Rule Number Four (Rule Breakers Book 4)

by Nicky Shanks

  Lucy comes up behind us and I smell her sweet perfume before her heavily lined eyes meet mine. A crooked smile and a hand tug later, she’s walking out the front door with me and I can feel Harley’s disapproval the entire way back to my apartment.

  She giggles when I smash my lips against hers as I open the apartment door. “Oh, are we having another slumber party?”

  “We can do whatever you want to.” A steady growl rumbles from my throat. “How about we talk about what your fucking problem is?”

  She acts offended. “My problem? You mean, besides the fact that you’re clearly in love with Julie and embarrassed me in front of her and Oliver? Or maybe the fact that you haven’t called me since I walked away from you in the parking lot?”

  “You haven’t called me, either.” I shut the door and take a few steps toward her trembling body. “Why should I try when I know it wasn’t worth it?”

  Her fingers touch my leather jacket and she slides it from my arms. It hits the floor behind me and her olive-green eyes light with fire. “It might’ve been worth it if you tried.”

  It weirds me out to even think about it, but I wonder what sex with Lucy would be like. It creeps me out even more to let my mind wander to Julie and how her curves meet her thighs like velvet and her pink pouty lips would look tucked around my—

  “Whoa, there.” Lucy giggles and points at my hips. “What’s that all about?”

  I look down and see what she’s talking about, my jeans have a very noticeable bulge where my dick is trying to escape. I blush and clear my throat, looking around the room so I can figure out what I’m going to say to get out of this.

  “Is that for me?” She looks excited.

  I’m going to hell. I’m definitely going to fucking hell.

  “It’s for you.” I smile. “I think we’ve done enough talking for tonight, don’t you?”

  Her body is wrapped around mine within seconds and I take her to the bedroom. Her thighs tighten around my waist when my lips touch her neck.

  It’s going to take everything I have not to think about Julie.

  It doesn’t stop me from getting what I need from Lucy.

  And she lets me have what I want.

  Chapter Six

  Julie

  “Happy Halloween, sunshine.” Oliver kisses my cheek as he puts several bags of candy on the counter. I let him talk me into coming to the new house for the trick-or-treaters because he knows that Halloween is my second favorite holiday—next to Christmas, of course. He brought me here because we wouldn’t exactly get any trick-or-treaters in our apartment, and that’s the part he’s looking forward to the most.

  Plus, I haven’t had the nerve to move out of the apartment and into the house yet…Mostly because I’m scared that when we do make the move, every single thing will change again.

  It’s been hard to think about anything else besides meeting Brandon on Monday since he called me, but Oliver’s sure trying hard to get my mind to stick onto him.

  I examine the candy on the counter. “Candy bars, chocolate, caramels. Where’s the licorice and the hard candy?”

  He frowns. “No, we’re the cool house. We don’t give out the grandma candy here.”

  “What’s grandma candy?”

  He opens one of the bags and pops a mini candy bar into his mouth. “You know, the candy you’d find at the bottom of a grandma’s purse or in her candy jar. Hard candy, peppermints, gross bubblegum that won’t chew right…that sort of stuff.”

  “Halloween is a big deal to you, huh?”

  The thick index finger on his right hand twirls around the handle of one of the shopping bags. “You could say that, I guess. I never had a real trick-or-treat experience until I started living with Mrs. Atchley, and even then, we only went around her neighborhood. I always wanted to be the house the kids always talked about until the next Halloween.” A broad smile pops up on his lips. “Don’t act like you’re not equally as excited.”

  I giggle as he playfully pokes my sides. “Okay, okay. I’m excited.”

  “You seem distracted. Are you okay?”

  I nod. “I’m just nervous about finals on Monday.”

  I’m such a liar.

  I’m nervous about seeing Brandon alone on Monday for our divorce. My stomach hurts when I think about it.

  “Do you need help studying?” he asks and pops another candy bar into his mouth. “I have to stop eating these. I haven’t worked out in a long time.”

  I scoff. “I’m pretty sure you’d be equally as sexy even if you never worked out again.”

  He blows a raspberry and picks me up, my legs dangling from his arms. “You’re the sexy one around here, Miss Remington. That’s why you’re so desirable around these parts.” He winks and twirls me around the kitchen. He’s in such a good mood lately that I don’t want to do anything to burst his happy bubble…especially tip him off about the dark cloud looming over me until Monday at three.

  I can’t even find the marriage license. It’s not where I put it in my drawer, and it scares me half to death to think that Oliver found it and he’s waiting for me to disclose my secret. It stresses me out too much to keep thinking about it, so I tell myself I put it somewhere and forgot about it to ease my mind. I assume that Oliver would have a hard time keeping something like that in, and he’s not showing any signs of anger toward anyone other than Casey, so what else is there for me to do but just keep moving on?

  “Hey, let’s get ready for the kids.” A twinkle in his eye shines as he kisses my lips. “I want to be ready. Next year, we can decorate the house all creepy and have a haunted house in the garage, don’t you think?”

  His boyish grin makes me laugh. “You are absolutely everything I love about life.”

  When his forehead meets mine, he sighs deeply. “Likewise, baby.”

  I have to tell him.

  I really, really—

  His lips find mine again and he slowly puts me back on my own two feet. “I have something to tell you.” His voice is low and scary. “I’ve been keeping this a secret for a few weeks now, and I can’t stand it anymore. I feel like it’s time for you to know.”

  My stomach burns. “Know what?” The dryness of my throat catches my words and I have to push them out with force. “Is something wrong?”

  A faint smile touches his lips. “I bought a commercial space for the bar.”

  “The bar you’ve always wanted to open?”

  Our excitement twirls around each other and I jump into his arms. “I’m so happy for you! When can I see it? What’s it going to be named? Where is it?”

  He laughs and puts me on my feet again. “Whoa, slow down, slow down. One question at a time. Here…” He pulls a black binder from a drawer. “Read this.”

  I instantly open the binder and start frantically scanning through the contents. By the time I reach the end, I have so many feelings and emotions running through my veins it’s hard to catch one and keep it.

  His eyebrows rise. “Questions?”

  “Why did you name this JJ’s Tables and Taps?”

  “Because you’re my inspiration, sunshine. Of course it’s named after you…well, what your name will be once we get married. Julie Jackson…sounds good, doesn’t it?”

  I am the biggest jerk of all time.

  I have to act like nothing is wrong. “I like it, thank you.”

  He pulls the ends of my purple sweater toward him. “No, thank you. You’ve given me the fire under my ass to get this done. I’ve wanted this for a long time and now, thanks to you, I can have it.”

  “I didn’t do anything.”

  “Oh, but you did. You’ve showed me that I’m not worthless, baby. That’s everything.”

  My cheeks heat with embarrassment. “What does this page mean?” I point to a spot on the paper where a pink arrow Post-It is stuck that says, “Sign here.”

  “That means half of the bar is yours once you sign your name.”

  I shake my head. “No, this is
your dream, you’re not handing half of it over to me. Oliver, we aren’t even married yet and what if something happens—”

  He growls. “Nothing is going to happen. I’m not allowing anything to fuck this up.”

  “But you’re not in control of everything, Oliver. I’m not saying I don’t appreciate this, but this is yours, not mine.”

  “What’s mine is yours, Julie.”

  I know he’s not going to give this up.

  “Can I think about it before I sign that?”

  He nods. “I don’t know what there’s to think about, but you know I’m behind you one hundred percent. Anything you want or need, is yours.” He’s in tune with my emotions enough to know that I want to stew on this for a few days. So much is happening all at once; I don’t know why we’re in such a hurry to get everything done. I want to be engaged for a long time…I never got to enjoy my first engagement since it was apparently only a few hours old.

  “You’re overwhelmed.” He nods and folds the binder back up. “We can talk about this later, it’s not that important right now. For now…” The smile returns to his face and I know he’s up to something else. “…we’re going to talk about our plans.”

  “And that’s not overwhelming?” I laugh as he pops a third candy bar into his mouth. “Can we just slow everything down? So much has happened these past few months…I just want to take a deep breath and actually enjoy some time with you.”

  Light shines in his eyes. “Oh, shit.”

  “What? Did I say something wrong?”

  He violently shakes his head, takes the binder back out, and opens it. He sifts through some pages and taps his finger on the paper. “Boomerang.”

  “Boomerang?”

  “There’s another proposal in here for a restaurant in the space next to the bar. I was going to outsource it and team up with someone in the food industry but this is it—this is what I’ve been looking for. This is the missing piece to the ultimate dream.”

  “Oliver, you’re not making any sense—”

  He closes the book and looks directly into my soul. “I want you to create a restaurant and we’re going to call it Boomerang.”

  And we’re back to the overwhelming—and nail-biting—conversation. I actually like his idea since I’ve always wanted to take part in something like that but, again, this is too much too soon. The hope in his eyes and the quiver in his lips shoves me back down into an alternate reality where I feel safe and know that no matter what, Oliver will always come back to me.

  Like a boomerang.

  “That’s it.” He takes mental note of the questions I’m answering inside my head. “We always keep coming back to each other. Hence…Boomerang.”

  “Get out of my head,” I joke and he hands me the binder.

  “Take a look at this when you have a chance and tell me what you think. I want you to make your own decision and take the path you want to take. Don’t do this just because I want you to—do this because you want to do it with me.”

  He makes a compelling argument, I admit. There’s not much Oliver can’t say to make me swoon over him, even today, but there’s a little voice in my head that keeps telling me not to do anything until we talk about the secret I’m keeping.

  I don’t know whether to tell him before or after the hearing.

  “Hey, you okay?” His warm hand rubs down my arm. “Don’t let this scare you. Take your time.”

  “I’m not scared,” I blurt out. “I have to tell you something.”

  No, Julie. Don’t ruin his Halloween, this means something to him.

  “What’s that?”

  “I want to do this with you.” That’s all I can think about saying to save myself. “The bar, the restaurant, the marriage, and the new house. All of it.”

  He chuckles. “I kinda figured that already, baby.”

  The conversation halts for a quick few seconds and I know I have to stop talking or the truth is going to come out. I plan on telling Oliver about the marriage Brandon forced me into, but not until after it’s over and he can’t just show up to the hearing—which I know he will do. He can’t help himself from hovering over me and trying to stick his hands into everything and I understand why. It’s not that I can’t take care of myself and it’s not that he thinks he can do a better job at running my life than I can. Oliver is the way he is for one simple reason: He’s scared to lose me. I’m not saying it’s right and I’m not saying that it doesn’t get mentally taxing at times; it’s different than anything I’ve ever experienced. He doesn’t want to cage me, he just wants to know I’ll be by his side no matter what.

  And I will.

  The doorbell rings and a fire lights in his eyes. “Kids, already?” He squeaks and quickly dumps the bag of candy bars into a large orange bowl. “Let’s do this.” He flashes me a smile and takes my hand before pulling me out of the kitchen and into the foyer. It’s dusk already and when he opens the door and sees three children dressed as superheroes, the fire in his heart only burns deeper.

  Watching him interact with the countless children ringing the doorbell over the next three hours is amusing and heartwarming. He plays with them and talks to them like an adult should talk to a child, giving them way too much candy and telling them to make sure they come back next year for bigger candy bars and a haunted house in the garage. I warn him that inviting them into the garage is a little creepy, but he doesn’t care. He’s having the time of his life and he deserves to smile after everything we’ve been through together.

  The doorbell rings for the last time at the end of the night and Oliver frowns at the empty candy bowl. “Damn, I forgot to turn off the light. Do we have any candy left?”

  I shake my head. “No, you’ve given it all out.”

  He opens the door anyway and I skirt off into the kitchen to make sure all of the bags are empty and we don’t have any candy lying around that we missed. Once I step over the threshold into the other room, Oliver’s voice gets dark and loud, pulling me back into the foyer.

  “What the fuck are you doing here?” he snarls. “You’re out of your damn mind if you think I’m letting you get near her.”

  When I enter the room again, Casey’s frowning face comes into view. Oliver isn’t letting him pass—and that’s okay with me—and he puts his arm across Casey’s chest to stop him from coming inside. Casey doesn’t look surprised as he pleads with Oliver to just hear him out and calm down.

  “Just listen to me, man,” Casey says. “I have something I need to tell you.”

  “Nothing you have to say is anything we want to fucking hear,” Oliver snarls, taking a step forward. “I guess I wasn’t clear enough the last time. Get the hell out of here and don’t come back. We don’t want to see your face or listen to anything you have to say.”

  He starts to shut the door in Casey’s face when Casey sticks his arm inside and winces at the pain it causes him when the door tries to close. Oliver growls and steps outside, making Casey take a few steps backward. His eyes find mine and I can tell he’s lonely and scared; he just wants someone to talk to and maybe a little normalcy in his life. That’s something we can all hope for.

  “I know something he’s not telling you,” Casey says to me. “Julie, let me in.”

  A shiver runs down my spine. “No, Oliver’s right. You should leave.”

  “You know nothing, now leave,” Oliver snaps. “Get the fuck out of here.”

  Casey begs and pleads for Oliver to let him in, but Oliver isn’t budging. I’m glad he’s here because I’m a pushover for people and Casey fits into that category of people I want to save from themselves. There’s nothing I can do for him now, though—he’s made his bed and now he’s the one who has to deal with it.

  “I know about Lucy.” Casey’s voice turns dark. “I know all about Lucy.”

  Oliver scoffs. “I’m sure you do.”

  “No.” He looks directly into Oliver’s eyes. “I know.”

  The tone in Oliver’s voice changes. �
�You want to talk? We can talk. Let’s do it outside.”

  “I’d like to talk in there, please.” Casey smiles because he knows he’s won the battle. “Julie should hear this, too.”

  Oliver slams his hand on the doorframe and the steam from his hatred sizzles in the air. “You and I will go outside and talk and that’s fucking final. You’re not getting within ten feet of her, you understand me?”

  Casey might have won the battle, but Oliver has won the war as he agrees to speak outside and away from me. I’m curious what Casey meant about Lucy, since he dated her for a little while, but I’m thankful Oliver pulled him outside and away from me. I thought Casey was a good guy; he seemed genuine when he helped me through Oliver’s accident.

  Then, he turned.

  He blames it on me—apparently, I’m this magical unicorn that makes everyone feel good—but I didn’t do anything to lead him on and Oliver knows it. Somehow, it’s okay for everyone to attach themselves to me and stake a claim like I don’t even own my own soul.

  I watch them bicker through the window and once Oliver pushes Casey to the ground and he runs off with his tail between his legs, I open the door and step outside. “What was that about?” I look down the road where Casey is burning the rubber off his tires as he drives off. “What did he want?”

  Oliver shakes his head. “Nothing. He thinks he has something over me and he doesn’t. Lucy broke up with him and she’s not calling him back or something, I don’t know.” He brushes off my question and looks down into my eyes. “Don’t worry yourself with Casey. He’s not worth it.”

  “He acted like he had something to say that I should know.”

  He shakes his head and gently pushes me back inside, shutting the door. “He’s grasping at straws. He thinks he has some information on me that will push you closer to him, but he’s wrong. Nothing’s coming in between us—I won’t allow it.”

  “What information, Oliver?”

  He picks up the empty candy bowl and frowns. “I said it’s nothing. I handled it, isn’t that enough?” The dark clouds that form in his eyes are enough for me to back down and let him have his space. He’s obviously torn inside and he’s hiding something; I can’t say I blame him for not speaking up since I’m lying to him just the same.