Page 87 of Power Play

“What’s he all excited about?” a voice says beside me.

Turning to look, I smile, already knowing who that soft voice belongs to.

Sawyer.

“Oh, nothing. I just told him I’m the new Ice Hawks head coach.” Her eyes widen with excitement. “But I also gave him an offer letter for a five-year contract with us, so he’s a little excited.”

“Wait?! Does he need to sign?”

“Already did.”

Her squeal of excitement is fucking adorable. Even more adorable is her wrapping her arms around me and hugging me with excitement, for her brother and, I guess, for me.

It feels good to have her back in my arms. It feels like it’s supposed to feel when you’ve found your person. That’s what Sawyer is to me. She’s my person.

She pulls back, looking a little nervous. “Sorry about that. I got a little carried away,” she says as she tries to pull herself out of my hold, but I don’t let her.

Gripping her chin in my hand, I tilt her head up until she’s looking at me.

“My jersey, huh?” I smirk as she blushes, cute little wrinkles forming as she scrunches her nose in embarrassment. “Baby girl, I like it. No, that’s not true. I fucking love seeing you in my jersey. I want to—”

“Rex, I... I, uh, have something I need to say first,” Sawyer says, looking me square in the eye. Shit, that alone almost makes me nervous. “I made the wrong choice. I, uh, fucked up. I...”

Her momentary pause is all I need before I’m slamming my lips against hers. She immediately melts into my touch, kissing me back before her hands finally make their way into my hair, pulling me even closer into our kiss.

I’m lost for a moment in a kiss that I wasn’t sure would ever happen again. An overwhelming feeling of happiness courses through me like a wave. Nothing around me matters. The only thing I care about right now is this woman in my arms. So, when she pulls back from our kiss, I want to argue, but the look in her eyes stops me.

“I love you, Rex. Like, I really, really love you. Even though you don’t think ice cream is a major food group and you think Die Hard is a Christmas movie, I still love you, even if you’re wrong. I love you for the studio. Holy shit, I can’t believe you did that. I love you for everything you do. But I don’t expect you to say it back. I know I fucked up a lot, but I just wanted to make sure you knew how I felt.” She takes a deep breath before finally looking up at me.

“First off, Die Hard is a Christmas movie, and you can’t fucking tell me otherwise. Second, we need to discuss your sugar consumption if this is going to work. But, I mean, I guess the NHL does have good dental,” I tell her, enjoying watching her squirm. “And third, I love you too, baby girl. The studio wasn’t contingent on that. I just want you to have your dreams. I wouldn’t say you fucked up, but I will promise you that if you ever pull anything like that again, I will handcuff you to my bed and fuck you until you finally see the truth of the matter. You’re my person. We belong together, Sawyer.” I’m not sure who leans in first, but next thing I know, we’re making out again in the middle of the bar, not giving a fuck about anyone around us. My hands grip her ass as she leans into my kiss, moaning when I suck on her bottom lip.

“Fucking, finally,” I hear Harris say from somewhere near us, but I don’t stop kissing her. “I thought I was going to have to make a move and kiss her, you know, to get you to pull your head outta your ass. Kind of bummed you did it yourself,” he laughs.

I lift one hand to flip him off, which only makes him laugh harder.

“Hey, that’s my fucking sister, you asshole,” Max grumbles, but I don’t stop. I don’t know if he was talking to me or Harris, but either way, I don’t give a shit.

“Don’t act like you don’t know what they’re about to do,” Harris deadpans.

“Shut the—”

Right then, Sawyer pulls back, laughing, and turns to face the boys with a smirk. “Hey, Max, wanna see if I can still kick your ass at pool?”

“You’re on, sis. Teams?” he asks.

“I’m in,” I say. “But I’m on her team.” I point to Sawyer, who’s already walking over to the table.

Cassie walks over right then with a tray of drinks and passes them out. When she passes Max his, he grabs his arm and pulls her towards him. “Deal. But Cassie’s on my team.”

“Uh, you know I’m fucking awful at this game, right? And why are you touching me? Get off,” she sneers, but keeps walking towards us.

“Doesn’t matter. I’ll do all the legwork, you just reap the benefits, princess,” Max responds with a wink. “Besides, we’re playing against a man who has bright blue nail polish. I’m pretty sure we can beat them,” Max laughs, throwing a jab at me.

I honestly forgot that my nails were still painted after my last daddy-daughter date, but again, I really don’t give a shit as long as she’s happy.

I just shrug. “Eh, whatever, man, Rory’s a persuasive little thing, and at this point I just do as I’m told. It’s much easier that way. You just wait until you have daughters. I’m sure you’ll have your hair in pigtails and makeup all over.”

“Shit, Rex. I’ll put makeup on him. I bet he’d look so pretty,” Cassie laughs as she pinches his cheek.

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