Page 83 of Rules

“You don’t have anything to thank me for, Brook.” The way he looks at me is so intense, I have to look away. I can feel my cheeks flush under his watchful eyes. “I’m serious. I’m there for you if you need somebody to listen.”

I knew he was serious, but it didn’t help relieve the tightness in my chest. I told Max Sanders my deepest, darkest secrets, and he didn’t scare away. No, he pulled me closer and didn’t let go. He held me and let me cry myself to sleep in his arms.

Now I don’t know what to do, how to act. Max knows secrets not even Lia, my closest friend, knows and everything feels different.

His hand clasps around mine, bringing me back to now.

“Don’t overthink it. Nothing has changed; we’re still the same people we were.”

Oh, how wrong he is. Everything has changed.Everything.We’ll never be who we used to be. But more importantly, I’ll never be the girl I was. Last night brought back a lot of bad, but opening up to Max helped me heal. Even if just a little bit. Something I hadn’t thought was possible.

“Everything has changed.” The weight that I was carrying on my shoulders doesn’t seem as heavy as it once was. And when I breathe, there is no pressure. I never imagined that telling just one person and having them believe me could make a difference, but it did. Or maybe it isn’t justanyperson. Maybe it’s Max himself. Because he’s the only one who can take it all away. One look from his silver eyes and I’m lost in him. One touch makes all the darkness disappear. “And for the first time, I don’t want to just exist, go through the motions. I want tolive. I want to have it all, and it feels like I might be able to do it.”

My lips curl, and it feels almost foreign, but it’s nothing like the full-on smile that spreads on Max’s face. It’s so big and bright, it makes my heart ache with the need to touch him. Maybe if I do, I’ll be able to get part of his light.

“You think you’re not, but you’re already living. Come on.” He gets out of bed in haste, and as he does, his shirt lifts a little, revealing a patch of his stomach. All tanned skin—who has a tan in the middle of December anyway?—and deep valleys. My mouth goes dry as my eyes zero in on his lower stomach, but it’s covered again before I can blink.

Max laughs as he offers me his hand. “Eyes up here, Taylor, or I’ll think you’re growing soft on me.”

I can feel the heat rise to my cheeks, but I lift my gaze to his anyway, trying to play it cool. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Course you don’t.” His face is straight, but I can see the light twinkle in those stormy depths.

“Where are you taking me anyway?” I sit up in the bed, looking around. When I see his phone discarded on the nightstand, I check the time. “It’s already eleven?!”

I can’t believe we practically slept till noon. It’s not something I indulge in often. My days are too short as it is, but I’m not ready to go back to my life yet.

Max steps closer and takes the phone out of my hand, not even sparing it a glance before throwing it somewhere between the blankets piled at the bottom of the bed. “Get your ass out of bed and you’ll find out.” He throws me a wink before he turns around and starts digging through his closet.

I look at his retreating back, nervousness and anticipation mixing together. No, I’m definitely not ready to go home yet and have this feeling disappear.

* * *

MAX

“What is all of this?” If I’m not mistaken, there is awe in her voice as she makes a full circle, taking in the basement.

“This is my space.”

“I thought the ice rink is your space.”

“It is.” I shrug. “But to be able to do all that stuff on the ice, I have to do a lot of conditioning in the gym first. Running, weights...”

Brook finally stops spinning to look at me just as I lift my leg over the ropes and get into the ring.

“Boxing?” she asks, eyeing the ring that’s taking up a better part of the basement space in my home gym.

“It helps with endurance.” I laugh uncomfortably at her pointed stare and raised brows. “And it’s my guilty pleasure.”

I rarely talk about boxing with anybody, and this gym is for me. And, well, Jeanette. Not like I can throw her out. I took some boxing classes when I was younger, but in the last couple of years, I mostly train myself and occasionally spar with Anette. She wanted to take the class too, but our parents didn’t let her. Not like that stopped her. One pleading look my way and I pulled her in the ring, showing her some moves. In my defense, I really do think girls should be able to defend themselves. Especially if that girl is my sister. Turns out she’s not half bad at it.

Brook laughs softly, shaking her head. “Maybe there is more bad boy to you than meets the eye.”

Safely inside the ropes, I look down at her. “When you put it like that…”

“What are we doing here, Max?”

I extend my hand, and when she doesn’t grab it instantly, I wiggle my fingers. “We’re getting you up here so you can kick my ass.”

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