Breaking the Rules: The Breaking Series #1 Read online

  “I don’t know.” She sighed. “I have no idea where it’s going.”

  “It’s better to take it slow,” Mama offered.

  “Can’t you stop seeing him?” Eddie asked.

  Amara narrowed her eyes. “I don’t know what your problem is with the friends thing. I mean, you should be happy your sister is hooking up with your best friend, right? He’s successful. He’s a great guy. He’s respectful and conscientious and…” And potentially lethal. She couldn’t ever shake that last part. It wouldn’t leave her.

  “I just never wanted to see him, or you, like that,” Eddie spat. “This is why the circles don’t mix. It doesn’t happen.”

  “Guess what, Eddie?” Amara’s voice came out harsher than she intended. “Sometimes the circles mix. And here we are. What are you gonna do about it now? Huh? Accept it, or be mad for the rest of your life?”

  He glared at her. “A week.”

  “What?”

  “I’m going to be mad for a week.”

  Her eyes widened. “Okay.” She could give him a week. If it meant he’d be fine for the rest of the time afterward.

  Their mother nodded sagely, as if accepting his offer.

  “And what about Travis? Will you talk to him?”

  “When I feel like it,” Eddie muttered, pushing up off the couch.

  As he walked away, Amara called out after him, “I love you!”

  Eddie paused, sighing. “I love you too, Mar.”

  Mama turned to Amara, grinning as if she’d been containing her excitement the entire time. “That wasn’t so bad. Now when can we invite Travis over for dinner?”

  * * *

  The whole next day Travis felt as if he were coming apart at the seams. Amara’s good news the night before had made him doubly anxious to see her again. Just a few days apart, waiting for the dark cloud of Eddie’s reaction to break, and his insides rattled loose and jittery waiting to get a glimpse of Amara again.

  On his lunch break, he called Eddie to see if he might pick up, finally. If he’d warmed enough to a begrudging conversation with Amara, maybe the same was true for him.

  It rang five times. Just as he was going to hang up and lick his wounds, Eddie picked up.

  Travis’s eyes widened. There was silence on the other end. “Eddie?”

  Eddie sighed. “Yeah. It’s me.”

  “Dude, I can’t believe you finally picked up.”

  “You’ve called me enough times to be my stalker.”

  “Yeah, because I’m fucking sorry about what happened.”

  An intolerably long silence passed on the other end of the line. He wished he could see him, sit down with him, let him get in all the punches he wanted.

  “I can’t believe you’d do that.” Eddie’s voice sounded small, like he was miles away. “After all this time.”

  Travis pinched his eyes shut. Goddamn, those words hurt more than anything else he’d heard in his life. Eddie’s disappointment fell harder than a sack of bricks on Travis’s chest. “I didn’t plan on it. I even tried to make it stop. I swear to you. I ignored her for the longest time.” He drew a deep breath. “But it didn’t work.”

  Eddie was eerily silent again, so Travis offered up the only thing that might make it better. “I’m serious about her. I want this to go someplace. I’m not gonna hurt her or jerk her around. I swear on everything in my entire life.”

  “Yeah?” Eddie let out a small hmm. “She don’t seem so sure about you.”

  Ice coated Travis’s stomach, and the world went dizzy for a moment. Her response from the other morning returned to him: “not exactly” dating. He had to bring this up with her. Immediately. Because it seemed impossible that either of them could mistake the intensity of what was pulsating between them.

  I want Amara for myself. I don’t want anybody else.

  “Please forgive me, Eddie,” Travis said, his mouth dry. “You’re my brother. I can’t lose you.”

  “I need some time,” Eddie said.

  “You better be coming to my fight,” Travis said, emotion tightening his chest. If his best friend didn’t show up to that, he might as well lose. “You know I can’t fight without you there.”

  Eddie’s sigh was deep, like it originated in the core of the earth. “Yeah, I’ll fucking be there.”

  Travis almost added, And make sure Amara comes, but that seemed like asking for trouble. “All right, bro. I’m not gonna stop bothering you to hang out either. I’ll see you soon.”

  When Travis hung up, he felt as if a weight had been lifted. The situation with Eddie wasn’t perfect, but he was on his way to normal. And maybe it would be a new normal, something the three of them had to carve out of bone until the new form replaced the old ways.

  Travis stared at his phone and then swiped to call Amara. She was already the first in his contacts list from sheer frequency. He couldn’t remember the last time a woman had crept into his top-five, most-used contacts. The phone rang twice, and then she answered in a sultry voice that made his belly flop. “Hello, you sexy man.”

  He grinned. “Says the sexiest woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.”

  She giggled. “Well, this is shaping up to be a great conversation. What can I do for you? A midday call is unheard of.”

  “I need to see you. Come over today.”

  She made a small noise of appreciation. “I think this could work out nicely. I get off a little after five. Should I come right over?”

  He wet his bottom lip as a plan took shape in his head. “Hell yeah. I won’t be out of here until six. I can stop and get dinner on the way.”

  “Should I wait outside your door like the lost puppy I am?” She snorted.

  He tutted. “I’ll give you the key.”

  She paused. “Really?”

  “Yeah, I’ll call the door guy, let him know you’re on the list. You won’t have any trouble. What do you want to eat for dinner?” His words echoed in his head. Actions had to speak louder than words, even though his words were speaking pretty damn clear. He’d never granted a girl key access before.

  “Mmmm…sushi?”

  “Done. I’ll see you at six-thirty, babe.”

  Travis pocketed the phone, her velvety voice still meandering through his head. Key access, and now sushi, a cuisine that fell only on the middle of his favorite-foods list. Yeah, this was getting serious.

  He only hoped she felt the same way.

  Travis worked and fought hard the rest of the day, alternating between intense training for the upcoming match and even more intense fantasizing about what he’d do to Amara once he got home. Before he was ready to leave, he stopped by the front desk to see Melanie.

  “Hey. I need your help.” He flipped her ponytail before pulling out the extra chair behind the reception desk. “You got a minute?”

  “You’re the boss; my answer has to be yes.” She smiled sweetly.

  “Great. That’s what I like to hear.” He clicked a pen cap, returning her grin. “So what’s your favorite sushi place around here?”

  Her eyes narrowed, as if maybe she thought this was a joke. “Why?”

  “I need help making an order.”

  Her eyes shrank to slits. “For who?”

  “For me.”

  Melanie’s gaze was the exact combination of suspicious and gleeful that he’d feared. “It’s for your girlfriend, isn’t it?”

  “What girlfriend?”

  “The one that always comes around here to see you.” Melanie smirked, finishing a message on their internal system. “What’s her name? Allison? Amy?”

  “Amara.”

  “Yeah, her.” Melanie’s grin widened. “Are you really with her?”

  He rifled through the schedule papers, trying to play it as cool as possible. He wanted to shout it to the world that he and Amara were dating—but only once he was sure that was true. “Why do you care if I’m seeing somebody?”

  “I’ve never seen you date since I started working here.” She cros
sed her legs, sitting straighter. “A girl starts to wonder. And if you’re taken now, I’ll have a lot of friends to inform.”

  “I need you to help me pick out some sushi.”

  “You haven’t denied anything,” Melanie pointed out.

  “I don’t need to.” He sighed tersely. “Now where should I order from?”

  Melanie pursed her lips, giving him a long look. “Fine. You should order from Aro. They have the most killer rainbow rolls.”

  Travis grimaced, clicking the pen cap again. “Okay. What the hell is a rainbow roll again? I get them all confused.”

  “It’s this colorful, fascinating roll that tastes like heaven and has all sorts of nutrients and shit.”

  Travis laughed. “Great. I’ll get one of those. What else should I get?”

  “Salmon sashimi, for sure. And like, some dumplings. Lots of sauce too.”

  He nodded. “Will you place the order for me? Get enough for two.” He paused, then added, “Hypothetically. Make the pickup at six-fifteen, and then write down the address for me.”

  She beamed at him. “Sure thing, boss.”

  * * *

  Almost two hours later, Travis pushed his way into the apartment, pleased to find the lights on already. Amara lounged on his couch like the sexiest model he could have ever imagined, tight booty shorts, a barely there tank top, her tits overflowing, nipples already hard like some sort of gift from heaven. He removed his cross-the-chest gym bag and dropped the overflowing bag of sushi on the counter before he strutted over to her, trying to play it cool, keep it measured.

  Amara let the book she was reading fall to the side. “Welcome home.”

  “This is the best damn thing I’ve ever come home to.” He climbed onto the couch, crawling on top of her. He nuzzled his face between her smooth legs, eliciting giggles.

  “I brought food,” he said. “But when you’re around I don’t want anything else.”

  “Just me?” She dragged her fingers through his hair.

  “Just you.” He nipped at the curve of her belly, tugging at her tank top with his teeth. Burying his face in her tits, he let out a sigh.

  “That’s your favorite place,” she said, locking her legs behind his back.

  “All of you is my favorite.” He pressed his lips against the swell of her breast, then up to her neck. Having her in his arms again was a relief—a visceral response. “I need to see you more often than this. Three days is too long.”

  Amara’s face clouded over with tenderness. “I know. We had to let Eddie cool off.”

  He pressed his lips to hers because he’d been dying to since the morning she left his apartment and because he didn’t want to bring up Eddie when he was between her legs. She clutched at the back of his head, deepening the kiss, rocking him mindless, satisfying a hunger that had only grown unchecked since the day he ran into her.

  He nuzzled the fragrant hollow of her neck, and his mind went blank, the chatter of thoughts and nerves receding to a monotone buzz in the background. He’d never felt like this with anyone. Ever.

  “How was your day?” He smoothed his hands over her body like gathering data, refamiliarizing himself with her terrain. She giggled, cinching her arms around his neck.

  “It was good. But I don’t want to talk about work right now.”

  “Good. Me neither.” He growled and bit lightly at her neck, then scooped her up into his arms. She laughed, knotting a fist into the chest of his shirt.

  “Where are you taking me?”

  “That’s your choice. We can have sushi now”—he nodded toward the countertop—“or go straight to the bedroom.”

  Her eyes glinted with mischief. “Bedroom.”

  Travis nodded. “Good choice. I was going to take you there no matter what you said.” He breezed into his dimly lit room and tossed her on the bed, her sweet laughter resonating through him like harmony. He captured her lips in greedy kisses, tugging at the waistline of her booty shorts. She wiggled her hips, and he pulled the shorts down, then tossed them aside. He viewed her nearly naked bottom hungrily; this was the only dinner he needed.

  He skipped kisses up her legs and between her thighs, coming to the heat between her legs. He nipped at the damp crotch of her panties, gaze set on her as he passed his tongue over the fabric.

  “Christ.” Her voice came out edged with something. “Everything you do is hot, you know that?”

  He laughed devilishly, nuzzling her pussy. “I feel the same way about you.” He took a soft bite of her mons. She drew a sharp inhalation, rocking against him.

  “You’re so wet.” He nipped at the inside of her thigh. She tensed, whimpering, rocking her pelvis against the bedspread. His hands met her wrists, pinning her arms to the bed. He hovered above her, careful not to let their bodies touch. Now it was time to tease. To make sure there was nothing else she’d want but him.

  “You should take care of that.”

  “I will.” He smirked, looking her up and down. “Hang on.”

  He pushed himself off the bed and rummaged in his closet, searching for a long-forgotten accessory that would come in handy. He revealed a red-and-black-striped tie and ran it between his hands.

  She lifted a brow. “What are you gonna do with that tie there?”

  “Oh, you know.” He grinned, bringing her wrists together, wrapping the silky tie around them. God, she was sexy from this angle. From every angle. “Having a little fun.”

  “Mmm.”

  He hooked the tie to the headboard, tugging it tight. When she tried to free her hands, she couldn’t. Solid knot. “You know what you’re doing.”

  “I don’t, really.” He tugged her tank top down, exposing a pink lacy bra that made him drool just looking at it. “But you turn me on so much, babe. I lose my mind.” He pressed his lips to the valley of her breasts, over her chest, and up her neck. “You’re all I think about. You know that?”

  She fidgeted beneath him as his kisses trailed over each breast, over her bare belly, back to her panties. “Fuck, Travis. Same here.” She rocked her pussy toward him, and it was all he could do not to gobble up the sweet treat. “You know how to talk sexy.”

  “It’s not just talk. I’m serious.” He drank her in, lips hovering over her undies.

  “And that makes it even sexier.” She spread her legs wide for him. “Come on, baby. I need it.”

  A grin quirked his lips, and he dragged his mouth over her panties as slowly as he could muster. He yanked her panties down and then scooped his hands beneath her butt cheeks. He held her, hoisted in his palms, like a king about to feast on the most luxurious dinner.

  She bit her lip, a whimper escaping. “Travis.”

  “What?” He breathed hot over the slick folds of her pussy. He was so close. So close. “If you want to touch yourself, go ahead and do it.”

  She laughed. “You’re such an asshole.”

  He flicked his tongue against the stiff peak of her clit. She tensed.

  “You haven’t even taken your clothes off,” she said, voice ragged. “That’s not fair. You can’t torture me fully clothed.”

  “I can.” He bit the inside of her thigh again, squeezing her ass cheeks, fingertips dangerously close to her pussy. She groaned.

  He pressed his lips against her clit, like giving it a good-night kiss. A ragged moan escaped her—one that set his pulse racing. He worked her clit in his lips, as if suckling it for juice, until she cried out. He pulled away, smirking.

  “Why…would…you do that.” She whimpered, squeezing him between her legs. “It’s not fair, Trav.”

  “Look at how wet you are.” He admired the space between her legs, the moisture glistening on her velvety lips. “I can’t wait to feel you from the inside.”

  “Mmmmmm.” Her eyes fluttered shut. She inhaled sharply when his lips found her clit again, tongue making quick strokes over the needy nub.

  She rocked against him, her muscles tightening around him. She was close. He pulled away.


  “Aaargh!” She huffed, tugging at the tie. “Okay, you need to let me out of here so I can finish the job.”

  “Oh, no.” He bit at her inner thigh, squeezing her plump ass in both hands. “That’s my job. Only mine.”

  She fidgeted beneath him. “Trust me, you’re the only applicant I’ve hired.”

  He drank her in for a moment, her words reminding him of what he wanted to talk to her about. But not now—shuddering pleasure was priority now. He dived between her legs again, lavishing attention on her tight clit, his own desperation making stealthy steps through his body.

  He didn’t stop—he worked her, kissed her, sucked at her pussy until she tensed and came undone, crying out as her orgasm rocked her and she thrashed, tugging at the knot around her wrists. The headboard groaned, and he drank it all up as if it was a sacred ceremony.

  He rubbed his cheek against the inside of her thigh, watching while calm and clarity returned to her.

  “Having fun down there?”

  He cracked a grin. “Best spot in the house.”

  She laughed, shifting beneath him. “You’re the only man who’s ever gotten to know my hoo-ha so closely.”

  “She’s great.” He kissed her clit again. “My favorite.”

  “Well, that’s reassuring.”

  He grinned, climbing on top of her, loosening the silk tie around her wrists. “I need you free for the next round.”

  His cock made an impressive ridge in the black sweatpants. She licked her lips. “Whatever you have planned, I’m ready.”

  Travis tugged the tank top over her head and tossed it to join the rest of her clothes. As he shimmied out of his sweatpants, Amara came to her knees, rubbing her hands along the length of his hamstrings, over the arc of his ass, following the dip of his lower back.

  “I’m surprised nobody has sculpted you yet,” she murmured, eyes fastened to the trail of hairs on his low belly. She smoothed her hands over his briefs, caressing the length of his cock. His knees went weak.

  “I’ll pose nude.” He pushed his briefs down, his swollen cock springing to life. Her eyes lit up. “If you do it with me.”

  “I’ll do anything you ask.” Her lips went to the tip of his cock, feathery light at the head before she took him in deep, the whole length of him, the silky heat of her mouth a mind-blowingly close second to her pussy. She slobbered on his cock as she gave him head, pumping him with a free hand, fondling his balls with the other. He groaned, head falling back, latching on to her shoulders for support.