Power Play (Nashville Assassins: Next Generation Book 2) Read online

  “Yeah. What’s up?”

  “How old are you?”

  He runs his tongue along his teeth. “Why? Think I’m robbing the cradle?”

  I laugh. “No. If I remember correctly, you’re twenty-eight.”

  “Yes, you’re right. But you are also such a stalker, Posey Rose Adler.”

  I laugh, squeezing his leg. “Who’s the stalker? You know my middle name.”

  “Hey, I can google just as well as you can.”

  “Yes, we both can, Boon Zachariah Hoenes.”

  His eyes widen. “Super stalker.”

  “It’s in the personnel file,” I tease, and he laughs.

  “Jesus!”

  “I’m gonna call you Zach.”

  “Don’t you dare.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t like it. Julia’s mom never called me Boon, only Zachariah. I think she thought my name was trailer-parkish.”

  I make a face. “It’s a strong name.”

  “I think so.”

  “Fine, I’ll call you my boo.”

  He splutters with laughter, and then we’re just grinning at each other for almost a full minute. When he leans in, sliding his hand up my thigh, I find I’m holding my breath. “So, how are we doing this?”

  I look up from where I am cutting one of my waffles. “What do you mean?”

  “Us.”

  “Us?”

  “Yes. Us. Me and you. We aren’t telling anyone, correct?”

  I press my lips together as I swallow nervously. “Correct. I think we should wait. Maybe after the season is over. I gotta figure out a way to tell my dad I’m dating.”

  He makes a face. “Huh?”

  I shake my head. “He has ‘daughters-dating-induced angina.’ It’s really annoying, and with Shelli getting married, he isn’t handling things well.”

  He laughs. “That’s funny.”

  “Sure, when you’re not on the receiving end of it. That’s probably another reason why guys never wanted to be with me. Everyone is terrified of my dad.”

  “Well, he is Shea Adler.”

  I roll my eyes. “Don’t get me wrong. I know this, but he’s amazing as all get-out.”

  “Yeah, he is—and scary. But don’t worry. Give me the green light, and I’ll face him.”

  I pause in the middle of putting a piece of bacon into my mouth. “Really?”

  “Really.”

  “He could lose his temper and kick your ass.”

  He shrugs. “You’re worth it, lovely.” Okay. So, he’s coming guns blazing with some truth, huh? “Problem is, I don’t want to fuck up your career. I don’t want anyone to feel like you’re favoring me. You aren’t going to let up and just put me on the power play. I’ll have to work for it.”

  I swallow past the lump in my throat. “Exactly.”

  His lips quirk. “It’s cool. You school me on the ice, and I’ll school you in bed.”

  Now my lips are quirking. “I love the sound of that.”

  “Me too. But believe me, Posey, I am kissing the fuck out of you when we win the Cup. We will be on the ice, with the Cup above our heads, and the whole damn arena, team, parents, and more will see it.”

  My heart actually stops, restarts, and then does a jig. “Really?”

  “Yup,” he says confidently.

  “So, we’re together, then?”

  He rolls his eyes. “Yes, Posey. Come on.”

  I look at him seriously. “Most guys don’t want relationships.”

  “Well, this guy does,” he says, meeting my gaze. “I know a damn good girl when I see one. Well, I take that back because I chose Julia, and that was a huge mistake. But with you, no one—and I mean no one—can challenge me and shatter me in bed the way you do. I may suck on the power play, but I’m not an idiot.”

  Wow. “We’ll get you there.”

  “I know,” he says with a wink. “I’m not worried. I do hate that I’m off it, but I believe in you.”

  I blink, holding back the emotion that wants to explode out of me. “Same here. You got this.”

  He nods. “You do too, Posey. I know you think you’re not doing well, but you are. All the guys love you, but they don’t get to have you like I do. Suckers.”

  I giggle as I take a forkful of waffle. Boon is driving me insane with happiness. But something is bothering me. “Are you always like this?”

  “How so?”

  “Just so sweet and attentive. I thought Julia said you weren’t emotionally available.”

  He shrugs his shoulders. “I wasn’t, I guess. I don’t know. I feel like it’s different with you, and I want to try to be what you want.”

  “I don’t want you to be who you’re not.”

  He nods. “I couldn’t fake what I’m feeling.”

  “Oh.”

  “Wait, is it overwhelming? Do I need to scale back?”

  I shake my head. “Not at all. I’ve never had anyone treat me this way.”

  He reaches over, taking my face in his hand. “You deserve this. And more.”

  Boon runs his thumb along my lips, looking at me like I’m the game-winning goal.

  The way my dad looks at my mom.

  For the first time, I feel like I deserve this, like I’m enough. The feeling is out-of-this-world awesome.

  So awesome, I don’t know how I ever lived without it.

  I chose to face my parents.

  I think it’s more important that I keep my professional image and deal with the stress of the intrusiveness my parents will provide. I still have on my skirt from last night, with Boon’s boxers underneath. He almost couldn’t let me leave in them. He told me it was too much to handle, knowing they were on me. I practically had to run out of his house before he attacked me. I’m still giggling a bit, thinking of the savage look on his gorgeous face. I have his North Face hoodie on too, when really, I wanted his Assassins one. Problem being, it has his number all over it, and that would be a huge giveaway to my parents.

  As I drive back to my house, I wonder what they would think of him for me. I know he’s older than me, but so is Aiden with Shelli. Aiden’s like six years older or something. Yes, Boon is seven, almost eight, since he has a birthday coming up, but surely that won’t matter. He’s wonderful. He’s so smart and talented and funny. Plus, Mom will love that he likes me for me. She always said she wanted me to find someone like that. Someone who would think I was perfect the way I am, just as my dad thinks about her. She may not seem like it now, but she had confidence issues in her early adult years. She’s always tried to help me not be like that, but unfortunately, she couldn’t fix that inside me. Not her fault. Maybe it’s genetics. I don’t know. But the one thing that helped her was she found a man who loved her unconditionally.

  I am in no way saying that is what is happening with Boon, but the possibility of it is nice to think about. With that thought, though, I worry I am glamorizing the situation the way I did with Maxim. I know Boon said we are in a relationship, but he is turning out to be a jealous man. He has reason to be, but what if he is only putting a label on us to keep me with him? It worries me. Then again, didn’t we say we wouldn’t do this?

  I reach for my phone, hitting his number. When he doesn’t answer, I go to hang up, but then he’s there. “Hey! Posey!”

  “I almost hung up. You all right?”

  “Yeah, my bad. I was in the shower.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry—”

  “Don’t apologize. You good?”

  I turn onto my road. “Yup, I was just driving and thinking—”

  “Shit, that could be a bad thing.”

  I roll my eyes. “Hush, you,” I tease, and then I’m grinning. “But I was wondering something.”

  “Okay?”

  “Are you putting a label on us because you don’t want me to be with anyone else?”

  He pauses for a second. “I can see why you would think that, but that’s not my way of thinking. I could put a ring on your