Page 1 of Power Pucking Play

Chapter 1

Prologue

Lexi

"This is your idea of quiet?"

I ignore the question—and the deep voice it belongs to—as I fumble to flick on the light switch in my hotel room. Beneath my ridiculously high heels, the vibrant hum of the NHL All-Star Game afterparty echoes faintly from the grand ballroom below.

Up here, the party feels like miles away. Worlds, even.

A haze of neon lights still dances in my mind, melding with the rush of adrenaline and laughter that seemed to spill out of every corner of the event.

I give up trying to located the light switch and lean back against the door, my heart racing, not just from the drinks, but from the man beside me.

Giovanni De Luca.

It's a name I've cursed in my columns many times. I never expected to be standing in the same hotel room with him. Just the two of us.

But here he is, his tall, muscular frame looming over me. His dark hair is tousled, and his green eyes smolder as he leans in, trapping me against the door behind me.

I narrow my eyes at him, trying not to let his towering presence throw me off. “You’re welcome to leave if it’s too loud for you.”

He grins. “This is nothing compared to a locker room full of hockey players.”

I roll my eyes and reach for the hem of my dress, ready to peel it off and get under the cold sheets, when Gio stops me with a hand on my waist.

“Hey,” he murmurs, pressing his forehead to mine. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

I hesitate. This is Gio De Luca, the notorious troublemaker of the NHL, the player who has broken more noses on the ice than he has hearts off of it.

My best friend's older brother. What the fuck am I doing?

My eyes flicker over his face, searching for any hint of insincerity behind the charming smile he always wears. But all I find is heat and desire burning in his gaze.

In that moment, I know I'm crossing a line. A line I never thought I would cross. A line that I probably wouldn't be crossing if I hadn't heard two senior journalists laughing about my new promotion in the elevator just an hour earlier.

I shake my head, trying to clear it of those thoughts.

I push away my doubts and lean in, pressing my lips against his as my hands tangle in his hair. The heat between us is electric, igniting a fire that has been simmering for far too long.

His breath smells like whiskey and bad decisions, and as our lips collide in another clumsy kiss, I can't help but think that this may be the biggest mistake of my career.

But at this moment, all thoughts of work and consequences are pushed to the back of my mind.

All I can focus on is Gio's touch. His lips on my neck. His hands roaming over my body as he reaches for the zipper on my dress.

I feel the heat of his breath against my skin as Gio's fingers graze the hem of the fabric, teasingly pulling it down.

"You know, I always wondered how you manage to look this good while being such a pain," he smirks, exposing my bare shoulders.

"Right back at you, Captain Asshole." I reach for the waistband of his trousers, my thumb grazing his skin ever so slightly. "But let's not talk about work right now."

He chuckles, but there's a flicker of seriousness beneath his playful facade. "The only kind of work I want to think about right now is exploring every inch of your body."

His fingers brush against the light switch, and my heart beats an uneven rhythm.

“Gio, keep it off,” I say, my voice low but firm. “I don’t need the harsh truth glaring at me right now.”

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