Page 18 of Breaking the Rules

Noble eased out of the room and across the hall to his room, his eyes and feet twitching with the want to move further down the hall.

He governed himself, placed a t-shirt and shorts in front of the guest room door, showered, and ambled to the kitchen in need of some water, hoping to unwind.

Now fully in the swing of his new season with a new team, weed and liquor would have to wait until the off-season.

But he could take the edge off with his branded protein ice cream.

He groaned at the simple pleasures of life.

The stillness for a moment, perched on the counter eating ice cream without his phone ringing or anyone needing him.

Moments later, Savanhi rounded the corner, wandering into the kitchen.

His oversized t-shirt hung off her shoulders, and her bare legs poked from underneath.

The Royals t-shirt stopped mid-thigh. Her hair was in its signature wild state, and her eyes were focused on her phone.

The sound of his spoon scraping the side of the pint stopped her in her tracks.

“I thought you were sleep. I’m not trying to intrude on your space.”

“My space is your space. You good. You need something?” he questioned, readying himself to hop off the counter and tend to her needs.

Savanhi swayed her head. “Not to be your captive.”

“Sassy, relax. You ain’t no damn captive. If you want to leave, you can. But you won’t,” Noble confidently stated. “Have a seat, you been on your feet all day.”

“I’m used to standing. It’s the dancer in me,” she rebutted. Her eyes were taking in every movement he made. How he got off the counter, moved to the fridge, grabbed a bottle of water, opened it, and handed it to her. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He took a seat and motioned her to sit down. Savanhi obliged the request. “What you need for the morning?”

“My car so I can go home?” she countered.

Noble chuckled. “You act like you got a problem running off.”

“You keep bringing that up, and I’m going to need you to let it go,” she sassed again, taking a gulp of her water and taking a seat.

“Give me something else to bother you about, and I will,” he replied, watching her take another gulp. “They wore you out like that?”

“Club on the weekends, dance studio all week. Three classes today. I’m tired and I can’t get enough water,” she stated. “And I tried to fall asleep, but it’s not happening.”

Noble stood and motioned her to follow. She did because there was a sense of trust and neither knew where it came from or why. In the living room, he grabbed the remote.

“You said the Mahogony Channel?”

“I did,” she hummed, taking a seat.

Noble grabbed the blanket and draped it over her. “How long have you been dancing at Tempt?”

“A few years. Teaching at the studio is great and fulfilling, but I was trying to support myself, so I went to Tempt.”

Noble settled next to her. “You like it?”

She buzzed with a shoulder shrug. “Keeps the bills paid. Keeps me standing on my own two if that’s what you’re asking.”

“I wasn’t,” he said, looking over at her. “Do you like it? Dancing for niggas?”

“No, but I’m not where I want to be and things right now are…complicated.”

“Life is going to be complicated forever. That’s just the way it goes. If you don’t want to be there, you can change that.”

“Is that why you’re here?” Savanhi took him in as he sank deeper into the cushions. “Majestic Heights to here?”

“Stalkin’ me?” He raised a thick brow.

“Nope, crash course on my kidnapper,” she joked.

“Something like that.”

“Might as well tell me since you want to be in my business so bad.”

Noble drew in a sharp breath. “My fiancée was fuckin’ my best friend. Got pregnant by him, aborted it. Found all of that out two days before our wedding.”

Now Savanhi’s brows rose. “Oh, that’s messy. But I have no room to talk. I moved my best friend in, and she was sleeping with my ex for God knows how long.”

“How are you handling that?” Noble posed with a wince.

“Rules. That you seem to want to break.”

“Ahh, that’s why you were on the beach crying that night. Not on no stalker type shit.”

Savanhi rolled her eyes. “Shit, you say.”

“One hundred. And unfortunately for me, I’m a sucker for fuckin’ tears. Areli can cry and I’m putty.”

“Areli can twirl and I’m putty,” Savanhi shared with a laugh.

“Welcome to my world. I’ve been like that since she came into the world. I love that little girl I just hate how this shit is going. Can’t catch a break,” Noble muttered with defeat.

“So, shitty ex and best friend, sister in prison, new team, single uncle-daddy, how are you still slightly sane?”

“Slightly?”

“You ain’t all there and I can see how.” She giggled. “Probably weren’t all there before this.”

Noble shrugged. “I honestly don’t have a fuckin’ clue. All I could think about since before I got traded was the fact that I have to be the man my father wanted me to be. I got to protect my sister, raise my niece, form a legacy.”

“That’s who taught you about cars?”

“He taught me about life. Everything. A man is a protector, honorable, noble, and his family comes before everything. He showed us that and taught us. Now I have to carry that mantle. What your brother and grandma teach you?”

“My grandmother wasn’t around long, but she taught me to never let anyone take my joy from me. My brother…” she paused to laugh. “He taught me to fight about my respect. Never let anyone, man or woman try me. That’s kept me this far.”

“So I got your brother to blame for that smart ass mouth?”

“Sure do,” Savanhi giggled. “You probably like it.”

“Don’t flirt with me. You ain’t got no pants on and you’re too close.”

She moved away, only for him to bring her back and place her on his lap.

“I do,” he added. “I’m not supposed to with all this shit going on.”

“And this is why I made rules. Because liking you and I barely know you doesn’t make sense to my brain. It’s easier to deny you.”

“Is it? Because the denial is what’s driving me crazy.”

“You don’t have enough capacity for me and everything else you got going on?”

“Want to see?”

Savanhi bit her lip before moving off of his lap and pulling her legs to her chest. “I don’t know.”