Page 124 of On the Power Play

Delia scrunched her nose. "I haven't?—"

"I know. Just your lips."

She raised an eyebrow, and Jack laughed. "Please?" When she nodded, he lowered his head and kissed her. Slow and gentle. It was already the best morning he'd had in years, and he hadn't even had bacon yet.

Delia pulled back and ran her hands over him, giving special attention to any places that made him shiver. "Washroom. Then I'll be back."

"Mmhmm." Jack fell back on the pillows and waited. When she exited the washroom, he took his turn, making sure he counted to twenty while he brushed so Delia wouldn't accuse him of skipping teeth.

His pulse was already jumping by the time he returned to the room, pulled open the curtains, and slid back under the covers.

Jack moved on top of her and disbelief clawed its way past pleasure and warmth to the top of the pile. "How am I this lucky?" He brushed away her soft waves and kissed her forehead.

"Tony's just damn good at his job."

Jack chuckled. "He told me that, you know. Right after he asked if I was an asshole."

Delia laughed. "He asked? That's a big deal. Normally he just assumes."

"He cares about you."

"As much as a publicist can care for their merchandise."

Jack worked his way down her neck to the warm, freckled skin of her chest. "You're not merchandise." He knew that feeling all too well. Being a number on a printout sheet of paper. Managers and coaches passing him around from one team to another. The coaches always seemed to care until he stepped outside the lines.

He pushed away the flash of worry about the meeting he scheduled with his current coaches in Calgary at the end of the week. It had been too much to schedule something between travel games, but he couldn’t wait much longer. According to Brett, Liam had fulfilled his end of the bargain. That was something.

Jack closed his eyes and breathed in the clean scent of Delia’s skin. Right then there were no meetings or futures he needed to worry about. He only wanted to be there in that bed. His lips on her neck. His legs laced with hers.

Delia sighed. "But I am a paycheck."

He conceded that point with a kiss. "You can be a paycheck and still have people care about you."

She ran her fingers through his hair as his kisses travelled lower. "Maybe, but?—"

The talking stopped right around when he reached her belly button.

_____

Delia sat across from Jack in the booth, her body humming. She hadn't meant to steal an invite to brunch, but she wasn't complaining about the sweet potato, spinach, and sausage hash in front of her. Clara buttered a biscuit, and Leslie was telling Jack something about his high school hockey coach when Mary showed up next to her. She and Alvin had insisted on sitting at their own table even though Leslie had invited them to join their group.

“Change your mind?” Delia asked.

Mary shook her head and crouched. "Have you checked your email?"

Delia frowned and shook her head. She'd barely glanced at her phone since about nine thirty the night before.

Mary held out her screen, and Delia gasped. "It's live."

Delia held back the curse words bubbling to her lips and turned back to Jack and his parents. "I'm so sorry, just a second. My new song just came out." Jack moved to stand, but Delia waved him off. "It's okay, stay with your parents. I'll be right back, I promise."

She jumped out of the booth and went to Mary’s table, ignoring the cell phones pointed her direction from across the restaurant. She could just see those headlines. Delia leaves Jack holding the bill. A lover’s spat?

Mary held up her speaker between them and pressed play. The song started off exactly as they'd planned, and it felt like she'd downed two Red Bulls. She bounced her knees to keep from jumping up and down. The guitar dropped, then the bass, and then Ethan's signature keyboard riffs. It was gorgeous, exactly what?—

Delia froze on the bench as it moved into her verse. Those weren't her updated lyrics. She'd recorded new versions when she went to the studio but these were the original versions they'd put together weeks ago.

"That's not right?" Mary gave her a look, and she nodded. Delia reached into her purse for her own phone and impulse-dialed Christian. To her surprise, he answered on the second ring.

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