London Kelly is in love with her best friend and has been for years.
Too bad he’s an adorably clueless idiot who a) just doesn’t see what everyone else sees and b) abides by the rule of ‘don’t screw the crew’s sisters, daughters, or exes.’ And since London’s dad is his fire captain, that puts her firmly in the do not touch category.
Then one night, London decides to throw caution to the wind and kisses him, finding her unequivocally placed in the friend zone.
That’s when London decides that maybe it’s time to move on.
Except fate decides to have the last laugh, calling Luca to the scene of a fire at the very same restaurant where London is on a secret blind date, bringing him face-to-face with the reality that he could lose his girl.
Suddenly all bets are off.
Besides, bending the rules isn’t the same as breaking them… right?
***
USA Today Bestselling Author BJ Harvey brings you Rule Bender – Book 4 and the last book in a spin-off to the Cook Brothers steamy rom-com series featuring first responders in Chicago who are fighting the good fight and also finding love at the same time. This series can be read as a standalone and is set in the same world as the Bliss and Cook Brothers series before it.
“I’m not a child, Luc,” London pipes up. I look down at her mascara-smudged glare, my annoyance level dropping at the sight that’s more hilarious and adorable than menacing.
“Never said you were, Lonnie.”
“I prefer being called beautiful,” she grumbles.
I take a step forward and lift the clean corner of the towel and gently wipe around her mouth, my lips twitching as I look down at her gorgeous face. “Beautiful, you’re a cute drunk but you’re also a messy one, especially when you share your liquor with my turnouts and boots.” She giggles and my anger disappears completely. “I’m trusting Brock to—”
“Perfect Brock.”
The corner of my mouth tips up. “I ain’t calling him that, beautiful. You know there isn’t a man on earth that’ll ever be good enough for my girl.”
Her breath catches, a soft moan vibrating in her chest as her eyes flutter closed before slowly opening again.
“But I want you to go home, grab some water and some Tylenol, and go to bed. I’ll take care of your car and will come get you tomorrow on the way to lunch at my parents’, yeah?”
She stares at me for a good long while, but when the truck’s horn sounds, I know I’ve got to get a move on. “Can you do that for me, Lonnie?”
“Yes, Luc,” she nods, slowly at first then more enthusiastically.
“Good girl,” I say, earning a beaming, blinding smile this time. “And make sure you text me when you get home. Can you do that for me, beautiful?”
After she nods again, I lean in and touch my lips to her temple, ignoring how right it feels.
Before leaving her, I pin Perfect Brock with a knowing glare. “Straight home, man. I’m trusting you with something precious to me here.”
He tilts his head, rubbing his chin and studying me. “I can’t work out if you’re an idiot or you just don’t see it,” he says, pulling London snugly into his side. He looks to Cohen. “C’mon. You see it too, right?”
Cohen purses his lips and shrugs, not exactly denying it.
“What the fuck?” I ask.
He leans in and lowers his voice. “One date with this woman and I already know she’s someone special.”
I grind my teeth together so hard my jaw aches.
“And I don’t owe you anything, especially not after your friendly disposition tonight. But just so we’re crystal clear, this date stopped being a date when she told me she can’t get over her stupid crush on her best friend, and because I’m a nice guy, a good guy, and not the asshole you seem to think I am, I’ll give you some free advice. You’ve got a choice to make, and you’re gonna have to make it sooner rather than later.”
“Oh yeah? Enlighten me, wise one, who seems to know everything about my girl here.”
His eyes flash. “You can either open your eyes to what’s right in front of you and how good it could be, or you can let her go so she can get over you and find a man who’ll give her the world she desperately wants from you.”
Then, like he hasn’t just laid me out where I stand, he carefully turns London around and walks her down the sidewalk away from us, leaving me standing there wondering what the hell just happened.
Excerpt #2
Stepping forward, I reach for the tie hanging from my brother’s fingers, running through the steps of tying a Windsor knot in my head.
Then, in what must look hilarious to anyone looking in, four grown men and a teenager, try—and fail—to get the ties to look right. Of course, Val, London, and my dad just sit back and laugh at us until I shoot desperate puppy-dog eyes to my best friend.
“Please, Lonnie. Help a bestie out? My ties are usually the already tied type,” I explain, not missing the snorts from the guys and Dad’s disappointed groan. I bat my lashes at London in one final plea. She sighs, then seems to take pity on me. She crosses the room, her eyes dancing with humor as she bats my uncoordinated hands out of the way and gets to work. I smile at the deep concentration on her face, and my chest warms when the tip of her tongue darts out to touch the corner of her mouth as she twists and folds and threads the material through the loop.
The problem is, when she lifts her eyes to mine just as she slides the knot up to my neck, there’s this moment where the whole world stands still, and it’s like we’re the only two people left moving. I notice gold flecks in her deep blue eyes that I’ve never seen before. My gaze drops to the perfectly curved Cupid’s bow on her top lip.
My head goes a little fuzzy, and I have what I can only think of as an out-of-body experience because it feels right far too right. Like it’s not just my best friend smoothing her palm down my chest making sure the tie is perfect.
As if sensing my confusion, Lonnie jerks her chin up. Her eyes lock with mine before she quickly steps away, and the moment is gone as she slowly makes her way down the line of groomsmen, helping them, one by one, too.
But I’m frozen in my spot, my heart racing as I try to comprehend what the hell just happened.
BLP REVIEW – Tracy
This was a great end to the series.
I loved London and how she felt about Luca… lordy, everybody but the man himself could see how good they were together and that they were all but an ‘official’ couple because they did just about everything together…
I liked the fact that London tried it move on, how sweet a guy her date turned out to be when she outed herself and how the fact that seeing London with another guy made Luca realise just what he had and was potentially gonna lose.
I got Luca’s concerns and understood where he was coming from to an extent but he needed to start thinking more with his heart and a bit less with his head IMHO.
Catching up with the rest of their group and seeing how they’re doing is always fun. I’m sad the series has come to a close but I’m excited to find out what’s gonna be coming next from B.J.
In The Series:
Book 1: Show Stopper: A Knight in Charming Armor Firefighter Rom Com – FREE for a limited time!
BJ Harvey is the USA Today Bestselling Author of angsty contemporary romance, romantic comedy, and sometimes a little bit of romance suspense. She regards herself as a smut peddler, suspense conjurer, and a funny romance thinker upper. An avid music fan, you will always find her singing some hit song badly and loving every minute of it. She’s a miner’s wife, a mom to two beautiful teenagers, and was born in New Zealand and currently lives in Perth, Australia.
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