The Rule Book (Rule Breakers #1)(51)

 

“Yes. Right under breaking into his condo and dognapping.”

 

“Hey, I always bring him back. That has to count for something, right?”

 

Bruce showed his assent by letting out a loud fart.

 

I bent down to scratch behind Bruce’s ears and said, “This is why you don’t have a girlfriend, Bruce. We’ll work on the bodily functions, and maybe I’ll let you near the poodle in Twenty-Seven A.”

 

Brogan chuckled, and a smile broke out across his face. My heart stuttered in response. “Don’t get the poor guy’s hopes up. He has a long way to go.”

 

I said, “You’re right. Maybe you should sign him up for etiquette classes.”

 

Bruce huffed in response and rolled on his back, snorting while rubbing his back on the rug.

 

“Maybe not. I think he’s a lost cause,” I mused.

 

“Never too late to teach an old dog new tricks, is it, boy?” Brogan bent down to where I was crouched and gave Bruce’s belly a rubdown. Lucky dog. Bruce let out an even louder fart in response.

 

I stood and plugged my nose. “On that note, I’ll go meet your driver in the garage.”

 

We walked down the hallway toward the elevator, and I jammed my finger onto the down button with a little more force than intended, anything to not feel this need pulsing through my body.

 

“Lainey.” He grabbed my arm, and I desperately wanted to be the type of girl who could ignore the obstacles between us and push him toward his condo and into his bedroom and remove each and every article of clothing until I got exactly what the ache between my thighs begged for.

 

Instead, I said, “Yeah?” My voice came out strangled. Definitely did not go along with my “keeping it cool” facade.

 

“Thanks for tonight.” His hand brushed my cheek and tangled with my curls. I leaned into his touch, staring into those melted-chocolate-chip-brown eyes. His gaze shifted from my eyes, down to my lips, and then back to my eyes again. His tongue darted across his lower lip, and my eyes fluttered shut, anticipating how soft his lips would feel pressed against my own.

 

His breath fanned across my cheek as he closed the distance between us. His stubble grazed along the side of my jaw as he inched closer, taking the fleshy part of my ear between his teeth. I couldn’t resist him any longer. This pull between us was too much to ignore, and just this once I had to let myself give in and lose myself in the moment. A breathy moan whispered past my lips, and I tilted my head to give him better access.

 

The elevator door dinged open, and we suddenly weren’t the only people in the hallway.

 

Balls.

 

Seriously, what was with me and my perpetual bad luck with elevators?

 

He pulled back a fraction of an inch, and his expression took on a pained quality, almost like he was warring with himself. He groaned and muttered something under his breath. Our gazes met, and a swirl of hesitation and raw desire flickered in his eyes. Enough to send a shiver trickling down my spine, because those dilated pupils told me everything I needed to know in that moment—I wasn’t going crazy. Brogan was fighting this urge, just like me.

 

An old lady with a walker clomped her way out of the elevator. A muffled swishing sound filled the hallways as the tennis balls on the bottom of her walker slid along the floor. She glared at us the entire time she passed, which was a good ten seconds, since she was moving at the pace of a slow-motion replay.

 

Brogan cleared his throat. “Good evening, Mrs. Ellingson.” He nodded at her and smiled.

 

“Damn kids don’t even have the decency to use the privacy of their own home anymore,” she muttered. She pointed a finger at him and jabbed him in the chest. “I have HBO if I want to see that kind of smutty stuff.” She continued to scowl at Brogan, even though she had inched past us.

 

“Right. Have a nice evening,” he said as she shuffled her way to what I assumed was her condo and disappeared through the door.

 

As soon as it closed, we looked at each other. We both erupted in laughter. I doubled over, unable to catch my breath, tears streaming down my face.

 

After finally finding my composure, I said, “Your neighbor’s a real peach,”

 

“She has her moments. Can’t say this was one of them,” he said, still chuckling.

 

He smiled and grabbed my hand, his large calloused one encompassing mine. My whole body tensed in response to the unexpected touch. His eyes were devoid of the heat that was there a few minutes prior, but still managed make my knees buckle. He leaned down and whispered, “Let’s do this again.” He pulled back slowly, his jaw brushing along mine.