Page 61 of Power Pucking Play

"I don't want to," I mutter, feeling both stubborn and defeated.

"I know." Lexi sighs and reaches out to take my hand. "But you can't keep running from your past forever."

"Easy for you to say," I snap, pulling my hand away. "You don't have your entire world at stake."

Lexi's expression hardens, those hazel eyes now sharp with determination. "Easy? Are you fucking kidding me? After everything I told you in Seattle—about my dad leaving us, about my mom's drinking—do you really think saying any of this is easy for me?"

Her words are like a slap to the face. And still, she keeps coming at me, refusing to let me hide in my own self-pity. "I'm not saying it's easy. But you? You using this as an excuse to push me away? That's just fucking cowardly." Her blonde hair falls in her face as she shakes her head. "I know Gio De Luca is lots of goddamned things, but I never thought a coward was one of them."

I flinch, feeling the sting of her words. But I can't deny that there's truth in them. I've been using my past as a shield, pushing everyone away so they can't get close enough to hurt me. And now, with Parker and this story looming over me, it's all unraveling.

"What do you want from me?" I ask.

"I want you to fight," Lexi says, marching towards me. "Fight for your career, for your relationships, for your identity." She reaches out, grabbing my chin and forcing me to look at her. "Giovanni De Luca, the one I know and love, doesn't give up. He fights back."

My jaw practically unhinges. My stare narrows.

"Love?" I repeat, incredulous. "You love me?"

Lexi's cheeks flush, but she doesn't back down. "Yes. I do."

I'm speechless, my heart racing in my chest at her confession. I've never allowed myself to fully believe that anyone could ever love me, especially after everything that's happened in my life.

But looking into Lexi's eyes now, I see the truth and sincerity behind her words. And for the first time in a long time, that wall of ice in my chest that I've grown so fucking fond of starts to melt.

I reach up, brushing a lock of hair away from her face. "Don't fucking say that to me, Lexi Brookes."

She raises her chin. "Why not?"

"Because then I'll have to admit that I love you too."

Lexi's bottom lip quivers and I know that she's holding back tears. She reaches up, cupping my face in her hands. "It's about time you admitted it," she says, right before she throws her arms around me.

I barely notice that she does. Because the second the words are out of my mouth, I've already thrown my arms around her too.

Our lips don't come together so much as they collide. But it's perfect, it's fucking perfect.

Lexi tastes like salt from her tears, but she's sweet too. It's like she's made of all my favorite things, and I can't get enough of her.

I pull back, resting my forehead against hers, our breaths mingling. "I'll fight," I whisper, knowing that I have to now. For myself, for Lexi, for us.

Lexi's fingers are at my shirt, buttons flying open and the fabric slipping down my shoulders. I tug at her clothes with urgency, feeling the beat of desire thrumming through my veins. It's a frenzied, desperate dance as we shed the barriers between us, skin meeting skin.

She backs toward the bed, and her hips barely graze the edge before my body presses against hers, hard and wanting. I catchthe glint of amusement in her eyes as our bare chests collide, my erection demanding attention as it nudges against her stomach.

"Clean bill of health, I hope," she quips, a teasing smile playing on her lips despite the flush of heat across her cheeks.

I grin back, matching her playful tone. "Tested and cleared, sweetheart. Wouldn't be here otherwise."

"Me too," she confirms, her voice dipping a notch as her fingers trace patterns across my skin.

With a shared look, a silent agreement, I enter her, and we're no longer two separate beings but one entwined. The world narrows to just us—our movements, our breaths, the intensity of this connection—and for the first time, I feel like I'm found my place in the fucking world.

And my place is inside of my beautiful, strong, fucking fierce Lexi Brookes.

Our bodies move in an urgent rhythm, the bed creaking in time with the beat we set. The amber light casts a warm glow over us, highlighting every curve and shadow against the sheets.

Each thrust is long and deep, filling me with a sense of rightness, of belonging.

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