Page 40 of Power Play

“That sounds like heaven,” I murmur. He glances down at me and pecks my lips. “It also feels like?—”

“Clay?” A woman’s voice interrupts me. A beautiful girl with curly blond hair stands in the doorframe of a classroom, her green eyes laser-focused on Clay. I frown, trying to remember if I know her.

“Hey, Sasha,” he replies. He turns slightly to his left to get a better look at her. “What’s up?”

Annoyance clouds her features, her pouty lips protruding. She raises her eyes to the ceiling, takes a deep breath, and then brings her gaze back to Clay. “Where are you going? We have two days to finish that paper Professor Morrison assigned. You said we’d do it today.”

“Sorry, can’t. I have other plans for tonight.” He gives her a sheepish smile. “But tomorrow, I promise, I’m all yours. I have evening practice, so we can finish the paper right after class.”

“I know better than to believe your promises, Rodgers.” Her eyes flash with something fiery, and I instantly feel uneasy. Did he sleep with her before?

“I won’t let you down. You have my word.”

She studies him with narrowed eyes, then nods. “Okay. But I’m warning you, Clay. If you bail again, I’m going to finish the paper myself and leave it to Professor Morrison to whip your ass.”

“Fair.” Clay grins. “Bye.”

“Bye.” She swivels on her heel and strolls back into the classroom.

Oblivious to my state, Clay starts walking again, dragging me to follow him. Doubts and worries find their way into my head again, the same ones I’ve been trying hard to ignore this whole time. Clay is a very handsome guy, while I am me, with my pale hair and mud-colored eyes. I’m not a match to him. I’ve never been super popular with boys, and I’m way less experienced than him. His list of hookups is a mile long. What if he gets bored with me? I love sex, and with him, it’s mind-blowing every time, but what if I won’t be enough for him soon? He’ll grow tired of teaching me. Well, maybe not now, when we’re still in college, but when he graduates and leaves for Chicago to play for the Hawks?

What if our relationship is doomed?

“Did you sleep with her?” The words leave my mouth before I can think them through as we walk out of the building.

“Why does it matter?” Clay stops and turns to me.

“It just does.” I shouldn’t have this conversation with him now, when my hormones are controlling my emotions, when I’m vulnerable and a little bit more pathetic than usual. I shouldn’t, but I can’t stop myself. “Did you?”

Clay sighs. “I did. Freshman year. Since then, we’ve been friendly with each other.”

“Just friendly?” My voice is high-pitched, and stupid tears well in my eyes.

“Layla, baby.” Clay winds his hands around my waist, pulling me into his chest. He looks down at me. The raw, pained expression on his face makes my heart skip a beat. “You are the girl I’ve been dreaming about for more than a year. You are my first ever girlfriend, the only girl I’ve ever wanted to date. I’ve never felt this way about anyone. You’re special to me.”

I hide my face in his chest, wrapping my arms around his torso. His words are like a soothing pill, numbing all the doubts that have crept inside my head. He’s mine. He’s honest. I have nothing to worry about.

“Sorry, I’m a little emotional.”

He chuckles softly. “A little.”

I push him away, feigning a scowl, and immediately get pulled back. His lips crash against mine. He kisses me long and hard, taking my breath away and making my legs wobbly. I cling to him; the blood in my veins is sizzling.

When Clay finally takes a step back, I feel dizzy. He presses his lips to my temple, drapes his hand over my shoulder, and leads us toward my dorm. I keep silent at first, enjoying his warmth and debating if I should tell him why I reacted like that. Didn’t I tell Ava to talk to Colton about the things that bother her? Didn’t it work in her favor once she did? If I givesuch great advice to my best friend, how come I never follow it myself? I decide to make myself clear.

“Realizing you slept with that girl rubbed me the wrong way,” I say quietly. “You’re way more experienced than I am, and it made me feel insecure. Plus she’s beautiful.”

“So what? You are stunning, baby. And you know my reputation. There’s nothing I can do about my past. The best I can do is ignore it. That was way before you.” A hesitant smile is on his face. “Besides, experience is a very interesting thing. The more you try, the more you gain it.” He lowers his head to my ear, his deep voice sending a horde of tingles down my spine. “And we’re trying a lot, baby.”

“We are,” I confirm with a giddy smile.

“Who knows, maybe you’ll feel like experimenting with me later? There are so many things we can try.” He winks at me, a flirty smile on his lips—while I feel like he just poured a bucket of ice on me. That’s not what I want to hear when I need reassurance and confidence in us as a couple.

He has a history of hooking up with several girls at a time, of sharing girls with Thompson, while I’ve only recently allowed him to fuck me in the room with a light turned on for the first time.

We are not going to work.

He’s going to leave for Chicago after graduation, and once he sees what the life of an NHL player is like, he will dump me with no regrets. Why settle for me, who’s still in college for two more years, when he discovers he can have any girl he wants? Way more beautiful girls than me, way more confident?

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