Chapter 12 No Rules
Shawn’s POV
“Fuckkkkk!!”
The sound rips out of me before I could stop it as I drag a hand through my hair in frustration, pacing my dorm room like a caged animal.
This was insane!
Completely insane!
Out of all the decisions the academy could have made, this had to be the worst one!
Sharing a room with Navarro?
“Fucking hell!”
I let out a sharp breath and kicked a stray duffel bag out of my way, sending it sliding across the floor.
The director had no idea what he had just done, because this wasn’t just about hockey. Hell…this wasn’t just about teamwork or discipline or fixing whatever the hell had gone wrong on the ice.
This was something else.
Something I didn’t want to name or even dare to think about.
I finally stopped pacing the room and rested my hands against the desk, my head dropping for a second as I tried to steady myself.
Get it together, Shawn!
You’re the fuckin Captain
You don’t get to lose control over some dumbass rookie—
KNOCK!
Before I could lose it any future, a sharp knock on the door shatters through my thoughts.
I didn’t need to think too much to guess who it was.
Of course!
That son of a bitch just couldn’t wait to rub it in my face. I straightened slowly, forcing down every inch of frustration off my face, before making my way to the door.
I opened it.
And there he was.
Rafe.
Leaning casually against the doorframe like he had all the time in the world, a duffel bag slung over his shoulder, another in his hand. His hair was still slightly damp, like he’d just showered, and there was that same annoying look in his eyes—
That irritating look!
Like he already knew this was getting to me.
“Miss me already, Captain?” he began, a hint of amusement curling in his voice.
I didn’t utter a word in response.
Neither did I move.
Just stood there staring at him, because if I opened my mouth right now, I wasn’t sure what would come out. Rafe didn’t waste time as he took my silence as an invitation.
Before I could form a word to say, he pushed off the doorframe, walking straight past me into the room as if he owned it.
“Home sweet home,” he mocked casually, dropping his bag onto the empty bed.
“You have no right to enter my room unless I tell you to,” I said, shutting the door behind me harder than necessary.
He glanced over his shoulder, completely unfazed. “Well…it’s not only your room anymore.”
That hit.
Harder than it should have been.
“The only reason you’re here is that you were told to be,” I snapped back, stepping further into the room. “Don’t mistake that for anything else.”
Rafe turned fully toward me now, the expression on his face calm, almost bored—but there was something else underneath it, before he parted his lips to speak.
“Relax, Calder,” he said. “I’m not here to take over your room.” Then his eyes flicked briefly to the mess scattered across the room, the things I’d all thrown away in frustration—and then back to me.
“Rough day, huh?”
“Stay out of it,” I snapped.
“It’s really going to be hard,” he replied, shrugging lightly. “Because I’m kind of all over your business now.”
This fucking jerk!
I exhaled slowly through my nose, forcing myself to stay controlled like always. “Listen to me carefully,” I began, forcing my voice low and steady. “We’re not friends, we’re not anything outside of this team. You’re only here for one reason…which is hockey, so you better stick to it.”
“Is that so?” Rafe tilted his head, studying me with those piercing hazel eyes that always seemed to see too much.
“Yes.”
“So…no late-night bonding?” he asked, stepping just close enough that the scent of his cologne filled my nostrils instantly. His gaze flicked down my chest, then back up, lingering on my mouth.
“Cut the crap, Navarro.”
“I’m just trying to know the rules, Captain.”
The word “Captain” rolled off his tongue like a tease, low and deliberate. But he doesn't give me any chance to recover as he takes another half-step forward, close enough that the heat from his body brushes mine.
“The only rules you need to know are simple,” I said, my voice shaking even as I tried to steady it. “We train. We play. We win. And that’s all there will ever be. You stay out of my way, and I stay out of yours.”
Rafe’s smile widened even more now—slow, dangerous. He leaned in a little more, then his voice dropped to a low, teasing whisper.
“And if I don’t?”
“Then you won’t last here. Simple.”
A humourless laughter tears out of him, loud enough that I feel the vibration of it against my skin. “You really do believe everything’s that simple, don’t you?”
“It is when you don’t complicate it.”
“Right,” he murmured, his eyes dropped down to my lips again. “But I’m not the one who’s so good at keeping things uncomplicated now, am I?”
Heat crawled up my neck immediately, but I remained calm, I couldn’t let him see my break. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”
“You keep pretending that nothing’s going on,” he said, those deep piercing eyes locked on mine. “That you don’t notice the way your body reacts when I’m close to you, the way your breathing changes. How hard you get just looking at me.”
My cock twitched in my shorts—traitorous, instant. I hated it. I hated him even more for saying it out loud.
“That’s all in your head, Navarro.”
“Is it?” He tilted his head, stepping even closer now. “Then why are you breathing like that right now? Why’s your cock already dripping just because I’m standing here?”
As much as I hated to admit it, he was right. My dick was already hard now—painfully obvious if he looked down. But Rafe gives me no breathing space, he leans down until his lips are a breath away from mine.
I could feel the heat of his mouth, the faint brush of his exhale against my lips. “You want to kiss me right now, don’t you?” he murmured, “Bet you want to push me against this wall and take my mouth. Grind that hard cock against mine until we both lose it.”
“You’re so full of shit!” I forced the words out, despite the effort it took not to grab him.
“Am I?” His gaze dropped to my lips again, then lower. “Then why’s your dick straining against your shorts like that? Just accept the fact that you’re leaking for me right now, Captain… just from me standing this close.”
I felt it—my cock throbbing visibly, pushing against the transparent fabric of my shorts.
“You'd better back off, Navarro,” I growled.
He didn’t.
If anything, he leaned in even closer, his lips hovering over mine, so close that I could taste his breath.
“Say it,” he whispered. “Say you don’t want to fuck me right here, right now, against this wall until we’re both shaking.”
My control was hanging by a thread now, and he felt it. My hips twitched forward—barely an inch, but enough that the tip of my cock brushed the front of his shorts.
“This ends here,” I said firmly, forcing myself to step back and put space between us again. “Whatever you think this is between us…it’s not happening.”
For a second, Rafe didn’t utter a word.
Didn’t argue.
Which somehow made it worse.
He just kept staring at me with that same unreadable look in his eyes.
“Sure,” he finally spoke after a long pause, turning back to his bag. “Whatever helps you sleep at night.”
I stood there for a moment, trying to ignore how hard my cock is right now, the way the room suddenly felt smaller than it was.
This was a fucking mistake.
A huge one.
And the worst part?
It had only just started.