Power Play: The Nashville Assassins: Next Generation

by Aleo, Toni

  I blink while Wes laughs, the only way he really can laugh. Hard. “Your engagement ring? You’re kidding.”

  “Nope! I love it. It’s all black and shit.”

  “That’s what girls wear, not dudes,” Wes laughs, and Willy snorts.

  “I mean, we all know you have soft, silky hair like a girl, but this is going a bit overboard.”

  Aiden splutters. But then he smiles, not even the least bit affected by us. “Fuck all of you. If Shelli gets a ring to keep dudes away, I get one to keep the females away.”

  I give him a dry look. “You know a ring doesn’t keep anyone away. It’s the person. Take it from experience.”

  Aiden waves me off as Wes points to me. “He’s right.”

  “I love it. I think it’s awesome. You guys are just jealous I’m super in love with the hottest chick on this planet.”

  I might be biased and still in a Posey state of mind, but Shelli isn’t Posey.

  “Speaking of my hot, soon-to-be wife, there’s her sister,” he says loudly.

  We all turn to see Posey walking toward us. Still dressed in her sexy outfit from the game, she gives a brief smile as she walks by.

  “You wanna sit with us, Posey?” Aiden calls, and she pauses.

  Her eyes move to me but only for a second before they’re back on Aiden. “No, y’all have your fun. I’m just getting a nightcap to help me sleep. I won’t be here long.” She eyes him. “From the sound of it, you need to call it a night. I’m calling Shelli.”

  “No. Don’t,” he complains, and then he gets up, walking with her to the bar. When he puts his arm around her, hugging her tight into his side, anger explodes inside me, which is ridiculous. He’s wearing an engagement ring; plus, he wouldn’t cheat on Shelli. He actually loves her. He probably shows emotion and lets her know what he is feeling. Communication. I bet they’re good at that. I greatly dislike that I want that. I am supposed to be a lone stallion. Spreading my seed and enjoying life as a bachelor. But instead, I met a woman who commands my best on and off the ice.

  I want to give it to her.

  I try not to watch as Aiden talks to Posey, but it’s hard. I want to know what they’re talking about. I didn’t tell Aiden about us. I didn’t want it getting back to Shelli. But even knowing they wouldn’t be talking about me or us, I want to know. I want to be in the middle; I want her to look at me and smile like that. Even if it is just the annoyed, get-out-of-my-face smile she’s currently giving her future brother-in-law.

  When Wes leans in, I move away since I’d rather not talk to him. “I think you should go over there. It’s obvious you want to talk to her.”

  “Shoo, you.”

  He laughs, and I roll my eyes. When I look back to where Aiden is, I see he’s coming toward us with three shot glasses in his hands. It’s not unusual for Aiden to buy drinks for everyone, but there are six of us at the table. Maybe they’re just for our line? But then he sets them all in front of me. I can smell the vodka, top shelf, the good stuff. Aiden didn’t buy these. He’s a cheap ass when it comes to liquor.

  “Posey said, ‘Great goals tonight.’ Ta-da!”

  Vodka. We had vodka shots together last night. I swallow past the emotion before I look up at him. “She said ‘ta-da’?”

  “No, I added that,” he laughs, and my stomach clenches.

  I almost don’t believe she sent them, but when I look back to the bar where she is, she’s watching. She doesn’t smile or even wave. She stares at me with those blue eyes that have the power to cut a weaker man. Some would be scared, but I can see that her eyes are filled with such guilt. It makes her look like a dog that’s been kicked.

  “I think this may be an olive branch.” We all glance at Wes, and I know what he means.

  Aiden, though, says, “You want some olives?”

  Wes nods. “Yes. Yes, I do.”

  I stand. “Let me get those for you. I’m also going to go do these with Posey since she bought them.”

  To my surprise, no one razzes me or even says anything as I take the shots back to her. When she sees me coming, I watch as her shoulders fall, and she looks down at her wine. She runs her fingers along the rim of the glass as I put down the shots. She glances at them and then back at her wine. She swallows, still not looking at me as she says, “Came to bring them back?”

  “No. Actually, I was surprised you sent over three.”

  She looks up then. “What?”

  “I thought you’d subtract one since I messed up the power play.”

  Posey slowly shakes her head. “No, you earned those goals, and we’ll continue to work on the power play. If you want to, that is.”

  “I do,” I say, and surprise takes over her face. “I believe you’re the only one who knows how to fix it.”

  She smiles. “You don’t need much help. You’re already an incredible scorer. The pass is just slow.”

  “I am, but you were right about taking me off.”

  “I didn’t want to be,” she says softly. “I mean, I knew I was going to be, but I was rooting for you.”

  I quirk my lip. “Yeah.”

  “Yeah,” she says slowly, her eyes reverting to her drink. “I’m really sorry about all that. I shouldn’t have allowed my insecurities to cloud my decision on your play.”

  “But you were right in the end, and I’m man enough to admit that.”

  “I know. But still, it was shitty of me. I’m just terrified of you.”

  “Shit, same here,” I admit, moving my fingers around in the condensation on the bar from the glasses. Our eyes meet, and heat passes through us. I take a deep breath. “We’ve got ourselves in a pickle, Posey Adler.”

  “I’d say we do.”

  “Yeah,” I say on an exhale. “For one, there are three shots and two of us. How can we split these equally?”

  Her lips curve as she meets my gaze. I can tell I’ve caught her off guard. I like doing that. “Well, I could just match you. Three for three.”

  I nod. “That’s a damn good plan.”

  So, she does, and when her shots are placed next to mine, our eyes meet. She asks, “What’s ‘for two’?”

  “Funny you should ask. I was getting there,” I say, leaning my elbow on the bar. “I think with each shot, we should admit something to the other.”

  “That’s the ‘for two’?”

  “No, but we’ll get there.” I love the way she looks at me, her eyes so intent on mine. I want so badly to close the distance between us and smush my lips to hers. I hold up my first shot, and she does the same. I clear my throat. I don’t know if she’s nervous; I am, but she is just watching me. Giving me nothing to go off. “My ex said I don’t show feelings and that’s why she cheated on me. I do have feelings. A lot of them, actually, but I don’t always express them right. I never meant for you to feel like I’d used you. I think I’ve wanted you for as long as I’ve known you, and I don’t know how to express that.”

  Her breathing picks up, and she lets out a shaky breath as her eyes hold mine. In a low voice, she says, “My whole life, guys didn’t want me—they wanted Shelli. It’s given me a complex where I feel like I’m not ever good enough. I second-guess myself at every turn, and I want so desperately to believe that I am enough. I just don’t know how.”

  Because no one has ever made her feel that way.

  “Okay. So we jump right into the deep shit?”

  She grins. “It’s been a deep day.”

  I nod as I tap my glass to hers, and we both shoot back the bitter liquid. I slam down the glass, and she pushes hers away before grabbing the next, making a hissing noise. She holds it up, and I do the same, our eyes meeting once more. The heat is insane between us. I can feel it coming off her, and it slams into me like a tidal wave. She’s just so gorgeous.

  I want to tell her so, but before I can, she admits, “I’m terrified I suck as a coach. That I’m making the wrong calls and that I don’t belong in the organization.”

  Wow, I’m kind o
f struggling here. She seems to bleed confidence, but this is all very eye-opening. “I get nervous on the power play. I want so badly to be calm and cool like Aiden and Wes, like how you want, but I worry that what happened tonight will always happen to me.”

  She licks her lips, and I want so much to devour them. She taps her glass to mine before we both shoot it. When we both slam the glasses on the bar, we share a smile. When she reaches for her final glass, she holds it up, and I can see her eyes filling with tears. I don’t understand it, nor am I prepared. Emotion just takes over.

  “I know this between us was just getting started, but I don’t want it to end,” I whisper, and she nods slowly, causing my heart to almost explode in my chest.

  “I don’t want that either.”

  I hold my shot out to her, but she shakes her head. “That’s not my truth.”

  “It isn’t?”

  “No,” she says, and then a single tear slides down her sweet face. I don’t know why. With her voice low, almost so low I can’t hear her, she whispers, “I was a virgin when I woke up this morning.”

  She holds her shot to mine, but I don’t move. I feel a lump in my throat as I stare into her eyes. And it’s as if it all comes together at once. The blood, how tight she was, how much pain she seemed to be in… But surely not. She’s like twenty-one, right? Or she has to be at least that since she’s drinking. Or maybe she has a fake ID?

  “A virgin, as in you like virgin daiquiris?”

  Her face breaks into a grin as another tear falls. She slowly moves her head from side to side. Oh. Oh fuck.

  “So, then, it’s the other way. You hadn’t ever had sex before.”

  “Yes.”

  “How old are you?” I ask, unable to comprehend what she is saying.

  She looks away shyly. “Twenty-one.”

  I feel like I’m fumbling over my words. “But you had sex with me.”

  “I did.”

  “That was your first time?”

  “Yes.”

  “With me?”

  She nods, and it’s as if she’s ashamed. I’m not making this easy for her. It’s hard for me to digest, though. That was her choice, and she chose me.

  “Why?”

  “Because I wanted to.”

  Oh. Okay. She wanted me. I swallow hard, and all of a sudden, something clicks in my head. “I think it’s time for me to suggest our ‘for two.’”

  She seems wary. “Okay?”

  “For two, after we are done with these shots, I want to take you somewhere quiet where we can talk and I can kiss you without fear of someone seeing and running back to the coaching staff.”

  Her eyes widen as her face flushes. “You still want to kiss me? Even after everything I’ve said and done?”

  Every nerve ending fires off, and I clink my glass to hers. “It’s all I want to do, Posey.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Posey

  I leave the bar first, and my heart is seriously beating out of control.

  From the moment Boon walked up to me, it hasn’t slowed down. I was convinced he was coming over to throw the shots in my face. I expected no less; I deserve it. Instead, I’m waiting by my car for him. I’m unsure what is about to happen, but I can’t wait. I’m pulsating with excitement. I want so much for this to turn into something. I wasn’t lying when I said I was terrified of him. I am. I just want him to like me because of how much I realize I like him.

  In the short time I’ve known him, I know he’s strong. I’ve followed his play, so I know he’s astonishing on the ice, but off, he is proving to be the same. He’s passionate and has the same drive I do, all qualities that attract me completely. He’s funny and shy about things, which makes me all giddy. I adore how he looks at me. Even in the bar, his eyes never left mine. I could feel him looking at me, drinking me in, and I feel… Holy shit, I feel gorgeous under his gaze, special. I love that feeling. It’s like a new sheet of ice for morning skate. The possibilities are endless.

  I lean on my car as I wait for him. I’m not sure if we’re taking my car or his. I mess with my keys, digging them into my nails as I wait. After a few minutes, I wonder if he’s coming. Did he not mean what he said? Wait. No. Stop! He is coming; I have to believe that. Because he thinks I’m gorgeous. He wants to be around me. He wants to kiss me.

  Maybe if I keep saying it in my head, I’ll believe it.

  When the door to the bar opens, I hold my breath. There he is. In a crisp black suit, his hair combed to the side, he finds me as he walks across the parking lot. He moves like a cat stalking its prey. His movements are fluid and really damn sexy. When he’s close enough, I can see that he is staring at me. He looks behind him and then around, but he’s still coming right for me. I hold my breath once more as he reaches for me, bringing me into his arms, and kissing the hell out of me. His mouth is warm, tastes like beer…and is that olives? I don’t know, but I’m in pure heaven. His tongue sweeps along my lips, and before I can even fully open my mouth, his tongue is inside.

  He devours me.

  Boon’s fingers bite into my back, and he holds me as close as he can. I lean back into the car, bringing him in closer, and he squeezes my back as our kisses turn desperate. I feel him hard against my sex, and within seconds, I’m wet. When he pulls back, he cups my face, running his thumb along my jaw. His nose presses into mine as his lips graze my bottom lip. When the most gorgeous and unstoppable grin takes over his face, I’m breathless.

  “Hey,” he whispers, and yeah, I swoon.

  “Hey,” I say back, wrapping my arms around his waist, his jacket keeping me warm. “Are we taking my car or yours?”

  “Yours. I don’t have mine. I rode with Wes.”

  “Okay,” I say, but neither of us moves. “Do you wanna go?”

  He rubs his nose back and forth against mine. “Not yet.”

  I grin against his lips. “It’s cold, and everyone could come out.”

  “I can’t say I don’t care, huh?”

  “I don’t want to care, I really don’t. But I think before we out ourselves, we need to make sure this is going somewhere.”

  He kisses my top lip. “Aren’t you supposed to be young, carefree, and reckless?”

  I laugh. “My mom says I have an old soul. Shelli was more free-spirited, but living in New York on her own changed all that, and she made some bad—”

  “Posey,” he says, biting at my lip. “I didn’t ask about Shelli. I asked about you.”

  I sigh. “It’s hard to talk about me. I’m boring.”

  “You’re unbelievably amazing.” He licks my lip and then kisses it. “Let’s get out of here.”

  He lets me go and walks around my car as I ask, “Where to?”

  “Can I take you to my favorite sushi place?”

  “Oh, I love sushi.”

  “It has the carbs.”

  I beam. “All the carbs.”

  We get in the car, and he directs me to the restaurant. As I drive out of the parking lot, Boon goes, “So, a virgin, huh?”

  I glance over at him, and he is grinning. Like, a full-on grin. His whole face, teeth gleaming and eyes shining. I can’t help it. I snort with laughter. “What does that even mean?” I say between giggles.

  “Just making conversation.”

  I give him a perplexed look. “Couldn’t you ask me what my favorite movie is?”

  “That’s trivial shit. I want to know why you chose to give me your virginity.”

  I furrow my brow as I turn off the highway. “Um, I didn’t.”

  “You did. It’s in my pocket.” I look at him, appalled, and he grins once more. “So why?”

  “The opportunity was there, and I took it.”

  He doesn’t like that answer. “Be real.”

  I bite into my cheek as my fingers dance along my steering wheel. “You made me feel special.”

  He slides his hand along my thigh, grabbing my knee. “You are special.”

  A blush creeps up my neck. “
And safe. I felt like you would take care of me.”

  He makes a noise of contempt. “I think I was a little rough.”

  “You were.”

  “Sorry. I would have gone a lot slower if I’d known.”

  “I didn’t want to go slow. I wanted it just like that.”

  He strokes his thumb along my knee. “Are you okay? You’re not hurting, are you?”

  I shake my head. “No, I’m fine.”

  “Good. I was worried.”

  I smile, but then I wonder. “It doesn’t bother you that I was, does it?”

  He squeezes my knee. “I’m not going to lie. It’s freaking me out.”

  “Oh.”

  “I’ve never taken someone’s virginity. I mean, is there a cake I need to get? Some ice cream, maybe? Should I buy you a present?”

  I grin. “I do like all of that.”

  “Done deal, then,” he says, still with a goofy look on his face. “I am scared I hurt you. That’s why I asked.”

  Oh. “Well, that’s really sweet of you.”

  “It kinda turns me on too,” he says, and I glance over at him.

  “It does?”

  “Fuck yeah,” he says, his eyes burning into mine. “I’m the only one who has had you. You’re untouched. It’s hot.”

  “Or really pathetic, and makes me inexperienced—”

  “Or fucking hot, Posey. Seriously.” He grabs my hand, putting it right on his cock. “You feel that? You do this to me. Even before I knew I was the only man to have you, you’d made me so hard, it was hard to see straight.”

  I’m speechless, and the feel of him is unbelievable. “Oh.”

  He lets out a long sigh. “Plus, I feel really good knowing I’m the only one you wanted.”

  I remove my hand from his cock, shaking my head. “Please. The ego is suffocating in here.”

  He laughs, reaching for my hand again and bringing it to his lips this time. He kisses my palm and then the back of my hand. “I’m kidding,” he says between kisses. “You make me feel like a brand-new girl.”

  “For the love of God,” I complain as we pull into the sushi bar. I haven’t been here, but I know Shelli loves it. She’s been trying to get me to go with her and Aiden. I tend to pass on hanging with those two. They’re sticky-icky in love. I take my hand from Boon’s and turn off the car before throwing open my door. When I go to get out, he’s there. Our eyes meet as I take his hand and use his help getting out. He wraps his arm around me, pulling me in close.