Page 40 of Power Play Pursuit

Alice brings her brown hair into a ponytail. “Or in any way related to his well-being?”

“It’s not,” I blurt out. “James is okay.”

“And Beth spent the night at his place,” Marissa sings, her pitch matching the ambiance music.

“Ohhh!” Alice and Emma both say. “I approve!” Alice adds.

I groan. “It’s not like that. I only offered to watch him so he could be released from the hospital,” I say before turning the faucet on to wash my hands.

“That's nice of you,” Emma says. With a smirk, she adds, “I’m sure it was a real sacrifice.”

I just rollmy eyes. “What kind of pastries do you guys want?” I swing around to face them. “We have—”

“Andhe walked her here,” Marissa continues.

I give her a pointed look. “He just wanted to be nice and get some fresh air.”

“She argues they’re just friends,” Marissa sighs, looking at the girls and shaking her head dramatically.

“Yeah, we’ve heard that one before, right Marissa?” Emma puffs out a laugh, and everyone follows—including me, although I recover quickly, realizing it’s not helping my case.

I clear my throat. “Anyway, it’s not the same with me and James. He and I haven’t been friends for years with all that pent-up tension boiling between us. So anyway, the pastries?” I ask again, tapping the pastry tong against the display window.

“Touché,” Marissa says, her eyes on me. “But when are we going to talk about the fact that you're moving in with him?”

“What!” Emma and Alice both practically shout while Marissa turns to grab Emma’s cup.

I guess the pastries are a no-go. I turn to Marissa with a wince, setting the tongs down on the counter. “Aaron told you?”

She grins. “He texted the moment you left.”

I let out a sigh, bracing myselfon the counter behind me. “It just makes more sense, that’s all. You and Aaron are still in your honeymoon phase, and James appreciates the company.Andhis kitchen is amazing.”

“Oh, so that’s why you moved in?” Emma says with a smirk. “The kitchen.”

“Not the abs?” Alice teases, twirling the end of her ponytail.

“Guys, come on,” I growl, my voice loud enough to cover their laughter. “Stop it.”

Emma nods, staring at me with a sweet smile. “Fine, but just FYI, I've never seen a kitchen make a girl blush that hard before.”

“Okay, switching the subject,” Alice says. “Heisreally okay, right? How long is he out for?”

“A few weeks, and yeah, he’s doing well. Some swelling, but he’ll be all right.”

“Good.” She nods. “Give him our best.”

“What was that all about, anyway?” Emma asks, wrapping her hands around her cup of coffee. “We saw the replay. It was brutal.”

A shiver courses through me. “Yeah, it was.”

“Those guys were at each other’s throat all night,” Alice continues.

My blush betrays me again.

“Ohhhhh!” they both blurt, realization seeming to dawn on them.

Yep, here we go.

---