Playing By The Rules

PLAYING BY THE RULES MONICA MURPHY I need to thank Taylor Swift for Folklore. I’ve written a lot of books to songs from this album and now those songs leave me an emotional wreck. ‘Mad Woman’ really helped a scene in this book and I needed that so thanks… CONTENTS Playlist Untitled Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Epilogue Epilogue 2 Acknowledgements Also by Monica Murphy About the Author PLAYLIST “Wasting My Time” - Hannah Cohen “Dreams, Fairytales, Fantasies” - A$AP Ferg, Brent Faiyaz, Salaam Remi) “T Love” - Quarters of Change “Hit Me Where it Hurts” - Caroline Polachek “Sugar” - Remi Wolf “All I Really Want is You” - The Marias “Spectra” - Pink Skies “Mad Woman” - Taylor Swift Find the rest of the PLAYING BY THE RULES playlist here: http://bit.ly/3LuRFCU Or click the QR code below: “Even when I’m wide awake I’m in a dream, fairytale, fantasy When you’re around me” - A$AP Ferg ONE BLAIR I am in love with a man who doesn’t know I exist. Wait a second, scratch that. He knows I exist. He just chooses to ignore me. Which hurts even more. Oh, and by “in love with him,” I mean I think he’s superhot and sweet. A phenomenal athlete with strong, silent type-vibes, and I want to have sex with him. I don’t admit that to anyone though. Not a single soul. Camden Fields, hotshot quarterback at Colorado University, best friend to my overprotective big brother Knox, fuel for my filthiest sexual fantasies and dreams, is my secret. I first met Cam before I was a senior in high school. Knox brought him home with him in the middle of summer one weekend. They were already at college, preparing for the upcoming football season, and Cam wanted to meet our dad. Or Knox wanted to show off that our father is a retired NFL player. Whatever the reason, Camden walked into our house and my jaw literally dropped. He was the most gorgeous guy I had ever seen, and I still stand by that statement. Worse? He was nice. Funny. My parents loved him. He was kind to Ruby, our little sister, who can be a total shit. And when he appeared in a pair of swim trunks to go swimming in our pool? Forget it. I was drooling. Kind of like how I’m currently salivating as I lurk on the second floor of the library on campus, spying on Cam sitting at one of the tables nearby. It feels wrong, watching him when he’s unaware, but I need a few seconds to gather myself before I approach him, so why not spend that time unabashedly ogling him? The man is ridiculously good-looking. Dark brown hair that’s longer on top, which he keeps raking his fingers through as he reads whatever extremely thick and intimidating textbook is in front of him, and I wish it were my fingers in his hair. I stare at him with longing, grateful he hasn’t noticed me yet as I continue to mentally catalogue his features. Those dark brown eyes and a big smile with the straightest teeth. Strong jaw and chin, with cheekbones that could cut glass. He’s tall because, of course he is, as well as broad and built. Big hands that know exactly how to throw a football. Bet they know how to do other things too. My entire body flushes at the thought. “Excuse me,” a guy murmurs from behind me, and I step aside when I realize I’m in his way, offering an apology before my gaze returns to Cam. To find him looking straight at me, surprise etched on his handsome features. Oh shit. Smiling faintly, I offer him a lame wave and slowly make my way toward his table, telling myself it would be rude to ignore him. I stop on the other side of it, reaching out to grip the empty chair directly in front of me, so I have something to hold on to. “Hey, Camden.” “Blair.” His deep voice washes over me, making me tingle all over. “Surprised I haven’t seen you sooner.” I’ve only been here for about a month—after two years at community college back home, I transferred to Colorado University. And what, did he expect me to chase after him? “I thought you’d stop by our place by now to see Knox,” he continues, probably because he notices my confusion. “Oh. Yeah, no. Knox and I have met a couple times for dinner, but I haven’t stopped by your guys’ apartment yet.” I was always secretly disappointed Knox didn’t bring Cam with him to dinner too. “I’ve been busy.” “I bet.” His slow, sexy smile makes my panties feel like they’re made of dissolvable fabric. “How are you liking it here?” “I like it a lot! It’s great!” I am chirping. I sound like an idiot and need to tone it down a notch or ten. “My class load is kind of tough, but I’m getting used to it.” “Oh yeah?” He frowns, inclining his head toward the chair I’m currently holding on to for dear life. “You should join me. Unless you need to be somewhere?” “No, no. I don’t need to be anywhere.” Now I sound like a loser. This man turns me into an absolute fool, just being in his presence. “My next class is in like…forty-five minutes.” I let go of the back of the chair and he kicks at it, making the chair skid across the floor, nearly bumping into me. I grab