Page 47 of Power Pucking Play

"Still on for tonight? Promise I won't bite. Much. ??"

I grin, feeling a warmth in my chest that has nothing to do with the hot shower I'm about to take.

"Wouldn't miss it. My place, 8 pm. Bring your A-game, Brookes."

Her reply is almost immediate.

"Always do, De Luca. Try to keep up."

As I head out of the rink, I can't shake the feeling that I'm standing on the edge of something big. Something that could change everything.

Part of me is terrified. What if I screw this up? What if Lexi's article does end up painting me as the villain? What if I can't change, can't be the player Corso wants me to be?

But another part—a part that's getting louder by the day—is excited. For the first time in years, I feel like I have a chance to write my own story. To show the world who I really am, not just who they think I am.

And with Lexi telling the story. Hell, maybe I can actually pull it off.

As I climb into my car, I catch sight of myself in the rearview mirror. The messy-haired guy looking back at me isn't the cocky hothead I've been for so long. He looks...hopeful. Determined. Maybe even a little scared.

But you know what? I kind of like him.

"All right, De Luca," I mutter to myself as I pull out of the parking lot. "Time to show 'em what you're really made of."

Chapter 16

Lexi

I'm definitely going to walk a hole right into my carpet at this rate.

In my overpriced downtown Chicago high-rise apartment, I've been pacing back and forth for the past hour.

Phone in hand, I've been trying to work up the courage to cancel tonight's interview with Gio. Even ordering my favorite takeout chicken wings and blasting my go-to '90s R&B playlist isn't calming me down.

It should be easy, right? Just a quick call. "Hey, Gio, can't make it tonight. My precious kitten Luna started a fire and my apartment flooded. Rain check?"

Except Luna's sitting sweetly on the couch watching me pace around like a lunatic, and the only thing flooded is my conscience.

I groan, flopping onto my couch. When did my life become a bad rom-com?

My phone buzzes, and I nearly jump out of my skin. It's a text from my editor.

"How's the De Luca piece coming? Remember, we want ALL the dirt. No holds barred."

Ugh. Wonderful. As if I needed more pressure.

Before I can talk myself out of it, I hit Gio's number.

It rings once. Then twice...

"Brookes! Miss me already?" His voice is warm, teasing. My belly does a flip, just like always.

"In your dreams, De Luca." I pause for a second. "Listen, about tonight..."

"Let me guess. You're calling to say you can't wait to see me and you're counting down the minutes?"

I roll my eyes, even though he can't see me. "You wish. Actually, I was thinking maybe we should reschedule. You know, give you more time to prepare your lies and evasions."

There's a pause on the other end, and for a moment, I think maybe he's bought it. Then he says, "Nice try, Brookes. But I know deflection when I hear it. What's really going on?"

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