Page 13 of Power Play Pursuit

“Crab. I hate that guy—and his stupid name. Always made me think of mucus.”

I glance at Elizabeth, and her pupils dilate before she explodes into laughter. I follow along, her laughter contagious. “What? It’s true!”

“Oh my gosh,” she says, a hand on my forearm as she catches her breath. The contact makes my skin burn through my shirt. “I never thought of that.”

“Really? I see mucus pouring out of his nose every time I see his face.” That, and blood after I mentally punched him. But let’s not spoil the mood. I finally have Elizabeth laughing again, and that’s exactly where I want her.

6

"Just pretend he’s wearing a swimsuit.”

Beth Bowen

It takes me a second to adjust to my surroundings when I wake up, but then it all comes back to me. Leaving Lucas. Moving in with Marissa and Aaron. Laughing with James.

Tingles of excitement spark beneath my skin at the reminder of last night. James always manages to put smiles on people’s faces. That’s why he’s so popular.

When I get up and grab my phone, I see seventeen missed calls from Lucas. I guess he finally made it home. I bite my lip. Should I call him back? No, I need coffee—and possibly a pep talk from my best friend—before I make any decisions regarding Lucas.

I burst out of my room and come face to face with Aaron and his naked chest.

“S-sorry,” he stammers.

I snap my gaze away, my cheeks suddenly burning. “Crap, no. I’m sorry. I’m the one who’s intruding.”

“You’re not. I just forgot we had a guest over,” he mumbles. “I’ll go get dressed.” With that, he hurries to the back of the hallway.

I take a deep breath as Marissa walks down the corridor, chuckling at our exchange. “Sorry about that. He feels bad. He likes to hang out in his boxers, probably because he wears so many layers at work.”

“It would have been nice to know that bit of information beforehand.”

She waves a hand in dismissal. “Relax. It’s nothing. Just pretend he’s wearing a swimsuit.”

I arch an eyebrow. “I’m pretty sure he doesn’t wear Frozen swim trunks.”

She explodes in laughter. “Right. That’s actually from a time he lost a bet. We—”

“No! I don’t want to know.” I think I’ve intruded on their private lives enough for one day. Or one lifetime.

With a chuckle, she wraps an armaround my shoulders. “Let’s go get you some breakfast.”

We start working on breakfast—eggs and bacon with toast—and a few minutes later, Aaron walks into the kitchen, now fully dressed. “Sorry again,” he says, offering an apologetic look.

“Please, don’t worry about it. My fault.”

He walks up to Marissa, who’s frying the eggs, and drops two kisses on her temple. Her smile widens as she leans into him. I swallow hard, looking away. Somehow, witnessing this tender gesture feels way more intrusive than seeing Aaron in his Olaf boxers.

“So, how are you holding up?” Aaron asks me, grabbing a few plates from the cupboard.

“Good.” I nod. “Thanks again for letting me stay here. I’ll be out of your hair soon. I’m going to browse apartment listings today.”

“Feel free to stay as long as you want,” he says.

“No sign of Lucas yet?” Marissa asks, turning around to look at me.

My lips twitch into a smile when I hear his name because now, all I can hear is how much it sounds like mucus. “He tried calling me seventeen times last night. I’m not sure what to do.”

Aaron whistles dramatically. “Wow. Guy crossed into crazy ex-boyfriend category ten phone calls ago.”

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