Bending the Rules by Ali Parker Read Free Book Online Page B

friend with you?"
    "Yeah. Kendal. He's a great guy. You're going to love him."
    "I like his name. It's... different."
    I scrunched up my nose. "What are you talking about, crazy girl?"
    She laughed again. "Never mind. Of course you can come stay with us. You know that."
    "Us? Are you living with Luke now?" The thought caused my stomach to sour.
    "Off and on. I still have my own place, but we're slowly transitioning over to his."
    I groaned and walked toward the living room. "You know marriage is supposed to be about love and forever and all that great stuff."
    "That's a fairy tale you keep telling yourself."
    "Where's my sweet friend that believed in true love when we were kids?"
    "She's long gone, Dana. You know that." Her voice softened, losing some of the natural cockiness that I always enjoyed hearing in it. She was a beast, a confident woman with intelligence, looks and a fierceness that was only matched by her sweet heart for those she truly loved.
    Life had pulled out the stops to stomp her in the ground, and unfortunately the guy wearing the boot was the only boy she loved. Was she still suffering from that heartbreak?
    "Nope. I refuse to believe it. I'm going to find Caden Taylor and get your heart back." I smirked, knowing I was setting myself up for an ass chewing. We promised not to talk about Caden a long time ago, and I usually kept up my end of the bargain. He was the high school quarterback that everyone loved, and my best friend was head cheerleader.
    "Kick him in the nuts if you ever find him."
    I snorted. "I'll be up there on Friday night. I don't want to mess up your weekend, so if you want me to just get a hotel…"
    "No. Never. I want you to stay with me. Period."
    "All right. I'll let you know when we get in. Text me your address."
    "I'll do it now. Love you. Can't wait to see you."
    "Me too." I set the phone down on the counter and walked toward the bedroom, letting my thoughts run wild. "How weird would it be if I actually ran into Caden somewhere around town? What would I say?"
    I'd kick him in the nuts for hurting Olivia so bad. It was a hot mess that none of us wanted to revisit. Our glory days of high school definitely ended with a bang and would remain locked in the past forever if any of us could help it.
    I finished cleaning up the house before taking a shower and packing up my bag to head to the library. I could get in a few hours of studying before a quick lunch and an afternoon shift at the hospital. A knock at my door left my heart skipping a beat.
    Where I didn't expect it to be Kendal, I couldn't help but hope that maybe it was. He was the only person outside of Jackie that I'd have expected to stop by my apartment.
    I pulled the door open to find Cameron standing on the other side with a handful of flowers.
    "You have got to be kidding me." I tilted my head to the side and put my hand on my hip. "I already told you that we're over."
    "And I heard you, but I don't think you really meant it." He extended the flowers toward me. "Come on, Dana. Let me just explain myself. Please, baby?"
    "You were horrible to me the other night in the parking lot when I had dinner with Kendal. Why in the world would I give you even a second of my time?" I took the flowers and chucked them toward the kitchen table. "I'm not letting you in."
    "Fine. Then come out for a quick sandwich with me."
    "It's not lunch time." There wasn't even a seed of desire inside of me to hear this asshole out, and yet I knew that to deny him was to invite him to get violent. I wasn't sure what he was capable of, and I wasn't exactly scared, but after his off the wall behavior, it seemed like a better idea to get him away from the apartment, even if that meant sharing a quick meal with him.
    "Then breakfast." His jaw locked. "Just give me half an hour and if you're not convinced that I'm truly sorry and deserve another chance, I'll walk away for good."
    "You promise? No more of this showing up on my doorstep at random hours of the