Breaking Rules Read online

  He glared down at her from his six-foot height. “I can do what I want. Besides, I was throwing the ball to my quarterback.”

  I rolled my eyes upon learning that Train was a quarterback. I shouldn’t be stereotyping, but the girls at my last school had been all giddy over the quarterback, Deacon Shale. He didn’t have the drooling good looks Train had, but I would bet the girls in this school were gaga over the hunky football player. “Isn’t football reserved for the field?”

  Derek raised a thick dark eyebrow. “You must be new in this school.”

  Train stalked up with Austin, beaming at me. “Don’t pick on the new girl.”

  I blushed. I never blush at a boy. I was mentally searching my body for the lust that should have been making me squeeze my thighs together rather than that mushy, swoony, heart-stopping feeling.

  Austin’s brown gaze swept over my entire body. “Hey, cousin. Who’s your gorgeous friend?”

  I mentally raised an eyebrow. No goose bumps, no butterflies, no lust with Austin, and he was gorgeous. Weird. Then my attention shifted to Train, whose gaze licked every part of my body. In my head, I broke out in hysterics as my damn skin tingled.

  “This is Montana.” Train said my name with a heavier Southern drawl than before, and again, my body was leaning toward him, wanting him to read bedtime stories to me while his fingers did naughty things to my body.

  Austin slapped his denim-covered leg. “Like Hannah Montana?”

  The heat flushing through my body turned to a raging fire. I scratched my nose with my middle finger.

  Austin lifted one white-blond eyebrow as Elvira swatted at him. “Leave my new friend alone.”

  I could certainly handle my own battles, but I stuck out my chin a bit more, happy as my former cat when I’d scratched his ear that a person I barely knew had my back. Regardless, it was time for me to skedaddle. Bonding was great, but I wasn’t worried so much about Austin or anyone making the Hannah Montana reference as I was about Train and the urges I had to give him a sexual test-drive. I couldn’t risk any sip out of his fountain. With my luck, he would snag my heart and probably rip it out like Nikko had.

  Just as I went to take a step, a loud bang tore through the hall, sounding as if a bomb had detonated. Chaos erupted. Girls screamed. Boys shouted. Doors slammed. Kids pushed one another. Teachers darted out of nearby classrooms, waving kids in. Like everyone else, I rushed to the nearest room, but I tripped over someone or something. I scurried to my feet only to be pushed down again by people running to get away. For fuck’s sake. I crawled in between people running in all directions, when a muscled arm, smelling like the ocean, wrapped around me, a hand clasping onto my boob. But I didn’t care where anyone touched me as long as I got out of harm’s way.

  “In here,” Train said in my ear when I was upright.

  Before I could protest or react, he was pushing me into the boys’ bathroom. As soon as we rushed in, the fire alarm trilled, jolting me back to life. Then a man’s voice blared from the overhead speakers in the hall. “This is not a drill. Head to the nearest exit in an orderly fashion.”

  “Come on.” Train held out his hand. “It must be a fire.”

  I hoped to hell it was just a fire and not some crazed kid who wanted to blow up the school. I slid my hand into his large, rugged, and protective one. When we emerged from the restroom, a faint smell of smoke made its way into my nostrils.

  A sea of students paraded down the hall, their voices droning on as though nothing had happened. Then again, I shouldn’t have been freaking out. I attended a school in New York, where we’d had a few scares of students getting through security with guns and knives. One boy had even threatened a teacher with his gun.

  “Something happened in the chemistry lab,” a girl in front of us said.

  “You know the drill, people,” a deep male voice shouted ahead of us. “File out to the front lawn.”

  I didn’t know the drill, and neither did my heart.

  Students began to whisper. Others were texting and shuffling along with the group.

  “Um, Montana.” Train’s syrupy Southern voice was medicine for my frayed nerves. “You don’t have to cut off my blood circulation. I kind of need my fingers to throw a football. Otherwise, Coach will have a coronary if I can’t play.”

  “Aren’t you shitting your pants?” I asked.

  “Not really. I’m a lifeguard. I can’t be scared when I’m saving lives.”

  I let go of his hand. No one else seemed scared. So I shouldn’t be, either. “So a quarterback and a lifeguard?” I wouldn’t mind seeing him in swim trunks.

  “Do you have a problem with that?” He sounded hurt.

  “I bet you get all the girls.”

  He leaned in. “Jealous?”

  “You’re not my type.” Liar, liar, pants on fire.

  He shook his head as we stepped out in the fresh humid air. I couldn’t tell what his reaction was. All I knew was my life wasn’t in danger… or maybe it was. Maybe Train would be the end of me.

  Chapter Two

  TRAIN

  People littered the school grounds everywhere. Police cruisers, fire trucks, EMS rigs, and cars began to line the street beyond the parking lot. No doubt parents who had gotten wind of the possibility of a bomb had raced to the school, which wasn’t surprising since one text could go viral in the blink of an eye. Not only that, but tons of kids lived close by. So parents could be at the school in no time.

  Teachers and police officers directed us away from the building. Montana and I followed the crowd to the far edge of the lawn where it met the sidewalk. We piled up side by side as though we were in a lineup at a police station. Montana kept searching the waiting parents as though she was looking for a place to run, or maybe she was looking for her parents. I knew mine wouldn’t rush down to the school. My mom would have if her arthritis didn’t keep her in a wheelchair most of the day. My dad, though—highly unlikely he would ditch work. We didn’t have the tight father-and-son relationship that my best friend, Austin, had with his dad.

  Since my parents had divorced, I hardly saw my dad. Sure, we talked or he bailed me out of jail when needed, but we didn’t hang out or watch football games together. Although he did make a point to show up for my football games and the occasional practice. He loved telling me how to play the game. More importantly, he didn’t want me to fuck up my chances with the University of South Carolina football scouts watching me this year.

  Out of nowhere Austin planted himself in between Montana and me. “Hey, man.”

  I almost high-fived him. When I thought about my old man, my brain went on a downward spiral. Plus my libido was in overdrive with Montana’s coconut-scented shampoo wafting under my nose. But I would take having Montana next to me over my dad. Or maybe not. Girls weren’t good for me, and I wasn’t good for them, even though I itched to run my fingers through Montana’s long, wavy golden-blond hair.

  The funny thing was I had a hard-on for chicks with auburn hair. Maybe I was delirious from her scent. Or maybe my delirium stemmed from the fact that I’d grabbed her dick-squeezing tit, by accident of course, although I wasn’t a breast man. That hunger was reserved for Austin. I got fired up over a woman with long legs that went on forever, and that bill fit Montana.

  “Wow. First day of school and boom,” Austin said. “Word is Drew Morris is responsible.”

  I shook my head. Drew Morris was a grade A klutz. I only knew that quality about him because he was my ex-girlfriend’s cousin. But he wasn’t a kid who would do anything destructive intentionally.

  Montana’s big blue eyes sparkled in the sunlight. “Is he a relation of yours?”

  Austin snorted. “Fuck no. The dude shops at a different mall, if you know what I mean. He always has since grammar school.”

  I drilled my gaze into Montana more, trying to figure her out. She seemed so reserved compared to how she’d acted when she blew into computer class as though her shit didn’t stink. I imagined it didn
’t. Then again, she had been shaken. To me, the loud bang had sounded more like a firecracker. Whether it was a bomb or a firecracker, my instinct had been to rescue like I had done several times when swimmers had been in distress. Although the torment I was suffering from as the hot morning sun beat down was because of how her soft tit had felt in my hand. I wanted to feel more of her. She was beautiful, and my fucking jeans were taut to the point that sweat was sliding down the side of my face.

  Drew emerged from the school with a paramedic on each side of him. His carrottopped mass of hair was covered in white flecks. His freckled arms didn’t show any signs that he had hurt himself.

  The students around us clapped.

  “Glad you’re okay, Drew,” a girl shouted.

  Montana sighed heavily. “Yeah. It’s nice to see he didn’t get hurt.”

  “I agree, Hannah Montana,” Austin said.

  She spit fire on my best friend. “Look, moron. My name is Montana. Not Hannah or Hannah Montana. You got that?” She pushed her chest almost into his.

  Austin held up his hands as his white-blond eyebrows disappeared into his hairline. “Chill, girl. Jeez. You’re a feisty one, aren’t you?"

  Feisty, moody, pouty, gorgeous, bold—I could go on and on.

  She huffed as she stepped away.

  “Maybe we’ll get the day off,” Austin said as though he hadn’t just gotten his ass handed to him by a girl. “Who’s up for the beach?”

  The tension was gone. The day was looking brighter.

  I ran a hand through my sweaty hair. “We’ve got football practice.”

  It was only nine a.m., and the Southern heat was unbearable. I should be accustomed to it. Hey, asshole, you’re sweating like a pig because of the girl next to Austin. Whatever. The ocean sounded good right about now.

  “At three this afternoon, numbnuts,” Austin said. “It’s surfing time. We can party at your beach house.”

  I could work off some frustration. “I’m in.”

  “Han—I mean Montana. Do you want to come with?” Austin asked.

  “I can’t,” Montana said.

  Thank God. My body couldn’t take seeing her in a bikini. “I could also use a drink,” I mumbled.

  Austin pulled out his phone. “Sounds good to me. Just don’t break anyone’s collarbone.”

  Principal Flynn walked out, straightening his tie over his large gut, then wiped sweat off his head with one of the handkerchiefs he kept on him at all times.

  “Have you seen Derek, Elvira, and Reagan?” I asked Austin. I’d been so caught up in Montana that I hadn’t seen what happened to the others.

  Austin tapped out a text. “They’re fine.”

  Principal Flynn cleared his throat through a bullhorn. “Okay, students. We’ve had an accident in the chemistry lab that I’m afraid will take all day to clean up and make sure the school is safe for your return tomorrow. If anything changes, we’ll have updated information on the school’s website tonight.”

  Montana grumbled.

  I leaned forward slightly, angling my head around Austin, then pinned Montana with a glare. “Did the principal say something that bothers you?”

  Her nose wrinkled, then a fucking smile broke out on her luscious lips. “None of your business.”

  Rein in your dick, asshole.

  Our little banter ended when students hummed their praises over Principal Flynn’s announcement. Kids dispersed in all directions. So surfing, beach time, and drinking would ensue, or one or two beers at most. I couldn’t drink that much with football practice later that afternoon. Sun, beer, and heat weren’t a good trio. Not to mention, I’d been cutting back on drinking since I landed at the police station back in June. Any trouble from me would ruin my chances of a scholarship with USC. They’d heard that I’d broken the Clemson quarterback’s collarbone at a party, and even though Clemson was a huge USC rival, they weren’t pleased with me. Neither were my old man and Coach Holmes.

  Elvira’s squeaky voice brought me out of my reminiscence. “So a beach day?” Her heavily mascaraed eyes flashed with excitement. “Montana, come with us.”

  Montana hurried away, faster than the speed of light. “Sorry, I can’t. I have to help my mom unpack.”

  Elvira chased her. “Come on. It will be fun. We’ll watch the guys surf, and we can get to know one another.”

  Their voices faded, and I admired Montana’s fine ass before Austin stepped into my view. “You want her, don’t you? Need I remind you that you don’t do blondes.”

  “You know I’ve sworn off girls.”

  “Man, what about sex?” Austin’s voice rose.

  “Dude, once you have sex with a girl, they want more. And by more, I mean they want a steady relationship. They want status, a football player to marry, and money. Besides, Nina fucked up my mind. I’m not ready for steady.”

  “Who said you had to give your dying love to a girl for a one-night stand?”

  “Man, I got football to think about, not girlfriends.” Besides, one ride in Montana’s honey hole would surely lead to something I wasn’t ready for.

  His lips quirked up. “You keep telling yourself you don’t want a piece of that ass.” He flicked his thumb over his shoulder at Montana.

  I started for my Hummer. “Let’s go. The waves are calling our name.” Besides, the more we kept talking about Montana, the harder my dick would get.

  Chapter Three

  MONTANA

  I passed kids who were excited about a day off from school as I trudged home. I should be excited too. I had a day to explore my new town and help Mom unpack. Part of me was elated that I didn’t have to sit in school on such a beautiful day. But I had been having fun trading barbs with Train fucking Everly, although I knew I should stay far away from him. The last time I’d been drawn to a guy, the fallout had been heart wrenching. Fast forward two years later, and I hadn’t fully recovered.

  “Are you going to talk to me?” Elvira asked, running up to me. “Is everything okay? Did the incident with Drew freak you out, or are you running from something?”

  I was always running. I tried not to make many friends because why bother when I would only move again. It was hard, though, when the kids in this new school were open, nice, and fun. At my last school, everyone kept to themselves, so it had been super easy for me not to get attached. Plus, my former high school was much larger in size, with hundreds more students than Palmetto High.

  I pounded my feet against the pavement as I passed houses and moss trees.

  Elvira ran in front of me then held up her hand. “Montana?”

  With trash cans on my left and the street on my right, I came to an abrupt halt. “What?” Immediately, I felt bad for acting like a ninny. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bark.” My nerves were still sizzling from the whirlwind morning I was having. The chemistry blunder paled in comparison to the way Train affected me. Or maybe the heat was getting to me.

  “No worries.” She studied me. “Did my cousin try to get in your pants already? Or did Train say something to make you mad? Train can be a dick sometimes.”

  He seemed to know how to push my buttons. Not only that, this girl had me pegged, which was both odd and scary. The only person who could read me well was my mom, and only because I didn’t let anyone else get close to me.

  I briefly glanced at a passing car.

  Wrinkles formed on Elvira’s smooth forehead. “Oh my God. That’s it. Train has gotten under your skin.”

  “It’s been a crazy morning,” I said. “I should get home. My mom has probably heard about the lab explosion and is panicking.” I was surprised she hadn’t shown up at school or called me.

  “So the morning didn’t go well. Come with us to the beach. You can give Train a piece of your mind.”

  That didn’t sound like a bad idea. “You seem like a fun person, but I can’t be your friend.” With the street quiet, I hopped off the curb and went around her. “I don’t stay in one place very long.”


  She rushed to my side. “Are you and your parents gypsies or something?”

  “Nah. I’ve gotten expelled from schools and, in some cases, not allowed to return.”

  “Seriously? What in the world do you do to get expelled?”

  I lifted a shoulder. “At my last school, I painted a wall in the gym.” I’d painted a great scene with boys playing basketball. That wall had needed some character to liven up the place.

  Flecks of sparkles around Elvira’s eyes glimmered in the sunlight. “Like graffiti?”

  My antenna went up. I could be in more trouble than I thought if she tagged. I’d always had a hard time saying no to anyone who wanted to tag. “Yeah. Are you into graffiti?”

  “Pfft. I couldn’t paint a nail if you asked me to.”

  I giggled.

  “Ah. I got you to laugh. See. We can be friends. So what if you leave town. I’ll come visit you.”

  My heart burst open. “That’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.”

  “Really? If that’s all it takes, then I won’t tell anyone you’re easy.”

  Please tell Train that I am. “So what do you do for fun other than the beach?”

  We crossed the street of the dense neighborhood where houses sat amid trees, shrubs, and flowerbeds.

  “Mainly parties, movies, and football games. Oh, and sometimes we head into the city to the Music Farm.”

  “I like music of all kinds. Is that a place for concerts?”

  “They showcase newer bands that are coming on the scene. My mom loves that place. She used to live there when she was dating my dad. Anyway, I live over two streets from here. And you?”

  I pointed ahead of us. “My mom found this beautiful plantation-type house that we’re renting.”

  “No dad?”

  I’d never had a dad. “He died in Iraq.” According to my mom, she’d had a one-night stand when she was twenty with a boy who had taken up a summer job at her father’s feed store in Montana. Then the boy joined the military, and one year later, she found out through a friend that a roadside bomb had killed the guy.