Page 24 of Power Play

“Yeah, I know. It’s already all taken care of. My mom asked if she could keep her for the weekend. I guess they want to make cookies and watch some movies or something. I don’t know, some Halloween bullshit the girls are into.”

“Right on. Look at you, being on top of everything. Does this mean you’re looking forward to it?” Trevor asks, winking as he turns to leave. “Let’s grab a beer after work this week, you can let me know how the first game goes,” he yells over his shoulder.

“Whatever, man. I’ll talk to you then,” I tell him before turning to walk back to my place.

Is Trevor right? Am I actually looking forward to hanging out with Sawyer again? Well, not only Sawyer since it’s a group thing, but I’ve enjoyed talking to her. She’s been fun. And now I’m rambling like a fucking junior high kid with his first crush.

It’s not a crush.

I don’t even like her.

I don’t like anyone.

But even as I think it, I know that’s a bold face lie.

7

SAWYER

By the time Wednesday rolls around, I’m beat.

I’ve been doing my best to make sure I’m getting enough sleep, but sometimes it’s hard to recover after too many nights of shitty sleep.

This morning, it finally caught up to me. Somehow I had managed to snooze all my alarms in my sleep and woke up to the sun shining through my window with only twenty minutes to get to my first class. Unfortunately, I had to forgo coffee, which was a real bummer for me and everyone around me. To make matters worse, my professor is a real jackass and makes a scene whenever anyone comes in late.

But now I have an hour before I need to be at the daycare, and I’m heading straight to my favorite coffee shop to get enough caffeine to kill an elephant. The smell is the first thing that hits me when I walk in. The pastries here are to die for, but it’s the coffee that keeps me alive.

Walking over to the pastry case, I can’t decide whether I want something sweet or savory. They have cinnamon rolls, which are always a safe choice, but they also have quiche, and who doesn’t love a good quiche?

“The danishes are amazing,” a low voice from behind me says.

I turn around quickly, almost bumping into the man. Thankfully, he catches me before I do, his hand firm on my arm. His grip feels both comforting and powerful, a strange mix of safety and control. It’s exciting. I’m surprised by my reaction to a stranger.

That is, until I look up and see none other than Rex, the man I’ve been thinking about non-stop since the other night at the bar.

“Hi, Rex. You surprised me,” I tell him, my heart racing. I don’t know if it’s from the shock of seeing him or the fact that I nearly fell into someone. Something tells me it’s the latte

His blue eyes shine bright as he smiles at me for a moment before speaking. “I saw you looking at the different pastries like you couldn’t decide which one to get, I figured I’d help by recommending one of my go-to’s, they never let me down. I didn’t mean to startle you though. I didn’t expect you to be so concentrated,” he says, with a boyish and almost nervous smile on his face.

“I take my food seriously,” I tell him with a wink, which makes him smile even wider.

It’s nice seeing Rex away from everyone, he seems more comfortable and at ease.

“I get it. I’m the same way,” he says before pausing for a moment. “Are you here with anyone?”

“Nope, just me. I was just stopping in before I have to be at work in like an hour.”

“How about I grab a couple of my favorites and you go find a table? I’ve got some time to kill too.”

“Deal, but at least let me buy the coffee.”

“No. Just tell me your order and go grab us a table,” Rex answers, leaving no room for argument.

I quickly tell him my order then make my way over to one of the few tables left and wait.

As I sit and people-watch, I can’t help but focus in on Rex as he stands in line placing our order. The barista is smiling and obviously flirting with him, but Rex keeps turning around to check on me. It’s a simple gesture that is enough to have me feeling all warm and fuzzy inside.

It’s not like this is a date or anything, so there’s no reason why I should care if he’s flirting with the barista. And yet, despite her blatantly checking him out and pulling out all the stops to catch his attention, his focus is on me. His panty-melting smile out in full force, stirring up all sorts of feelings inside.

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