Page 16 of Power Play Pursuit

His forehead creases, and it takes him a second to understand what I mean. “Oh, the proposal.” He shoves his hands in his pockets. “Yeah, it was fun. Guy needed an assist to score a yes, so I lent him my irresistible charm.”

I roll my eyes before turning away. I hate when he gets all cocky like that. It’s impossible to have a normal conversation with him.

“Wait. I’m kidding. The guy asked me to be a part of it, and I was honored, so I said yes. And yeah, I am a romantic, Elizabeth. In fact, there’s plenty you don’t know about me.”

A smile breaks onto my lips, and I wheel around to face him again. “Is that so?”

His eyes gleam. “Yep. I could take you on a date and show you.”

Here we go again. “You’re unbelievable.”

“Is that a yes?”

I feelthe blush scorching my cheeks. “Nope.”

His deep blue eyes trap me. “Oh, come on.”

With some struggle, I look away. “I just broke up with my ex, James. I need time to reflect and heal.”

“Fair enough,” he says, scratching his stubble. “I’ll check back tomorrow.”

“James!” I scold.

“And the day after that. And the one after that.” He winks, making my mouth suddenly run dry. “Until you’re finally ready.”

My cheeks are on fire now. “You never give up, do you?”

“You miss a hundred percent of the shots you don’t take,” he says, his eyes peering right through me.

I scoff. “Very wise. Is that a hockey saying?”

“Hockey quote, actually. From the great Wayne Gretzky. Some people think it’s a Michael Scott quote fromThe Office, but he totally stole that one.”

I breathe out a laugh. “Sorry, I never went to hockey school.” Something Lucas was always shoving in my face.

“It’s all right.” He winks. “You don’t need a degree in hockey to go out with me.”

I shake my head, but I can feel my blush deepening.

“So, is that a yes?” His glimmering eyes hold me hostage.

I wring my hands in front of me. “No.”

He arches an eyebrow. “But it’s not a no, either?”

Everything inside of me burns, and I need to quench this inferno, so I say the only thing I know will put an end to this conversation. The only thing I really want to say. “Fine. It’s not a no.”

8

"James Adler is no boy!"

Beth Bowen

My awkward half-naked encounter with Aaron didn’t repeat itself this morning, but I was still glad to leave for work early. Marissa and Aaron are touchy-feely in the privacy of their home—as they should be—and I feel like I’m intruding on their lives. Actually, I know I am.

When business is slow, I spend every spare second on my laptop, trying to find an apartment to rent, but so far, nothing meets my pre-selection criteria. They’re either way too far from work or way too expensive.

At two o’clock, I leave Marissasolo for the rest of the day and take the subway to Golden Age Nursing Home to see my grandma.

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