Rule Number Five

CONTENTS Author’s Note 1. Jax 2. Sidney 3. Jax 4. Sidney 5. Jax 6. Jax 7. Sidney 8. Sidney 9. Jax 10. Sidney 11. Jax 12. Sidney 13. Jax 14. Sidney 15. Jax 16. Sidney 17. Jax 18. Sidney 19. Jax 20. Jax 21. Sidney 22. Sidney 23. Jax 24. Sidney 25. Jax 26. Sidney 27. Jax 28. Jax 29. Sidney 30. Sidney 31. Sidney 32. Jax 33. Sidney 34. One Week Later 35. Two Weeks Later 36. One Month After 37. Two Months Later 38. Two and a Half Months Later 39. Four Years Later Keep in Touch Thank You RULE NUMBER FIVE A HOCKEY ROMANCE NOVEL J. WILDER Copyright © 2023 by J. Wilder All rights reserved. J. Wilder Rule Number Five No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Book Design: Vicious Desires Design Editing: One Love Editing AUTHOR’S NOTE So you may have noticed that I have two names now. Jessa Wilder and J. Wilder. I set it up this way so people who only like contemporary romance don’t accidentally stumble into my trigger-happy series. But both names are still me! What to expect from a J. Wilder book: J. Wilder writes fluffy contemporary romance steeped in delicious smut. If you want squishy, warm, happy feelings, and quality spice, her books are for you. Rule Number Five has a unique story behind it. Way back in 2019 I fell in love with Sidney and Jax and published their book: The Study Date. After publishing 6 additional books I realized even though I’d laid out the bones of their story I hadn’t done them justice. So, in June of 2022 I had the wild idea that I would unpublish The Study Date and edit the hell out of that book to republish. At the time, I thought it would be a simple process that would take no time at all. Boy, was I wrong. This turned out to be one of the most intense editing processes I’ve ever done. I switched chapters around, deleted some, and re-wrote others. Until it was everything I ever wanted it to be. For those of you who’ve read and loved The Study Date, don’t worry. Sid and Jax’s love for each other is still there, just with some added excitement and fun. I hope you love Sidney and Jax as much as I do. Happy Reading! Rule Number Five is a complete STANDALONE. For more books by Jessa Wilder, visit Jessawilder.com To all the readers who love simp bad boys who fall first. ONE JAX “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me, man.” Alex met my gaze across the table and grinned, showing off the lipstick smeared on his cheek. He’d been practically fucking a redhead in our booth for the last fifteen minutes, and her moans had officially reached soap-opera-acting level of ridiculous. Not that I minded if a girl wanted to get laid, but that wasn’t a puck bunny’s MO. They were out to catch a free ride and didn’t give a single shit if they liked you or not. A shiver crawled down my spine. It made me feel used and dirty. I had to get the hell out of there before he convinced her to get on her knees beneath us. Not that I expected anything less. Alex had always been a bit of a puck slut. He gave me an unapologetic shrug but disentangled himself, dropping her feet to the floor, then smacked her ass. “How about you get us a beer, sweetheart?” “How about you come with me?” Even though we all knew she would do it anyway, she still pouted when he just stared at her. With one last look, her shoulders dropped, and she walked off in a huff toward the bar. The club was in a warehouse with giant concrete pillars that divided the space and multicolored strobe lights pulsing over a dance floor. On the furthest side, there was a long glass bar serving every type of drink you could think of. “She’s going to spit in your beer,” I said with a grin wide enough that I knew my dimple was showing and raked my hand through my messy brown hair. Alex laughed. “Eh, never know. I might like it.” “Alright, fucker.” Standing, I grabbed my coat from the booth. “I’m out before she comes back with friends.” “Hey, you’re supposed to be my wingman,” he argued. “If I wanted to catch bunnies, I’d have stayed at the rink.” Sure, I was down when he asked, still high off our win, but I wasn’t interested in these girls. “Fucking picky bastard. Hold up,” Alex grumbled under his breath and searched the crowd before a slow smile formed on his lips. Then he gestured toward the other side of the club with his chin. “How about them?” I followed his gaze to a girl at a bar-height table. She was tall, blonde, and had a deep tan that gave her a sun-kissed look. By the way Alex looked at her, she must’ve been his type, but I was too blindsided by the hot-as-fuck brunette standing beside her to notice. “Fuck me,” I said low under my breath as I took in the brunette. She looked like some kind of sexy librarian, wearing a short pleated skirt, thigh-high socks, and chunky black boots. She smiled at her blonde friend, then dipped her head, getting ready to take a shot. My mouth watered when she licked the web between her thumb and pointer finger, getting it ready for her friend to pour salt on. She had a devious-looking smirk on her face, and I counted with her. One. Two. Three. Next, she sucked the salt off, tossed back the shot, and bit into a lemon. I swallowed hard when a