Break the Rules (The Flanagan Sisters Book 1) by Claire Boston Page B

they’d gone to the bathroom.
    Then
he heard the squeals.
    Turning
toward the playground he saw Tanya and Bridget on the swing set, competing for
which one could swing higher. He nudged Hal and pointed.
    He
laughed. “She knows how to have fun.”
    Jack
shook his head. Bridget kept surprising him today. He hadn’t seen any playful
side of her in the couple of weeks he’d known her. He liked it.
    As he
walked over, her laughter filled the air. It struck something inside him, made
him yearn. He stood in front of the swing, but at a safe distance as she threw
her head back and laughed.
    He
wanted her.
    “Catch
me!” Tanya cried and flung herself off the swing and into Hal’s arms. Hal
stumbled back a couple of steps but managed to break her fall.
    Jack
looked back at Bridget. Would she be as reckless?
    He
held his arms wide daring her.
    Her
grin was fast, mischievous, and before he could blink, she launched herself off
the seat toward him.

 
     
    Chapter 8
    Jack caught Bridget, her soft body hard against
his. He took a couple of steps back to cushion the blow, his heel catching on something,
and he fell flat on his back, Bridget on top of him, her head bumping into his.
Pain shot through him.
    “Ow.”
She tried to get up but his arms automatically tightened around her. Her body
fitted perfectly against his; every curve pressed in to him and he didn’t want
to move. He ignored Tanya and Hal’s laughter and looked into her blue eyes.
They widened, and glanced at his lips. He lifted his head to kiss her, needing
to taste her, and she pushed away harder. Disappointed, he let her go. She climbed
to her feet and brushed herself off, her face flushed.
    “Coordination’s
not your strong suit,” she said, looking everywhere but at him.
    He
stood up. “I tripped.” He glanced around, picked up the rock he must have
tripped on, and moved it into the garden bed.
    “Any
excuse,” Hal said, his arm around Tanya. “Let’s go for a walk.”
    “I’ve
got to talk with my girl,” Tanya said, moving away from Hal. “You keep your
brother company.”
    Jack
wanted to talk with Bridget but he knew when to take a step back. He followed
his brother, wishing he could hear the conversation behind him.
    * * *
    Tanya
tucked her arm into Bridget’s. “What was that about?”
    She
shook her head. “I was stupid. I shouldn’t have done it. I got – caught up, is
all.”
    “I’m
not talking about you jumping off the swing, I’m
talking about you not kissing that man.”
    Bridget
scowled. She could still feel Jack’s warmth on her skin, his muscled body pressed against hers, and remembered their one night together.
It was not going to happen again. “He’s my boss.”
    “So what? He’s sexy and his interested. You’re allowed to have fun.”
    “What
happens when it stops being fun?” Bridget demanded. “When he’s no longer
interested? I still have to work with him. I can’t keep it a secret at work.
I’m too transparent.” A work colleague had told her she could see her love for
Lionel in her eyes every time she spoke to him. At the time Bridget hadn’t
cared, she’d been too in love to think of the repercussions, but now she knew
better.
    Not
that she loved Jack. She barely knew him.
    “And
what if he’s the one?” Tanya asked. “You can’t push him away.”
    “I
don’t believe in soul mates,” Bridget said. “There’s not just one person for
each of us.” At least she hoped not. She wanted to see her mother happy again.
To have someone she loved.
    “Bridge,
it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. The attraction’s obviously mutual. You
can explore it outside of work hours.”
    She
shook her head. She couldn’t. She needed to be one hundred percent focused at
work and Jack was already too much of a distraction. She needed to keep him in
his work colleague pigeonhole. It would be easier for everyone that way. “Come
on. It’s time for dessert.”
    * * *
    Bridget
tried to keep at a distance from