Page 100 of Power Play

“You can be dependent with me all you want. I want you to know that you can always count on me.” He moves a bit closer. “I love you.”

“I’m stubborn and selfish, and I don’t look the way I used to. I’m too much?—”

Clay presses a finger to my mouth, silencing me.

“Don’t,” he says quietly but firmly. “You’re persistent and self-sufficient. And yes, you don’t look the way you used tobecause we all change. But you’re still the most beautiful girl in the world to me. I told you that already, and I’ll continue telling you that over and over again for the rest of my life.” He bends his head down to me. “And you’re not too much. You’re everything. I love you.”

“I make terrible decisions.”

Clay chuckles. “We all do.”

“I rewatchGossip Girlseveral times a year, and I’m still not over my obsession with peonies.”

Clay’s eyes coast over my face, and I have no idea what he sees. The rain is pouring down on us; only the streetlights illuminate the space between us. He licks his lips. “Tell me how you feel about me. How you’ve felt about me all these years. Say it, and I’m yours.”

“Clay…” I fall silent, all my emotions strangling me.

“Say it, Layla,” he demands, curving his arm around my waist and hauling me against his chest. “Say it,” he growls.

“I love you, Clay Rodgers. I’ve always loved you,” I say. “And I’m so sorry for not telling you sooner.”

His lips crash onto mine, drowning my sobs in our molded mouths. I wind my hands around his neck, pulling him closer to me. We kiss and kiss. The rain is pouring down on us, but neither of us pays it any attention.

Clay presses his forehead to mine with his eyes closed. His minty breath fans over my face, making me smile. The cool air of late November feels like a sunny day in the middle of June because he’s with me.

“I hate that you think loving you is so hard. It’s so fucking easy, Layla. The easiest thing I’ve done in my life—the deepest, the purest, and the most logical.” He opens his eyes, and his yellowish-greens find mine. “I love you. You and Maya are my whole world.”

I pull his face down to mine and kiss him again. My skin hums; my body buzzes with excitement.

After all, I still have a chance for a happy ending.

Chapter 34

So Glad You Did

LAYLA

Now, November

“So that’swhat you were watching instead of the game?” Clay asks, leaning against the doorframe.

“Just a few moments ago, you didn’t protest about my love forGossip Girl.” I turn off the TV, put out the scented candle, and quickly collect the wineglass and the half-full bottle from the table. “You had your chance to criticize it, now?—”

“Did you forget that I watched it with you at least two times from start to finish?” The laughter in his voice sets the butterflies in my stomach free. I bite the inside of my cheek, keeping myself in check. “I think season three and six are my favorites.”

“Why?” I head to the kitchen and put the empty glass into the sink and the bottle on the kitchen table. I’ll deal with them tomorrow before Maya gets home. Tonight, I want to enjoy my time with Clay. No matter what we end up doing.

“Because of Blair and Chuck and their relationship,” Clay replies once I return to the living room. “I know they’re your favorites, and they’re mine too.”

I come closer and wrap my arms around his shoulders. We are both still a little wet from all the rain, but my body feels warm, and my heart beats steadily. I feel at peace and relaxed—but I hope that’s about to change because I really did miss him. Him and his dick. And everything he can do with it.

What can I do if he’s got a gentle heartanda big, fat cock? At the end of the day, I’m only human.

“What are we going to do?” I move my hand up to the nape of his neck and pull his face to me. “We have the whole house to ourselves. Maya is staying with Drake and Angie tonight.”

He studies me silently, a fire flickering behind his eyes. “Did you really not expect me to show up tonight? Because Maya’s absence kinda speaks for itself.”

“Let me think about that.” I lean back, and his arms go to my waist, not letting me more than a few inches away from him. “My plans for tonight actually included watchingGossip Girltill I fell asleep, drinking wine to dull the pain of my broken heart and also not letting Maya see me looking and feeling like shit.”

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