Page 13 of Rule Breaker

Kayden shook his head and wandered off after Jace. I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding. If my scathing comments didn’t put Kayden off for good, nothing would.

I took one last drag, dropped the cig, and ground it under my shoe. As I stalked off to the bus, all I could think about was how badly I wanted this day to be over with. I wanted to close my eyes and wake up on the ice, in my gear, in my net. Where I was supposed to be. Where I belonged. I was looking forward to the game tomorrow more than anything else.

But afterward? Fuck no. There was always a team dinner. More bonding bullshit that I had no patience for. Still, I had to eat, and Coach informed me that the team dinner was mandatory—no exceptions. Banning had a lot of fucking rules like that. It chafed, but I could deal.

Instead of my pods, I searched my bag for my headphones. With those on, no one would bother me. I slid them over my ears, blasted the music as loud as I could stand, then hopped on the bus. Axel, Jace, and Kayden were already seated. Kayden and Jace were talking. Axel had his ear pods in and his eyes closed.

Over the next ten minutes, the rest of the team piled back on board, and we were off again.

It was another four hours before we made it to Rochester. And it was late. So late that all we did was collect our hotel card keys and shuffle aimlessly to our rooms. Kayden didn’t speak to me. Or me to him. Not that I’d notice. I kept my headphones on,so even if he tried to talk to me, I’d have no way of hearing him. He seemed to have finally gotten the message.

He used the bathroom first while I took my meds and stripped down to my briefs. I checked my phone, but there were no notifications. Not that I expected any. The only people I ever texted were my therapist and Daniel. I had a private profile on several social media accounts, but I never posted. I perused stuff about hockey. Goaltending, of course.

I walked over to the window and closed the drapes, then sauntered back and flopped down on my bed, staring up at the popcorn ceiling. Instead of music, I grabbed my phone and tapped on one of my favorite podcasts.

Obviously, I didn’t hear Kayden walk into the room. But I saw his shadow on the ceiling, and I sure as hell felt the bed vibrate when he walked closer. The man did not step lightly. I glanced over and watched him bending over his bed, his Sutton U sweatpants clinging to his ass. For some reason, I was unable to tear my eyes away.

WTF was wrong with me?

Kayden slid under the covers and I nearly laughed out loud when I saw his feet hanging over the end of the bed. Hotel rooms, beds especially, were not made for six-five giants like him. I’d been staring too long, though, and he looked over, catching my gaze.

He mouthed words, but of course, I couldn’t hear him. Yanking off my headphones, I sat up.

“What?” I snapped.

“What are you listening to?” he asked quietly.

“A podcast.”

“About?”

I sighed. Might as well answer his questions, and then maybe he’d leave me alone for the rest of the night. “It’s called Below the Depths. It’s about oceanography.”

Kayden lifted an arm up and scratched his head. “Sounds intense.”

“It is. Humans are acting like idiots, polluting the very thing we need to survive.”

“Truth. You wouldn’t believe the amount of plastic we’ve had to clean up on the beaches at home. Is that why you have that fish tattoo on your arm?”

That was my limit for conversation for the day. I placed my right hand protectively over my left shoulder. I couldn’t talk about my tattoos. Not with a stranger. Not with anyone.

“No,” I replied, turned away, and put my headphones back on.

There was no way I was telling Kayden the meaning behind my tattoos. That was for me, and me alone.

Next thing I knew, he turned off his lamp, leaving me with the glare of my phone screen. Oddly enough, my earlier nerves calmed. Which was really fucking weird because I wasn’t comfortable with strangers. And that’s what Kayden was. I still didn’t know anything about him. Except that he seemed extra sensitive to others around him. He was too big for every room he entered. And he lived near the ocean. Wherever that was.

An hour later, my eyes grew heavy. And with the sound of the waves in my ears, I slid into my dreams.

CHAPTER 7

KAYDEN

Iwas up before my alarm. Unusual, and it only happened on game days. I was pumped, wired, and ready to hit the ice. And that was all before I even got out of bed.

Speaking of bed, I glanced over and looked at Maddox, who was lying curled up in a ball on the farthest corner of his bed. I couldn't believe he’d actually answered one of my questions last night without completely ripping my head off. There was a human being in there somewhere. I was pretty sure. Or maybe a vampire, given his dark blue eyes and the whole angry look he had going on.

One thing I was known for—when it came to hockey and everything else—was persistence. And even though my head was telling me to stay away from Maddox, my gut was telling me to keep digging. He wasn't like most college students. Hell, he wasn’t like any other person that I'd ever met. There was a story there for sure. I’d spied those tattoos last night and those alone had to have some kind of meaning. A detailed fish surrounded by sea creatures on one arm, a skull biting a snake on the other. The designs were as intriguing as the guy sporting them.