Page 25 of Power Play

“You’re…sorry?” she asks, and I can feel the hurt. I want to fix it.

“I’m not sorry that it happened,” I say. “Not at all. Just that it happened like that. For the first time. Forourfirst time. And I want you to know that I intend to make it up to you.”

Her eyes widen again, dropping to the ground as she clears her throat and tucks a piece of hair behind her ear.

“I, uh…oh…I…” she mutters. I smile, leaning forward and kissing her lips.

“I told you, Lo,” I say. “You’re gonna be mine.”

CHAPTERTEN

lo

I really wantto know what he meant by everything he said last night. That he was going to make up for it? And that I was going to be…his?

So many thoughts have been swirling so quickly through my head over the last twelve hours that I don’t even realize how long I’ve been cleaning the same table. I’m running throughImaginary Scenario 352of how he could possibly “make it up to me” when I hear Gary scream like a schoolgirl. I look up to see none other than Mr. Slick himself, Levi Buck, walking down the sidewalk and approaching the door to the restaurant.

I quickly stand up and wipe my slimy hand on the rag I’m using and tuck a stray piece of hair back into my extra-messy bun. Gary flies out from behind the counter, chucking his apron behind him as he greets Levi at the door. There are only two tables full right now, thankfully, so the rest of town doesn’t see Gary behaving like a fangirl. And Levi doesn’t have to deal with the small-town hero shit that I’m sure he has been, and will be, dealing with for as long as he decides to stick around again.

I swallow.

I hope it’s a while.

“We’ve been waiting for you, my boy!” Gary says, jumping up to hug Levi like a child meeting his favorite celebrity. Levi towers over him, and he wraps him in a hug that lifts Gary’s feet off the ground. I can’t help but smile.

“Sorry it took me a few days to get over here,” Levi says, setting him back down. Linda makes her way out from the kitchen and presses a hand to her chest as she waltzes up to Levi and kisses him, loud and wet, right on the corner of his mouth.

“Look at you, more handsome than ever,” she says with a playful pat to his chest. He bends down to kiss her cheek, then lifts his eyes to me.

“I see you’ve hired the best in town,” he says, nodding in my direction. I roll my eyes and smile, throwing the rag over my shoulder and picking up the crate of dishes I picked up from the table.

“She really is,” Gary agrees.

“Hope she’s not planning on leaving us anytime soon,” Linda calls after me as I walk toward the back to put the dishes away. My cheeks burn pink as they talk about me like I was built for a career in restaurants. Not that it’s not honest work. Not that I don’t make a decent living here, especially on the weekends after football games. It’s just not my dream. But that dream just simmers on the back burner for now.

I walk back to the front and see Levi leaning up against the counter, talking to Gary as Linda punches in whatever it is that Levi ordered. Finally, she rings him up, but I see him whisper something to her when she goes to take his card.

“Oh, that is just so sweet,” she says out loud, but he motions to her to keep it quiet. I see her walk over to the computer, punch in the bills for the other two tables, and charge them all to his card.

“No need to mention it till I’m gone,” he tells her with a wink.

My heart melts a little. And I feel warm between my legs.

God, he really is dreamy.

He’s big and tall and hard with tanned skin and dark-blue eyes. The muscles seem to ripple through whatever he’s wearing, regardless of the position he’s in. Demi picked up a calendar last year of the Spokane Storm team shirtless—something they apparently sold for charity—and hung it in our garage as a joke for my dad.

I looked at itwaymore than he did.

Specifically September.

Which happened to feature none other than Mr. Buck in his boxer briefs.

Phew.

I shake my head as I head toward them, but before I can reach them, he turns to me.

“Before you run off again,” he says, “I have a proposition for you.”

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