Breaking the Rules: The Breaking Series #1

by Leigh, Ember

  She buried her face in the pillow, stifling a squeal. Too much. He was too fucking much. “Oh, am I? Makes it sound like there are other girls in the mix too.”

  “Ha. Funny joke.”

  Curiosity swirled inside her. She was desperate to probe this area of his personal life. “What? I told you that night we had dinner—you must get so much pussy. I’m just being realistic.”

  He clucked his tongue. “Well, you’re wrong.”

  “You don’t bang all those cute secretaries you’ve got working at the gym?” Her neck heated up.

  He laughed. “Oh, please. I have a dick, but I’m not a creep. I have rules.”

  She nuzzled into the pillow. “Like what?”

  He took a breath. “I don’t fuck coworkers.”

  “That’s a good one.”

  “I don’t date either,” he added.

  Perfect. So this will only be about sex. “Okay.”

  “I always use a condom.”

  “Also good.” Her heart sank further. The pieces were fitting together.

  “Ladies come first.”

  She lifted a brow. “In what sense?”

  “You know what sense.”

  “Go on.”

  “Umm…that’s it.” He laughed. “Tell me yours.”

  She twirled a piece of hair around her finger. “Well…I don’t know. Maybe I don’t have any.”

  “Liar.”

  “I expect a certain…caliber.” She studied the ceiling as she searched for the right words. “That’s all.”

  “Hmm. Grade A meat.”

  “Exactly.” She giggled.

  “Get your sweet ass over to my house.” His voice came out husky. “I’ll make it worth the trip.”

  She looked at the clock: 10:30 p.m. Way too late to be gallivanting anywhere for a booty call, especially on a work night. “I can’t. It would be so suspicious.”

  He sighed. “The next time I see you, I’m going to eat you alive.”

  “I hope that’s a promise. Trust me, I’m not a fan of—”

  Knocking sounded at her door. Before she could even respond, the door creaked open, and Eddie poked his head in.

  “You still up?” He squinted at her. “You missed the ending.”

  “Eddie, I’m on the phone.” She kicked her leg at him, though he was across the room. “I know I missed it.”

  “Whatever. Who you talking to?”

  “Does it matter?” She resettled onto the bed. “I’m talking to them. So bye.”

  “Maybe I wanna talk to them too.”

  She scoffed, heart racing. “It’s my work friend. We’re talking about the schedule. Now get out of here.”

  Eddie grinned. “Night, sis.” He shut the door quietly behind him.

  Amara sighed, pressing the phone to her ear again. “Sorry.”

  “So back to our chat about the schedule…”

  She laughed. “Yeah. About that.”

  “It’s weird to hear Eddie from the other end. I always forgot growing up how protective he’d be of you. Until something happened and he’d snap.”

  “He’s definitely the dad I never had.” Her throat tightened. “God love him.”

  “Which makes this worse.” Travis laughed a little, then groaned. “He’s gonna snap.”

  “We’ll figure that out later.” She traced the stitching swirls in her quilt pattern with her fingertip. “I’m just happy he didn’t pop in here while I had my hand down my pants. That would have been harder to play off.”

  She could feel the tension spike on the other end of the line. “Say what?”

  She giggled. “You heard me.”

  “I want to put my hand down your pants.”

  “But only my hand is here.” She rolled onto her back, letting her free hand wander between her legs. Maybe with the sound of his voice in her ear, she could imagine it as his hand.

  “Mmm. I can work with that.” The breathiness in his voice made her wonder if he’d started touching himself yet; maybe he was hard already. Her pussy clenched with need; fuck, she’d have a thousand orgasms from his voice alone.

  “I don’t want to be the only one doing the work.” She sucked at her bottom lip, letting her fingertips graze the cleft of her pussy.

  “You aren’t. I’m right here with you, babe. My friend showed up too.”

  She squeezed her legs together. “Is this the friend I almost met earlier today?”

  “The one and only.” His guttural laugh rippled through her.

  “Is he big and tall and hard like you?” She bit at her lip, sauciness flowing through her like blood. Her thumb grazed her clit through her leggings; shivers coursed through her body.

  “Mm-hmm. He’ll make you scream.”

  Her eyes fluttered shut. As she opened her mouth to respond, footsteps sounded in the hallway. Eddie’s voice grew nearer. She sat up, eyes on the door.

  “Amara, come here a sec.” Eddie’s voice was muffled by the door.

  “Fuck.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. Disappointment tremored through her. “Eddie’s calling for me.” She stood, trying to shake off the sexiness. “I gotta go out there.”

  “Don’t go, babe.” His smooth murmur prompted a smile on her end.

  “I’ll call you back if I can. Hanging up right now is the last thing I wanna do.”

  He sighed. “Go do your thing. And sweet dreams if we don’t talk again… I know mine will be.”

  Heat rose in her neck. “Back atcha.” She ended the call, holding the phone to her chest in a final, long exhalation of elation.

  Eddie calling for her was so inconveniently timed, she worried he could sense her betrayal, like sniffing out the dense atmosphere shift before a storm.

  He might not be suspicious, but what if he somehow felt it anyway? On a cellular level?

  She’d barely kissed Travis, and the guilt parade had begun.

  It could only get worse—and yet so much better—from here.

  Chapter 11

  Travis hadn’t been jittery about a girl in over a decade. In fact, his last, real, earth-shattering attraction had been in the tenth grade, a senior, Anna. She’d been so hot, he could barely speak around her.

  And he felt like his tenth-grade self around Amara these days. It was hard to play it cool, to keep running with the ball. She unraveled him—made him loose and wobbly.

  Waiting for her to show up for her workout the next day dragged by, each second fully felt and logged. It didn’t matter how many times he jacked off either; he needed her in front of him. Smiling up at him, those dark umber eyes twinkling, the sweet dimple the most reassuring sight of his life. And he’d take that round ass into his hands, smooth his way around her hips and over rock-solid thighs—

  “Travis.”

  He blinked a few times, shaking himself out of the reverie. Jenni poked her head into his office, where he’d been preparing paperwork for a grant proposal.

  “Sorry, what’s up?”

  “Amara’s here.” She lifted a perfectly shaped brow. “Asking for you.”

  “Oh, fuck. I lost track of the time.” He shot to his feet and bolted past her through the doorway. The foyer was empty; he took a few deep breaths, bending his arms behind his head, trying to clear his mind. This girl is fucking you up. Keep it cool.

  She emerged from the locker-room hallway a few minutes later, sauntering toward him like she had a secret. Bright pink booty shorts clung to her perfect ass, her caramel legs tapering off into shiny black sneakers. Her dark hair was up in a loose bun, and she had the Holt tank top on over a teal sports bra.

  “Hey, you.” He nudged her as she came up to him. “Long time no see.”

  “An eternity.” She gave him a look that made him feel like they’d been dating for years.

  “How was your day?” He kept his distance as they walked toward the weight room, willing himself to keep his hands off her with so many interested eyes around.

  “Busy.” She sighed as they entered the cl
amorous weight room. It would clear out within a half hour, and then they’d be able to have some alone time. For as long as she’d allow. “I met with a lot of our community partners today.”

  “Like who?” He led them toward the corner for warm-ups.

  “A couple hospitals, a homeless shelter, and a handful of clinics. Sort of like relationship building.”

  “I bet you’re good at that.” He cracked a smile, loving the way her confident gaze turned shy.

  “Yeah, I think so.”

  “So touching base or something else?”

  “Mostly touching base. But a couple are new outreach, people I contacted because I want to implement more liaisons in the community.” She sat down on the soft mat, focused on something on the horizon. “I want to funnel more women our way. The ones who need it, I mean. I feel like we can be doing more.”

  Travis got to his knees in front of her, leaning back on his heels. Her words echoed his confusion. “You guys do a lot already, though, right?”

  “Yes, but…when we’re talking about women leaving dangerous or fucked-up situations, the more outreach the better, right?” Her gaze drifted over to him.

  Are you doing enough outreach with the gym? The thought had been haunting him since Amara’s raw question in the hallway the other night before they kissed. How could he not have been doing more? He wished he could make up for lost time. Wished he could show her that he actually gave a damn about more than operating in the black.

  “You’re right. And by the way…tell me when to show up for those self-defense classes we talked about. We’re on board. You just need to say the word.”

  She gave him a shy smile. “Thanks, Trav.”

  “And anything else too. You brought up a good point the other night. I could be doing a lot more. And I should be. I guess I thought it was enough helping people get fit and kicking out the wrong sort of guys here and there.”

  She softened. “That’s good work—”

  “But you were right. With how I grew up, it’s not enough.” He squeezed her knee. “I at least owe it to my mom to be doing more.”

  She sighed, looking over his shoulder. “Trying to make me cry before our workout?”

  He laughed. “Maybe.”

  “What am I starting with?”

  “I want to stretch you out.” His hand covered her ankle. “And only because if I don’t touch you right now, I’ll fucking freak out.”

  She giggled. “Hey, trainers know best.”

  “Lie on your back. I wanna stretch your hams.”

  “I bet you do.”

  He let out a small laugh, bending her leg at the knee, pushing the knee toward her chest. He placed his other hand on the exposed back of her thigh, far higher than he normally would. The heat of her body clouded his mind. If only he could move that hand higher up…

  “Feel good?”

  “Phenomenal. I think the stretch works better if you kiss me too, though.”

  He glanced around them. The gym was clearing out a little, but most of the clients were on the far side. “Yeah, I think I remember learning about that. You should probably do a sit-up to extend the spinal curve.”

  “To extend the spinal curve.” Eyes twinkling, she did a sit-up. Their lips met briefly, tenderly. “Oh, wow. What a good extension. You were right.”

  Their workout progressed, fun and flirty, each one finding new and creative ways to bend the rules. When the last person cleared out of the weight room, he offered Amara a hand to sit up.

  “I’m gonna go tell Jenni she can go home,” he said as she popped to standing. “Hang out in the locker room. When everyone’s gone, I’ll join you.”

  She lifted a brow. “On the women’s side?”

  “I’m a rebel.”

  “You’re the owner. You do what you want.” She winked, shoving playfully at his shoulder. “I’ll see you in there.”

  He watched her saunter away, fascinated by her sexy, stocky build. She was petite yet strong, a 5’5” powerhouse with thighs that could bring him to his knees. Most guys were all about the tits or ass—and for him, well, it was about every part. And Amara knocked every part out of the park.

  He let Jenni go about fifteen minutes earlier than normal. Waiting at the front desk, he watched the clients file out for the evening, nodding their way or shouting a gruff, “Peace.” When the last patron hurried by, Travis deadbolted the front doors and booked it to the men’s locker room to double-check it was empty. And then he went to his office to grab the last implement for the evening: a condom.

  Whistling, he headed for the women’s locker room. He pushed open the door and peered inside hesitantly, heart racing. He’d been waiting for this chance for too damn long. And though his nerves rattled, part of him worried he’d eat her alive, like a starving wolf.

  Because as far as he was concerned, Amara was nourishing. And he hadn’t had that for a long, long time.

  Amara faced away from him, standing in front of a row of lockers. Her ass cheeks, round and shiny in the bright locker-room lights, hung out of a lacy pink thong. His breath evaporated. The creaking of the door made her turn around.

  “There you are.” Her voice came out a pretty purr, her head lowering. “I needed your help.”

  He cleared his throat, trying to jumpstart his mind again. “Well, thank God I showed up.” He paused, listening for noise. “Are we alone?”

  She nodded. “Last lady left about ten minutes ago. Now take your clothes off.”

  He lifted a brow, pleased by the directive. “Yes, ma’am.” He tugged his shirt off, tossed it aside, and then shimmied out of his black mesh shorts. His cock pressed against black boxer briefs, almost fully hard from the sight of her. She bit her lip, gaze careening up and down his body, her long black tresses freed from the bun.

  “Now sit down.” She pointed to the wide bench behind her.

  He obeyed eagerly, watching with wide eyes as she positioned herself out of arm’s reach.

  “I started to change into my work clothes,” she explained. Her heavy breasts peeked out of a black satin bra. “But then I realized we should probably take a shower here. Will you help me take my bra off?”

  He cracked a grin. A likely story. But this was like dessert, better than a thousand cheat days combined. “Babe, like you even need to ask.”

  Travis reached for her, snagging her at the waist. She giggled as he pulled her into him, pressing his lips to her lower belly, taking a bite of the soft flesh there. Her fingers found his hair, running over his scalp and down the back of his neck, digging into the ridge of his shoulders.

  “I love these,” he murmured, snagging his fingers on the thin waistband of her panties. “Did you wear these just for me?”

  “Mm-hmm.” Her palms traced the width of his shoulders, over the curves of his biceps. “I’ve been waiting to show you.”

  His kisses drifted over her low belly toward her hip. He grabbed big handfuls of her ass, sucking at his teeth. His cock strained at the fabric of his briefs. He nuzzled the crotch of her panties, desperate for the smell of her.

  “Travis.” Her voice came out breathy, barely there.

  “Hmm?” He kissed her mons over the panties, exhaling as he lowered his mouth, nipping where her clit was. She shuddered, eyes drifting shut. He dragged his tongue over the cleft of her pussy; the grip on his shoulders tightened.

  “Take your bra off.” He nuzzled her pussy again, growling into the sweet heat there, desperate to rip the thong in half and devour her, get drunk on her scent and sweetness. He kissed his way up to her lower belly again.

  She watched him with hooded eyes, lips pursed. “You’re too much.” She turned, moving her hair over her shoulder, looking back at him. “Can you get it?”

  He grabbed at her hips, yanking her closer. He took a bite of her hip, and then moved his fervent kisses over her ass cheeks. “Fuck, Amara.” He bit at the tiny strip of pink fabric, pulling at it with his teeth.

  “Easy, tiger. Don’t eat
my panties.”

  “I won’t. I’ll eat what’s under them.”

  She swayed, and he caught her. “Seriously, when you talk like that I almost pass out.”

  He laughed, smoothing his lips over her right hip. “When I look at this ass I almost pass out. Damn, girl.”

  She wiggled it in front of his face. “You like that?”

  “Mmm.” He smoothed his hands over her ass cheeks, along the crests of her thighs. “More than I can fucking explain.”

  “Maybe this will help.” She sat on his lap, looking back at him with pure mischief on her face, settling into place over his cock.

  “Definitely.” He moaned, grabbing at her hips, rocking beneath her. His breath came out short, heated. He was seconds away from losing his shit.

  She rocked on top of him, gyrating her hips in a way that told him she’d know exactly how to ride him, exactly how he liked it. Oh fuck. He steadied her, drawing deep breaths.

  “Babe.” He brushed his lips over her bare shoulder, hands snaking around her waist, over her belly, up to the lush roundness of her breasts. “Go easy on me.”

  “I should say the same to you.”

  He unhooked her bra, letting the straps fall over her shoulders and down her arms, admiring the view of her from behind, dark locks over one shoulder, the curve of an expectant smile, her brown shoulder arcing from neck to bicep. He tossed the bra aside, cupping her breasts in his hands. She moaned, tensing beneath him.

  “Mmm.” He tweaked each nipple, then let a hand drift down between her legs. He slipped his fingers over the fabric covering the cleft of her pussy, inhaling sharply when he found her soaked. He rubbed his fingers back and forth over her clit lightly, drawing circles around it like it were a treasure map.

  Her breath hitched, and she clutched at the arm holding her breast. “Oh, Travis.”

  “Yeah?” He grazed his thumb over the tight nub, letting his other fingers drift down to the sopping panties, dancing over her entrance. “I wanna get in here.”

  She whimpered, and he took it as his blessing; he dipped in two fingers, probing the slippery folds, finding the tight, needy clit and pinching it, caressing it, breathing hot into her shoulder as he worked her. She tensed and moaned low, hooking her feet around his ankles. He sneaked a finger into her pussy, plunging deep, as far as he could go, nearly losing his mind when he felt how hot and tight she was inside, nearly coming from just the idea of pushing himself inside her.