The Rules Box Set: A Bad Boy Professor Series (Box Set Extravaganza Book 2)

by Ali Parker

  I laughed and moved to sit down at one of the chairs around the dining room table. "Well, I'd offer to help, but-"

  "There is not enough room in here, Mija." My mother was half Hispanic, half Caucasian, but you couldn't tell it by looking at her. Long black hair and beautifully tanned skin mixed with her thick accent left people believing she was full-blooded Hispanic. Either way, I loved that I resembled her more than my dad. It made me feel special. Unique.

  "What's all the fuss in here?" My brother poked his head around the opening of the kitchen and gave me a big grin.

  I laughed and got up to give him a hug. For just living forty miles away, I never really got to visit with any of them anymore. I needed to change that. After losing my dad, we all sort of crawled in our various holes and lived our lives in segregation of one another.

  "What have you been up to?" I hugged him and pinched the spare tire around his waist.

  "Hey. Get off the goods." He popped my hand and turned toward the back door. "We expecting someone else?"

  "Yes. AnaMarie and your sister has a friend coming to join us tonight."

  "Oh... like Olivia?" Brandon wagged his eyebrows and walked toward the back door. "It's a guy in a white Lexus. He must be lost."

  I laughed and moved around my brother. "That's Kendal. He's my new boyfriend."

  "Oh. Moving up in the world are we?" My brother tugged gently at my hair as I moved around him and walked out into the yard to greet Kendal. He was in a pair of slacks and a button down shirt, his black glasses perched on his regal nose and his eyes filled with a torrent of emotion.

  I closed the door behind me and offered him a warm smile. "You look like you need a good meal and a long night of loving."

  "Do I?" He moved toward me and reached out, pulling me in his arms and not stopping until I was pressed flush against him and his mouth was locked against mine.

  I leaned into the kiss, giving myself over to him. Something was off about him, but I didn't care. He was there and he was mine. That was more than enough.

  Chapter 20

  Kendal

  I kissed her a few more times, not really considering how inappropriate it might have been to make out with her in front of her family.

  She pulled back and smiled up at me. "I've missed you."

  "Me more." I leaned down and stole one more kiss. "I got flowers, dessert and a bottle of wine."

  "Well, my mother made sweet tea, so even if you don't drink it, do yourself a favor and have a small glass." I turned and opened the door. "It's like a party in your mouth."

  He chuckled softly behind me. "I'm from Dallas, remember? I love sweet tea."

  "Good." She moved to my side and took the bag from me as her mother turned around and paused. Something about her was so incredibly familiar. Had we met before?

  "Mom... this is Kendal. Kendal, this is my mother." Dana wrapped her arm around the back of my waist and moved me toward the small portly woman. I could see where Dana got her looks from. The woman was stunning though she'd let herself go. Life had a way of doing that when loss showed up at your door. I could almost feel it in the house around me.

  "Nice to meet you, Ms. Young." I extended my hand and shook hers.

  "Have we met before? You look so familiar to me."

  "Maybe. I'm not sure." I gave her a warm smile before turning and shaking Dana's brother's hand. The guy looked like a greaser from the seventies, but he was friendly or so it seemed.

  "Here you go." Dana handed me a glass of tea and sat down at the table, her eyes locked on me as a smile played along her lips.

  I'd started to tell her mother that I was a professor at UT, so maybe we'd somehow met when she was up there helping Dana register a few years back, but I stopped myself. Dana and I were still sneaking around for the moment, which meant I needed to remain guarded and anonymous as best as I could.

  "Do you like chicken fried steak?" Dana reached out and took my hand into hers.

  "I love it." I glanced over at her mother. "Ms. Young, do you need any help in the kitchen?"

  "No, but thank you." Her tone was soft, but something was off. Dana seemed to notice it to by the way she got up and walked over to pull her mom into a hug from behind. Maybe I reminded her of her husband?

  "Can I run to the restroom? Is that okay?" I got up and turned to face the women who would hopefully be a part of my family sooner than later.

  "Yeah. It's the second door on the left down the hall." Dana winked at me before turning back to her mom.

  I couldn't help but hope that I'd have a few minutes of her to myself before dinner. I needed to unload everything going on with Heather and Mark on someone, and other than Damon, she was the one I was willing to let into the deepest parts of my heart. For her, I'd open up my secrets and let her search around until she felt like she knew me.

  "Everything all right?" Her brother glanced up from the couch and gave me a goofy grin.

  "Oh yeah. I was just running to the bathroom."

  "Second door on the left down the hall, man."

  I nodded. "Thanks."

  The events of the last few days rolled through my mind as I made my way down the tiny hall and found the bathroom. Dana's family was no better off than mine. I could see quickly why she'd decided on a profession that could help lift her mom out of poverty if done right. I wanted to help make that happen all of a sudden too.

  Closing the door behind me, I let out a long sigh and turned on the water. Where did I know Dana's mom from? Why did it seem like whatever it was wasn't necessarily a good thing? Had Brandon been in one of my classes? Did Ms. Young work at the school?

  I finished washing my hands and dried them off slowly. Something about figuring that one piece of the puzzle seemed intensely important. Why?

  Dana was standing at the edge of the living room with her hands on her hips, yelling at someone in the kitchen when I walked out. I paused, not really sure if it was a good thing that I was there. Were they usually verbally violent with each other? Dana didn't seem like that kind of girl.

  I hung out in the hallway, feeling a little awkward, but waiting for the minute when things calmed down so I could make my way back through the living room. Maybe coming out to see her wasn't a good idea at all. It seemed like her mother had gone from a little tense to upset.

  The pictures on the wall were covered in dust, but I stopped by and ran my fingers over each of them, finding Dana in each and forcing myself to enjoy the moment instead of dreading whatever the hell was going down in the kitchen. My family never fought. Never. We rarely spoke unless it was me and Mandy.

  Everything seemed to die down, and I took the opportunity to walk back toward the kitchen. The last picture on the wall before I stepped to the living room grabbed me by the throat, forcing me to stop.

  I pulled it off the wall and swallowed hard before glancing up to see Dana standing beside me.

  "Who is this?" I whispered roughly.

  "My sister." She took the picture from me. "My mother is being ridiculous. I don't know where she thinks she knows you from, but whatever it was, she's highly agitated. Let's just grab something in town and get a hotel."

  I stood in stony silence, letting my eyes move back up to the picture on the wall. The beautiful girl smiling back at me had stolen my heart in a million ways and left me a broken man.

  "What's her name, Dana?" I called after her, but she didn't respond.

  The kitchen door opened and I didn't need validation where Dana's mother knew me from or what her sister's name was. Every horrid memory from six years before swept through my vision as the beautiful woman from my past stepped into the kitchen and turned her head toward me. The shock on her face had to echo my own.

  "Kendal?" she whispered, tearing me in two with nothing more than a word.

  I nodded and walked toward her. I should have known from the beginning. These things never work out well for me. Everyone else deserves love, but not me. "Hello, Ana."

  To Be Continued Belo
w…

  Breaking the Rules #3

  The Rules Box Set

  The final book in The Rules Series.

  Dr. Kendal Tarrington has a deep hole to dig himself out of. There's nothing more that he wants than a loving relationship and the promise of a future spent beside the sexy little nurse that has all of his attention.

  Too bad she's not returning his calls again.

  After their last blow up, they're both hurting and confused. He's going to need to break the rules if he expects his relationship with Dana to take center stage in his life. With as badly as he wants love, there shouldn't be anything he's not willing to do to get it.

  Chapter 1

  Kendal

  I took a deep breath and reached up to knock on the door, my heart aching at the thought of having to spend the night in the presence of my friends. They would all know that I was faking the calm I wore. It was more like being numb than calm. A facade I'd been practicing for a while. It served me many times over my long life.

  Two weeks of dragging my ass through life, wondering what cosmic genie I'd pissed off and how I'd done it. Not only was the last member of my family gone, but any hope for a torrid love affair with Dana was over.

  "Dude. Good to see you!" Matthew Bryant, my best friend's little brother smiled like a tom-cat and reached for me, pulling me into a warm hug.

  I wrapped my arms around him and patted his back. "Hey, man. Good to see you. Seattle treating you okay?"

  "Better than you." He moved back and gripped my shoulders. "Damon said that out of all of the women in Dallas you ended up with Ana's sister? That's just so far beyond fucked up. I'm mind-blown."

  "Matt! Really?" Bethany moved up beside him and reached for my hand, pulling me into the foyer of the Bryant mansion. "I swear you have no filter what-so-ever."

  Why I let Damon talk me into dinner with everyone was beyond me.

  "I'm good. He's right." I reached up and ran my hand through my hair as Bethany released my wrist and moved into the kitchen. "It's pretty fucked up."

  "How did you not put two and two together?" Damon walked in behind me, brushing his shoulder by mine as he made his way toward Bethany. He brushed his fingers over the curve of her ass, and I turned my attention the other way.

  "I don't know. How could I have?" I walked toward the fridge and pulled out a beer. "Anyone want a drink?"

  "Yeah. Toss me one." Matt took a seat at the breakfast nook, lifting his hands as if he were ready to catch a football.

  I chucked it at him and glanced over at Damon. "You and Bethany want one?"

  "No. We're holding out for wine." Damon turned and leaned against the counter, crossing his arms over his chest as his dark eyes narrowed. "Is there a reason why you've been avoiding me along with the rest of the world?"

  Bethany popped him in the chest and then went back to cooking something over the stove. "Leave him alone."

  "Yeah. Leave me alone." I popped the top on the beer and walked over to take a spot next to Matt. "I'm still trying to figure it out, to be honest. How in the fuck did Dana end up being Ana's sister? They don't even look alike."

  "Mixed family?" Damon offered up and moved to stand in front of us. "You guys want all the fixings for your burgers or what?"

  "Where's your Mom and Dad?" I glanced around, suddenly aware that I hadn't seen or heard Kent or Karen.

  "They're out of town. Spending quality time together." Matt took a long drink of his beer.

  Damon made a gagging sound that caused my lip to lift. "Anyway. Jeez." He rolled his eyes and turned his attention fully on me. "You know this isn't that big of a deal."

  "Hey." Bethany moved up beside him, wrapping her arms around him and glancing up.

  My heart ached. She looked at him the way Dana looked at me before things went to shit - again.

  "Hey what, pretty girl?" He turned in her arms and leaned down, nipping at her lips.

  "Gross. And you think Mom and Dad going off for some quality time together is disturbing? At least they keep that shit in the bedroom." Matt moved off his stool and walked toward the living room. "Call me when dinner's done."

  "Hey! Damon asked if you guys want the fixings?" Bethany gave Damon an incredulous look before turning to me. "Lettuce, tomatoes and pickles?"

  "Whatever is easy." I took another drink of the beer and got up. "I can help with that stuff."

  "No. Sit down. Damon's got it." Bethany gave my best friend a stern look which quickly bled into a sweet smile. It was good to see them back together. At least something was going right in the world.

  "What are you going to do to fix this?" Damon turned and walked to the fridge as I let my eyes move along my beer bottle, my mind a mess.

  "I don't know, man. She's not returning my calls. I should have stayed for dinner that night, but I freaked out."

  Bethany turned from the stove. "So, can I ask what happened after Ana showed up? If you don't want to talk about it, you-"

  "No. It's fine." I took another quick swig of the beer, wishing it was a bottle of Tequila instead. Anything to burn away the same memory that played in my mind over and over.

  Ana, standing in the doorway at her mother's house, looking like a goddamn model. She was everything I thought I ever wanted, but in that moment... I realized clearly that she wasn't. Dana was.

  "Kendal? You still with us, dude?" Damon's voice brought me from my reverie.

  "Hmm? Oh, yeah. Sorry." I brushed my hand down my face and let out a low groan. "I gave Ana a quick hug, pulled out my phone and told them that I needed to run. Emergency."

  "What kind of emergency?" Bethany tilted her head to the side.

  There was no one in my life that would have called with an emergency. We both knew that, hell, Ana and Dana knew that. With my sister, Mandy gone, there was no one left in my life.

  "I told them it was Damon." I shrugged. "Dana followed me to the car and wanted to know how I knew her sister. She put two and two together before I could answer her."

  I paused and took a shaky breath as Damon moved toward me.

  "Hey. You don't have to-"

  "Shut the fuck up!” I barked at him and pressed my fingers to the bridge of my nose. "I'm so in love with her that it feels like another death to lose her. I just keep wondering who the fuck I pissed off. How can I make up for whatever I've done so that maybe-" My voice broke and I got off the chair, moving past Damon and walking toward the front door. "I'll catch you guys later. I can't do this right now."

  Neither of them tried to stop me. They knew me too well to get in my way. I hadn't cried too many times in my life, but losing Mandy a few weeks early had me scared, raw. Now Dana was gone too.

  I drove home in silence, my heart pounding in my chest, my stomach tight, and a million regrets running through my mind.

  One decision to date a student six years before and I was still living the after effects of fucking up.

  Damon had been wrong. Sneaking around with Dana until she graduated wasn't a great idea. It was shit. It caused me to dream again, to believe in love and security, to see a future with someone.

  The sound of her laughter filled my ears, the sweetness of it causing my throat to burn and more tears to blur my vision. How badly I needed her to forgive me for something I had no control over.

  Ana's sister. I'd fallen in love with Ana's sister.

  And the worst part... she'd fallen in love with me.

  ***

  "You sure you're okay, man? We're worried about you." Damon's voice filled up the living room as I had him on speaker phone.

  "Yeah. I'll get it over it, man. I just thought this was my turn. That it was time to breathe again."

  "Kendal. It is time. Go after her and explain yourself. You didn't set this shit up. You didn't know-"

  "Stop, okay? I love that you care about me, but I'll be okay. Someone else will come along in a few years and she'll be the right person." My words got lodged in my throat. Dana was the right person. She was my woman, the one I want
ed to make love to every night and hold until we grew old together.

  I could see us building a house and having kids. Becoming the type of couple that other's would become jealous over. We'd have something they didn't have. We'd have what they all wanted.

  What I wanted. Deep, intense love.

  "What can I do to fix this for you? I'll go talk to her."

  "No, Damon. We've been friends for a long-time man, and you're all I've got. Please stay out of this and let it die. I'll be okay. Just give me time to heal." I rubbed my chest over my t-shirt and walked toward my liquor cabinet. "I'm going to figure out what to do about Heather and Mark at work and then we'll see where we go from there."

  "You always have a job with me. Any type of job you want. I'll create it for you, man."

  "Now who's being the pussy?" I smirked and knelt down in front of the cabinet. I had a few old bottles of liquor tucked away.

  "Call me what you like, but let me fix this shit. I hated seeing you torn up at Mandy's funeral and now this? You deserve a break."

  "Yeah, maybe." I pulled out a bottle of Jack. "I'm going to let you go. Jack and I have a date for the evening. He's pretty good about helping me forget anything and everything."

  "Stay at home if you're going to drink."

  "Thank you, Mother." I snorted and dropped the call. Damon was rarely over protective or up in my business, but I understood why he was now.

  I mean, shit... what else could go wrong?

  I could lose my job, but that didn't seem to matter too much at the moment.

  I could die in a house fire.

  "Yup." I dropped down on my couch and opened the bottle, taking a long drink and growling as it burned its way down my throat.

  Ana Young. Why hadn't I put that shit together? I could have saved both me and Dana a ton of heartache.

  "Are you okay, baby?" I whispered to the air as I closed my eyes. "Are you hurting like I am? Broken by how fucked up this is?"