Page 4 of The Rule Breaker (Colton U Playbook #1)

When I turn around, I’m met with the sight of a girl, her hands clutched to her mouth in shock, but it doesn’t hide her big brown eyes widened in panic.

Fuck, her eyes are pretty.

She quickly drops her hands, shaking her head. “I really am sorry. I didn’t mean to bump into you.” she says, her brown wavy curls bouncing as she looks up at me. Her skin is flushed with embarrassment—or maybe it’s just from the alcohol. Either way, it makes her even more stunning.

I clear my throat. “It really is fine,” I assure her, raking a hand through my hair.

Her eyes widen, her lips parting slightly. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah.” I shoot her a smile. “Not the first time it’s happened.”

Her pink lips curve into a shy smile as her fingers fiddling with the rim of her now-empty cup. “I didn’t mean to push you,” she says, letting out a breath. “I told my roommate you were kinda cute, and she thought I should come talk to you, so she gave me a nudge, and…”

I can’t help but grin, a smirk tugging at my lips. “You think I’m cute?” I tease, leaning in slightly.

She groans, tipping her head back, her eyes fluttering shut. “I’m just dying of embarrassment tonight. Bye, I’m off to go kill myself.”

I chuckle, taking a step forward and grabbing her elbow before she can slip away. “No, don’t leave. It was cute.”

She pauses, glancing back over her shoulder, her chocolate brown eyes locking onto mine. “You think?”

God, she’s gorgeous. It’s been so long since I’ve felt that electric buzz at the sight of a pretty girl. Her eyes, her lips, her hair—fuck, I want to run my fingers through it.

I nod, my smile widening as I gently pull her a little closer. “What’s your name?”

Her throat bobs as she swallows. “Isabella.”

I can’t help the grin that spreads across my face. “Ryan,” I introduce myself, holding her gaze. “You want another drink? Since yours kinda drenched my t-shirt.”

Her eyes flick down, lingering on my chest a bit too long. Is she checking me out? Her lips curl into a sheepish smile. “I really am sorry.”

“Stop apologizing,” I say, lifting my shoulder into a shrug. “It’s fine. Got me talking to you, didn’t it?”

She blushes, and I feel my pulse quicken at the sight of it.

“So, you want that drink?”

She nods, her expression softening. “Sure.”

I pour her a drink from the punch bowl, hand it to her, and take a sip of my own, unable to look away from her. “I haven’t seen you around before. Are you a freshman?”

She hums, nodding. “Just moved into my dorm earlier today.”

A groan leaves my lips. “I hated the dorms.”

She laughs, a light sound that’s cute as fuck. “It’s not that bad. At least I’ve already made a friend.”

“The roommate who nudged you into me?”

Her lips tug into a smile, and she shakes her head. “Aurora was doing me a favor, honestly. I would’ve never come and talked to you.”

“Oof,” I clutch my chest dramatically. “My ego’s wounded.”

“No. No,” she laughs again, soft and light. “I wanted to, I just…” She chews on her lip, her eyes flicking away like she’s searching for the right words. “I’m bad at this stuff, I guess.”

I nod slowly, my gaze slipping down her body—those legs in that denim skirt, smooth and perfect, and that tight black lacy top that makes it hard to focus. Fuck, she’s a sight. My fingers brush across my lips, trying to hide the smile that creeps up.

“You’re doing pretty good.”

She rolls her eyes. “What an endorsement.”

I let out a laugh, feeling that easy confidence spark inside me again. Fuck, I like this girl. She’s funny, gorgeous, and the best part? She’s not blabbering on about hockey like everyone else in my life.

“You’re better than you think, trust me. You just need to loosen up.” I tip my head toward the beer pong table. “Ever played beer pong before?”

She shrugs, her pink glossy lips tipping up into a smirk. “Not really.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Wanna give it a shot?”

She smirks, her eyes narrowing in a way that makes my body hum with heat. Fuck, I missed this feeling. “Depends. What do I get if I win?”

“Whatever you want.”

Her smirk deepens as she leans in, her finger tracing the rim of her cup. “And what do you get if you win?”

Christ. Dangerous fucking question. I shrug, already picturing her panties on my bedroom floor. “Your number.”

She laughs, her eyes lighting up. I’m not being coy here. I want her, and she wants me. If I have to play a silly game to get her, then so fucking be it.

“You’re on.”

We head toward the beer pong table, waiting for the group to finish their round. Finally, it’s our turn, and we go to opposite ends. She places her hands on the table, giving me a teasing look. I can already picture her on her knees, her eyes burning with that same heat.

“Three cups?” she asks, raising an eyebrow. “Really?”

I smirk, grabbing a ping pong ball. “Hey, the fewer cups, the quicker the victory.”

She smirks back, her eyes gleaming with mischief. “Yeah, sure. Or I could just win this in one shot.”

I chuckle as she picks up the ball and tosses it. It misses, bouncing off the side of the cup before falling to the floor.

“Nice try,” I tease, flicking the ball in my hand.

Her eyes narrow, but there’s a playful smile tugging at her lips. “One shot doesn’t mean I can’t still win this.”

I smile back, feeling more like my old self than I’ve felt in a long time. I pick up a ping pong ball, aiming carefully at her cup, and launch it, swirling around the rim before landing inside.

“One down,” I say with a cocky smirk of my own.

She shakes her head, reaching for the cup, then takes a quick drink.

“My turn.” Grabbing a ball, she tosses it with a quick flick of her wrist, and it lands right in my cup.

I raise an eyebrow, impressed. “Okay, alright. You’ve got good aim.” I pick up the cup, take a swig, then grab the ball again, sinking another one in.

She takes a sip from her cup, her eyes never leaving mine before she grabs the ball and throws it again.

I raise an eyebrow when it lands in my cup. Damn . I take a quick sip of my cup and grab the ball, rolling it in my hands as I flash her a grin. “Ready to call it?”

She tilts her head and arches a brow. “Not a chance.”

My shoulders shake with a chuckle, and I blow on the ball, rolling it in my hand a few more times, before I take the shot. I watch it sink it into the last cup with a satisfying thud. Fuck yeah .

I strut toward her, a grin plastered across my face. “I win.”

She scans me from head to toe, her eyebrow arched. “You win,” she repeats, and fuck, I can’t look away from her.

Her smile’s got me hooked, and for a second, I forget where I am. My chest tightens, and my mind goes blank. Her lips, the way they curve—fuck me, I want to kiss her right here. Right fucking now.

She leans back against the table, hands gripping the edge as she gives me a look that damn near stops my heart. “So…” she draws out, her tongue swiping across her lips. “You want my number now?”

I swallow hard, caught off guard for a second, my thoughts spinning like crazy. The music, the party, even the damn beer pong cups—all of it fades away. All I see is her.

I glance at her lips again, heat crawling up my neck. Fuck it. I’m going for it.

I take a step closer, lowering my voice as I place my hand on her hip, resting it there. “Actually, I want something else.”

Her gaze sharpens, a spark of challenge lighting up her eyes. “Yeah? What’s that?”

I lick my lips, closing the distance between us, and?—

“Izzy.”

The name slices through the air, and Isabella instantly turns her head. I follow her gaze, watching Nathan push his way through the crowd, his eyes locked on her. She straightens, pulling back slightly, her eyes darting up to meet his.

“I didn’t know you’d be here,” Nathan says, his eyes flicking to me for just a beat, confusion passing over his features.

“My roommate kinda dragged me here,” she replies with a sigh.

He nods. “Well, I’m glad to see you.” Nathan slings an arm around her shoulders, and I can’t help the way my muscles tense. My eyes flicker between the two of them. How the hell does he know her?

Izzy groans, visibly annoyed, and shoots him a glare. “Can you not stand so close to me? You’re going to scare away every guy from talking to me.”

Nathan scoffs, completely unbothered. “Good. I don’t want some sleaze getting his hands on my baby sister.”

Sister . The word hits me like a punch to the gut.

Nathan’s little sister.

She rolls those pretty brown eyes of hers. “Nathan, I’m not a baby.”

He shrugs. “You are to me. What were you doing hanging with my teammate, anyway?” He gestures toward me with a nod of his head.

My skin pricks. Fuck. He told all of us to stay away from his sister. Warned us off.

And here I was, two seconds away from kissing her. God , did I want to kiss her. My eyes slide to Isabella, a whole foot shorter than Nathan, the same hesitant, burning expression in her eyes.

“We were just… playing beer pong,” I tell him with a shrug, shoving my hands in my pockets.

Nathan grunts, his eyes skeptical as he glances down at his sister. “You drink now?” he asks his sister.

She rolls her eyes, pushing him off her. “Do you really expect me to believe you don’t drink?”

Nathan places his hand on his chest with a smug grin. “I’m a saint.” I let out a loud scoff, which earns me an instant scowl from him. “Shouldn’t you be heading off?”

The daggers in his eyes are sharp enough to cut my balls off, and that’s just from a scoff. I can’t even imagine what he’d do if he knew the dirty thoughts I had about his sister just two minutes ago.

“Yeah, I’m, uh… gonna go grab a drink,” I mutter, gesturing behind me. I turn and walk away before Nathan realizes I wanted to do a little more than just play beer pong with Isabella.

I groan, rubbing a hand down my face.

Should’ve just been the rook’s wingman.