Page 124 of Unwritten Rules
She holds her hands up, ready to catch the ball. When it leaves my hands, spinning through the air like a spiral desperate to hit a target, fear flashes through jade eyes at the speed behind it. Tatum catches it with anoomph, eyes wide.
“What the hell was that?” she huffs, looking between me and the ball. “For a second there, I thought it was going to go through my stomach and out the other side.”
I burst out laughing, slapping my knee as tears spring to my eyes. Tatum doesn’t appreciate my reaction, scowling at me as she pops her hip, the ball tucked under her arm.
“I told you it’s not as easy as it seems,” I offer with a shrug.
“Remember that I’m your girlfriend and not beefy like Khai.” She tosses the ball back to me, and I catch it with ease.
Girlfriend.
I’ve never had a proper girlfriend before. Sleeping with women on occasion is the closest I’ve gotten to letting a woman into my life, knowing I couldn’t give them all of me, not when I was focused on furthering my career. I didn’t think I was capable of caring for another person to the point I was willing to give them every ounce of my soul—until I met Tatum.
“Don’t call my best friend beefy,” I playfully warn, tossing the ball in the air. “And you did great. Ready for another one?”
Tatum hesitates, eyes flicking between me and the ball. My leather jacket hangs from her shoulders, covering a dark green long-sleeved shirt that pairs well with the colour of her hair. Light blue jeans hug her toned legs, reminding me of what is hidden beneath. Heat pumps through my veins at the thought of getting her into my bed tonight, naked and all mine.
“Okay, hit me,” she says, her voice lacking confidence as she holds her hands up. “But be gentle.”
Chuckling, I pass the ball to her, lighter than before and she catches it with more grace than the last one.
“Now pass it back.” I clap my hands together, a smile claiming my lips. “You’ve got this.”
The pass she does is terrible, but I would never tell her that. Not when she’s laughing the way she is, my heart ready to explode. It’s a feeling only Tatum pulls out of me.
When the ball lands in my hand after the fifth pass from Tatum, I drop it at my feet and charge towards her. Jade eyes round at the edges, and in a split second, Tatum takes off running, her laughter like a fucking drug as I chase her down. She doesn’t get far before I scoop her into my arms, spinning us around until my vision blurs at the edges and my head grows dizzy.
The only clear image I see is her. With a smile only for me.
Her hands find my shoulders as I lower her to her feet, chest brushing against mine. We’re breathless as we stare ateach other, our silence speaking louder than any words in the dictionary.
My lips claim hers—gentle and warm. Hands sliding around my neck, we melt against each other. The kiss is slow and deliberate. For all of the times my body is fucking desperate for her, needing to feel her against me, I enjoy holding her in moments like this—close and all mine. It’s a testament to how far we’ve come. Being able to slow down and feel these moments is not something I thought we’d get. We had a ticking clock over our heads, counting down the minutes until we’d inevitably have to part ways. But to both of our surprise, the clock is gone and we own our minutes, now able to choose what we do with them.
My hands slide over the curve of her waist and pull her body flush against me. She smiles against my mouth and I’m seconds away from combusting becausefuck me. But also, I need to relax because if I don’t, I might bust somewhere else.
“This,” Tatum murmurs against my lips. “You and me… I couldn’t be happier.”
I grin, fingers digging into the material of her jeans. “Aren’t you glad I broke your dad’s rule?”
Tatum chuckles, tilting her head to the side. Her jade eyes sparkle and I find myself wanting to get lost in them for the rest of time. “Every day.”
She giggles when I use her waist as leverage to hoist her off the ground, spinning us around again.
I’ve never been one to break the rules for fear of what the consequences might be if I did. I prided myself on my ability to follow the rules and keep a clear head. But Tatum was the one rule I was willing to break, not knowing if that decision would blow up in my face or not. If I hadn’t given in to my desire to kiss her the night I walked her home, we wouldn’t be here right now. I would still be on the straight and narrow, suffocating under the weight of my dad’s expectations. Tatum came into my life andpulled me from the tide without realising I was slowly drowning. And she continues to hold me up without asking for anything in return.
I don’t deserve this woman, but I’m going to make sure that every day she knows she won’t regret the decision she made that night in Barrenridge that led us right here. Led her to me.
With the season half over, I don’t know if we’ll win every game or make it to the grand final, but I do know I’ve already won the most important thing to me. More important than a trophy or the minor premiership title. And that’s the woman smiling up at me like I’m able to give her the world—my world.
Little does she know, she already holds the key to my heart. She has since the first night we met. And I have no plans to take it from her.
Epilogue
TATUM
FOUR MONTHS LATER
I’m blinded by the overhead stadium lights. Adrenaline pumps through my veins, my heartbeat skipping in time with the clock ticking down. Each second passes by too quickly, the score far too close for comfort.
