Page 29 of Power Play

“So, retirement, eh?” Eric asks, and I feel Levi’s whole body tighten. His fingers slink around my hip slightly so that he’s holding me as close to him as possible.

“Yeah,” Levi says. “It’s lookin’ that way.” Eric smiles that stupid fucking smug smile again.

“A shame it had to end so early,” he says. “But the league was lucky to have you for as long as it did.”

“Can’t really beat being the MVP of the league for a fourth of his career,” I say with a shrug. “The league will miss him.”

Levi’s eyes widen, and his lips part slightly as he looks down at me. I see his tongue move back and forth behind his teeth while he looks me up and down. I may not be the biggest hockey fan, but I’m a Levi Buck fan. And as far as this asshole is concerned, I’m the biggest one there is.

And he can suck a fat one.

Someone calls Eric’s name from across the suite, and he nods in their direction.

“Well, I gotta go get rested for Tuesday night. See ya on the ice, Buck,” he says. But before he walks by us, he pauses next to me, leaning down so his lips are next to my ear. “We’ll see if I can make a Drifters fan out of you yet.”

And with that, he’s out of our vicinity.

Instantly, I feel Levi loosen a little bit. But his hands stay put on me, like he’s not quite ready for me to part from him yet. And to be honest, I’m perfectly content here.

“You ready?” he leans down to whisper in my ear, and I nod back up at him. He smiles at me, then whistles across the suite for Tyson. He perks up like a dog, then makes his way through the flood of people to us. “Let’s get outta here.”

I can smell the beer on Tyson before he’s next to me, and I grimace at his stench.

“Good God,” I say as he playfully hugs me and breathes in my face. “Blech,” I say as we follow Levi out the door.

We take the private elevator down to the garage floor, and when we get out, the car is already waiting for us. Before we get in, I pause.

“Are you okay to drive?” I ask. Levi smiles.

“I didn’t drink tonight,” he says.

“You didn’t?” I ask. He smiles and shakes his head, raising an eyebrow.

“Someone needed to keep an eye on you,” he says. My lips part slightly as he winks and closes the door.

CHAPTERELEVEN

levi

A few minutes later,we’re pulling up to the hotel in further downtown, and the valet is coming to take the keys. Lo goes to grab the duffel bag she packed, but I’m faster. I grab Tyson’s too, seeing as he’s too drunk to realize he’s already walking into the hotel without it.

“I can carry mine,” she says with a shrug, motioning to it.

I smile down at her as I pull the strap tighter on my shoulder.

“I know you can,” I say, then I hold out a hand for her to walk into the hotel. It’s late, and I normally don’t have too much trouble in other cities when it comes to being recognized. That’s one nice thing about hockey. It’s not like some of the other professional sports where you can’t go anywhere without being recognized. In Spokane, sure. Other places, not so much. It’s a nice taste of fame without having to totally give up your anonymity. The money doesn’t suck either.

Well, itdidn’t.

I still haven’t fully accepted that I’m retiring yet.

I guess it’s because my brain can’t distinguish between being retired and being obsolete. I’m thirty-three years old. I’m too young to be obsolete. I’m too young to beretired.The word just makes me cringe.

I know the price of continuing to play. I shouldn’t even be playing on in this next game. I know it’s not one I’m willing to risk. I just wish it wasn’t this way. Hockey has been a part of my identity for two decades. It’s hard to just hang up the skates and pretend I’m ready.

But lucky for me, in this moment, I have Lo to keep my brain focused on, ahem…other things.

Anddamn,have I been focused on her.

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