Page 56 of Power Play

“I did.” Dylan bites her bottom lip. “Oh, I just remembered. Congratulations on another win. You were great.”

“Did you watch?”

She nods eagerly.

“Are you becoming a Thunders fan?”

“Maybe. Or maybe I like watching my neighbor play.” Her gaze holds mine, her green eyes darkening. I know she likes me, but there will never be anything between us. I want Layla, and if I can’t have her, then I don’t need anyone else.

“I’ll get you tickets to a home game once the regular season starts,” I tell her, and her breathing hitches. “There’s someone on the team I think you might like. Maybe you already saw him actually. His name is Dean Crawford. He’s our left wing. He’s single, and I can introduce you to him.”

The way her smile dies brings me a tiny bit of guilt, but I know I’m doing the right thing.

“Oh, cool. Thanks. I can’t wait,” Dylan mutters, backing away slightly. “I’ll go. I’m sure you have better things to do than chat with me.”

“I like chatting with you,” I tell her honestly. “But I do need to get going. I have somewhere to be.” More like someone to stalk—and this time, I won’t let her push me away. Enough is enough.

“Good luck with your plans.” She turns around and goes down the stairs. “Bye, Clay.”

“Bye,” I say, then I close the door. Quickly checking the time on my phone, I take the donuts to the kitchen and then head to my bedroom. It’s 3:00 p.m. She should be home. At least I hope she is. If not, I’ll wait in the car until she shows up.

I’m done letting her run away.

My phone dingswith an incoming text. I grab it from the passenger seat and check it. Oh, great, it’s from Ethan’s cousin.

Dominic:

Hey, Clay. Think you can get your car to us tomorrow? We’ll give you one of ours to drive home

Me:

Hey. Sure. Will around 4 be okay?

Dominic:

See you then

I slip my phone into my pocket and climb out of my car. To avoid unwanted attention, I parked at Costco, and now I’ll need to walk to her place. I have ten minutes to compose myself and decide how I want to handle this. Insinuating that I know whyshe cut ties this time won’t do me any good. It will make her defensive and angry, and that’s not a good combination when it comes to Layla.

Catching her off guard is my best bet.

I knock on her door, feeling more determined than I thought I’d be and less nervous. I think knowing that she pushed me away because she got jealous gave me the boost of confidence I needed. I was glad to finally understand why because not knowing did my head in.

The door opens, and Layla’s surprised look comes into view. Her eyes round like saucers, and her eyebrows go up to her hairline. She stares at me, not saying anything. Barely breathing, from what I can see.

“Hey,” I say, tilting my head to the side.

“Hey.” Layla clears her throat, interlocking her hands in front of her. “What are you doing here?” She glances over my shoulder, assessing the driveway. “Where’s your car?”

“I was in the neighborhood, and I decided to stop by. So we could talk.”

“There’s nothing to talk about.” She shakes her head; her surprised look morphs into a stubborn one. Her posture becomes more rigid, and her unyielding gaze is focused on me.

“Unfortunately, I have a different opinion,” I say with a shrug and push past her into her house.

“Clay!” Layla yelps, quickly shutting the door. “What the fuck?” Her panicked gaze coasts over my face and then to the hallway. “Maya is asleep. I don’t want her to wake up yet.”

“Where can we talk then?” I keep my voice quiet but stay put, not moving an inch.

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