Rules Of Our Own (Rule Breaker Series Book 3)

I WAKE to the smell of bacon frying and whispered voices. I roll over and check the clock. It’s well past ten. I can’t remember the last time I slept like this. Always the first one up and dressed for the day.

I kick my feet over the side of the bed and pull on a pair of Alex’s sweatpants and his T-shirt from last night. The scent of coconut and salt fills my nose, and I remember all the positions I’d had him in. I clench my teeth together and enter the hall, needing to be close to them.

I pause, leaning against the wall, as I spot Mia smiling in the kitchen. She has a spatula in her hand and a streak of flour across her cheek. She looks fucking delicious in my crisp white dress shirt, my boxers peeking from where she’s left the bottom unbuttoned. I have to bite back my groan, not ready for them to see me yet.

She’s looking up at Alex with wide doe eyes like he hung the fucking moon for her, and he’s staring right back with just as much love.

Crookshanks, who moved in when Mia started staying here every night, does figure eights between my ankles, meowing at full volume. I pick him up, and he nuzzles his head under my jaw, purring against my chest.

“Look who’s finally awake,” Alex says, smirking at me from behind the counter. He shifts, and the muscles of his bare chest tense and flex as he passes me a freshly brewed coffee when I sit at the island with the cat curled in my lap. He’s wearing a pair of navy blue ball shorts, and I can just make out the outline of his—Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

“Pancakes?” Mia asks, sliding a plate in front of me before I can answer. The two of them look like they’re up to something.

“Thanks.” I take a bite, humming at the sweet taste of maple syrup. She walks around to my side of the island, and I wrap my fingers under my shirt around her waist. “Come here.”

The cat jumps from my lap as I twist on the stool. Mia’s searching my face, clear green eyes catching on mine. She takes a deep breath. “Alex and I were talking…and…what do you think if we both move in here?”

Warmth radiates in my chest, and I pull her onto my lap, capturing her mouth in a deep kiss.

She’s breathless when I pull away. “Is that a yes?”

I glance between her and a nervous-looking Alex.

“I don’t know how this is even a question.” I kiss Mia’s temple before settling her feet to the ground and walking around the island. I set my coffee cup on the counter and back Alex into a corner.

I search his gaze, the worry clearly written across his features.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

He looks at his feet, the wall, then the ceiling. Anywhere other than at me. I grasp his jaw, grabbing his attention. “Tell me.”

“I know you don’t like to talk much, and I just wanted you to know…I love you…and…I hope you love me.” There’s fear in his eyes, and his words crack on the last vowels.

Shock registers through me, and I grip the back of his neck, closing the distance between our mouths. I kiss him long and slow, devouring every sound he makes before pulling away, chest heaving.

“Of course, I fucking love you. I fucking breathe because of you. And my heart beats because of her. You never have to doubt that. This. Us. We’re everything.”