant green.

Alex’s wearing his signature confident smile he uses for the press. For a Canadian, he’s nailed the stereotypical All-American look. The reporter’s looking at him a little too interestedly for what they’re talking about. Luckily, Mia’s too pumped to notice.

Today’s the big day, and we’re here to do whatever we can to support her. Last night, she was a walking stress ball. Even her cat kept his distance.

I could practically feel the electricity crackling off her as she ran through the list of things she needed for the event to be successful. She’s been killing herself for weeks preparing, and I know it’s going to be better than she expects. But there’s no telling her that. You’d think she winged it for how little confidence she has in herself.

There’s a compressed oval in my carpet from where she paced for hours. It took Alex lifting her off her feet and collapsing on the couch to keep her still. He worked his strong hands into the tight muscles of her back while I kneaded the bottom of her soles.

She’d passed out between us, exhausted from the stress.

“What made you start this charity?” the reporter asks Mia.

Alex tilts his head toward Mia as she answers more questions. Only the people closest to us would spot the change in him. The way his smile softens and his eyes crinkle while he watches her.

Mia’s completely oblivious to it all. She’s gripping her hands behind her back so tight her palms turn pink, and she’s abusing her poor bottom lip.

A small boy, face painted in red and black with white spiderweb details, comes barreling down Lucas’s lawn toward me, two girls with rainbow-painted masks following a few feet behind. His below-the-knee prosthetic doesn’t slow him down, and I barely dodge out of the way before they crash into me.

Smiling, I grab two white buckets from the porch and walk them to where everything’s set up. There’s a camera placed directly in front of the few chairs we’d laid out. There are towels and coolers a few feet away. We’d gotten here first thing this morning, and from the smile on Mia’s face, it’s totally worth it.

Mia wants the Center-Ice challenge to feel accessible to everyone, so she skipped all the fancy decorations and opted for a simple setup in Lucas’s backyard. She’s done an amazing job with this event, and the crazy thing is, I don’t think she even realizes it. She’s so focused outward that she never takes the time to look at her own accomplishments.

The entire team is here to show their support. With them are their wives and kids, making for the perfect amount of chaos.

I’ve never wanted kids, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like them. I glance toward where Mia’s wrapping up her interview. I think I’d give her anything she wants.

“You’re staring.” Lucas dumps several bags of ice on the ground and rips into one, a knowing look in his eyes.

“Problem?” I ask, not bothering to look away from where Alex is now ushering her toward us. I don’t give a single fuck if anyone notices my obsession with them. Hell, if it wouldn’t mess things up for Mia, I’d be screaming it from the rooftops.

“Nah, just wondering when you’re going to do something about it.” Lucas tips the bag over the bucket, and the ice splashes water everywhere.

“I am doing something. We’re just keeping it private.”

Lucas huffs out a breath. “How long do you think that’ll last?”

I peel my gaze away from Mia and raise one brow. “As long as she needs it to.”

“So, what gives? Mia doesn’t want to go official?” Lucas looks sympathetic; he’d been a complete dick to Piper, then had to work his ass off to get her back.

“Her financial backer threatened to remove funding for the charity if she’s caught fraternizing with a player.” I bite out the words and have to fight off the low growl forming in my chest. I understand Gerard’s point, but I’m not happy about it. “Something about this being family-friendly and giving the wrong impression.”

“The fuck?” Lucas says a little too loudly and gives an apologetic smile to the people around us. “Sorry.”

I roll my neck, and it cracks with the motion. “My thoughts exactly, but this is important to her, so it’s important to us.”

“Yeah, but how long will the secrecy last?”

“As long as she needs it to,” I answer plainly. Secret, public, all that matters is she’s with us.

He eyes me. “Fuck, you’ve got it bad.”

“Never said I didn’t.”

Mia and Alex make their way to us. She’s shifting on her feet, her nerves practically radiating off her. It’s killing me not to pull her into my arms and give her all the reassurance she needs. Instead, I clench my fist at my side and lock my thigh muscles in place.

Lucas smiles at me, his white teeth flashing. “Go time.”

I approach Mia. “Everything looks great.”

She spins toward me. Her lip is raw and red from where she’s been gnawing on it. I desperately want to soothe it with my tongue. Say fuck everything else and kiss her right here. The only thing stopping me is knowing how important all of this is to her. I’d never fuck this up for her.

She gestures to the buckets and chairs we’d just set up. “Thanks for doing all of this. You didn’t need to haul all this stuff out here yourself.”

I shake my head and get closer than I should, meeting her eyes. “You don’t have to be selfless with me. I want you to be needy. I want you to wake up and know that I’ve got you. That you can lean on me.”

She inhales through her teeth and nods before a slow smile curls her lips. “Okay, go get wet.”

Alex is the first to volunteer. He steps directly in front of the camera, his smile turning cocky as he reaches back with one hand and hauls his white T-shirt over his head. My mouth waters when he stands tall, showcasing his defined muscles. The reporter’s eyes darken on him, and the look on her face practically screams fuck me.

Mia stiffens, a low, growl-like sound escaping her, and I can’t fight back my smile. I lean over her shoulder, careful not to touch her.

“So fucking cute, Love.”

She bristles. “Like it doesn’t piss you off too.”

“It would,” I admit, “if I didn’t know how obsessed he is with you.”

She turns to face me. “With us. Don’t forget you.”

My gut twists, and I can feel heat climbing up my neck. “I don’t know what’s happening there.”

“Well, it’s a good thing I can see it just fine.” She refocuses on the scene in front of her.

Alex sits in a green plastic chair, and Lucas stands behind him with a bucket loaded with ice water. We all thought Mia should do the honors, but she insisted it would be more impactful if we kicked it off with the players. I didn’t bother fighting her on it, not when I could tell it made her uncomfortable to be front and center. It had been on one of her sticky notes, and Alex was more than happy to take that off her plate.

He speaks directly to the camera as if he’d been born for the spotlight. “Hey, I’m Alex Grayson. I play forward for the Boston Bruins, and I pledge fifty thousand dollars to the Prosthetics For Kids charity.”

Mia gasps beside me.

The second the words leave his mouth, Lucas dumps the contents over Alex’s head. He jumps up, letting out an undignified squeal, earning a laugh from the entire crowd. Alex being Alex eats it up, then snaps back into character. “I challenge River Davis to participate in the Center-Ice Challenge.”

Mia looks at me hesitantly. I don’t know what more I can do to convince her I’m all in.

I’d worn shorts and a T-shirt, my usual attire not appropriate for this event, and in a move Alex would be proud of, I take my shirt off one-handed and copy what Alex said. “River Davis, starting forward for the Boston Bruins, and I pledge one hundred thousand to the Center-Ice Challenge.”

Mia stumbles back, and I laugh just as Alex dumps freezing cold water over my head. I thought ice baths were bad, but this has me snapping up from my chair and shaking it off like a dog fresh from the river. I bite back my curse, knowing Misty would kill me. “I challenge Jax Ryder to participate in the Center-Ice Challenge.”Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.

“Cut. Back in five.” The reporter gives us a wave, letting us know they’ve switched over to the news crew at Jax and Sidney’s.

Sidney wanted to be here, but Mia insisted she needed her to be in Canada. Help make it kick off internationally.

I rub my towel over my head, drying off from the freezing water.

“Are you crazy!” Mia hisses through her teeth.

“Not normally. No.”

“A hundred grand! A hundred grand!” She searches my face, smile wide but arms crossed over her chest like she can’t decide how to feel about it.

“Mia, I would have donated a million if I didn’t think it would deter the other players. And I still plan on it in the background.”

Her mouth drops open, and she’s shaking her head. “But—”

“No buts, Love. Good luck convincing Alex not to do the same.”

The news crew set up a computer so they can watch what’s happening in Ottawa, and Jax’s smiling face fills the screen. He’s all scruffy hair and dimples as he pledges an obscene donation, Sidney beaming behind him.

Sidney does the honors of dumping water over his head, and he shakes it off, soaking her with the spray. He grabs Sidney around the waist, hauling her into his side, before grinning at the camera and challenging another Bruins player like we’d planned.

The reporter whistles impressively. “Live in one.”

Alex prowls toward Mia from behind, and she shrieks when he lifts her off the ground. “Your turn.”

“Wait, no.” Mia wiggles, trying to break his hold. People watch them, and we’re lucky we have the cover of being longtime friends. “I can’t afford to pledge what you’re all pledging!”

“Pledge a hundred K,” Alex says while walking toward the chairs.

“I don’t have a hundred K. Put me down,” Mia grinds out.

Alex complies, sliding her to her feet. “Pledge one hundred K, Kitten.” He gives her a Cheshire cat grin. “It’s for charity, remember?”

Mia opens her mouth to argue, but she’s cut off by the reporter counting down. She looks between us with wide, pleading eyes, and I shrug. Too late to get out of it now.

The reporter holds out the microphone, and Mia swallows hard. “Dr. Mia Brooks, founder of the Prosthetics For Kids charity.” She looks back at us, then says, “And I pledge…I pledge…” She takes a deep breath before continuing. “One hundred thousand dollars towards the Center-Ice Challenge.”

Piper dumps the water over Mia’s head. The pale green dress she’s wearing clings to her, showing off every detail of her curves, and my cock’s instantly hard. I’m not the only one who notices—several players from our team notice her with heated gazes, and I have to breathe through my growing jealousy. This girl’s going to kill me.

Mia challenges Lucas, and Misty tosses her a towel. She wraps it around her shoulder, and some of the tension loosens in my back. Unfortunately, she stays on the other side of the chairs, watching as player after player pledges and challenges the next.

It’s another forty minutes before it’s over, and I’m already closing the distance between me and my girl, Alex following close behind.

Misty wraps her in a giant bear hug before holding up a clipboard. “You just raised two million dollars.” Her voice raises with each word, and she’s bouncing on her feet.

Tears form in the corner of Mia’s eyes, and Piper does what I desperately want to do but can’t because I’m a secret and wraps her arms around her.

I’ve never been so jealous in my life.