Another powerplay, p.3
Another Powerplay, page 3
Her expression turned wistful. “Me, too. My mother was an amazing woman, and I miss her.” Vivian’s teeth sank into her lower lip. “I’m actually here because of her.”
“Oh?” I sipped my water.
“My mom was from here. She talked about her hometown a lot, and I wanted to check it out. I’m kind of finishing up my farewell tour, I guess you’d say.”
My respect for this woman kept increasing. “I bet she’d love that.”
“I hope so. This was my last place to go. Today was my final goodbye.” She picked up her water and took a long drink. When she set it down, her eyes were bright, maybe with tears, but her face was relaxed. “That’s a bit deep for a get-to-know-you drink. Sorry.”
I leaned closer. “Please don’t apologize for being you. I happen to like what I’ve heard and what I see. You’re a thoughtful, compassionate woman, Vivian.”
She chuckled even as she shook her head. “Well, I’m all right, I guess. Tell me more about you.” She cupped her chin in her palms, those silvery eyes focused on me.
We sat in that booth for hours. At first, we simply ordered drinks—Arnold Palmer for her, iced tea for me—then appetizers, and finally a late lunch. As the waiter heaved a sigh while filling our glasses, Vivian glanced around. Her eyes widened and a flush worked its way up her neck and stained her cheeks. “Wow. It’s nearly dinner time. This place has filled up. I guess we should give up the booth so a family can have it.”
I nodded reluctantly. “I have to admit, I don’t want our time here to end. I’ve so enjoyed getting to know you.”
She grinned. “And I you. But I’m not suggesting we go our separate ways.” She tugged out her wallet and riffled through it.
“I got this, Vivi,” I said quietly. I pulled out three hundred-dollar bills and set them on the table under the saltshaker. Vivian gawked at me.
“We hogged one of the best tables all afternoon. The least I can do is leave Joseph a decent tip.”
“That’s so generous,” she stammered.
I smirked. “Maybe I’m just showing off, trying to make you think I’m a better person.”
“Are you?”
She’d collected her items, so I set my hand at her lower back as I led her out of the restaurant. We stepped out into the late afternoon, and I raised my eyebrows. Vivian pointed to the right, so I turned that way, falling into step beside her.
“Nope,” I told her. “My mother was a waitress when I was little. She worked her way up to a high-end place that even offered health insurance. That’s how I was able to get skates. I’ll never forget how excited she was after one generous businessman doubled his check. Mom had told him about me playing hockey and how I was a natural, but it was hard with me and my two sisters. That guy was a regular at the place, always asked for my mom, always left her a big tip. He’s the reason I was able to do summer camps and get a scholarship in Michigan. Without Brendan, I wouldn’t be a starting D-man for my home team.”
“So you’re a pay-it-forward kind of guy.”
“When I can be.”
“I like that,” she said. We walked in silence until we came to a small, quaint Victorian in pastel blue with yellow accents. “This is me,” she said. Then, she laughed. “Well, it’s me for the next two nights.” She tucked her hair back again. “I had a great time today, Lennon. And I’d love to see you—”
“How about in an hour, hour and a half?” I asked. I rocked back on my heels, shocked by how much I didn’t want to leave her, even for that short amount of time. Is this what falling in love feels like? Can it hit this fast, this hard?
I wasn’t sure, but I knew I liked these emotions bubbling up in my gut and chest, and I really liked how Vivi made me feel.
“I-I—”
I frowned. “I came on too strong.”
Vivian shook her head. “It’s more that I’m worried about taking up too much of your downtime. I just… I don’t want you to regret this weekend.”
I leaned in a little so I could smell her shampoo. “There’s one thing I know for sure, Vivi, and that’s that I could never, ever regret meeting you.”
Chapter 3
Chapter
Vivian
* * *
Later that night, we sat back on the beach, this time to watch the sunset. Lennon had brought a large blanket as well as a bottle of wine, sharp cheddar cheese, crackers, and grapes. We’d nibbled our way through most of it while we sipped and enjoyed the balmy breeze and the faint lapping of waves along the shoreline.
Lennon was so big, so solid. He made me laugh, but he made me feel safe. Wanted.
I’d forgotten how lovely those feelings were. Now that I’d reconnected with them, I knew I’d crave them always. Especially with Lennon.
“What’s that look for?” he asked.
He was careful about touching me, always giving me the chance to pull back or away. He’d told me about his two sisters, and it was clear he took their emotional well-being seriously. My heart warmed to putty as I leaned into his hand, nuzzling my cheek to his palm. He cupped his fingers to accommodate my cheek and chin. I sighed as my eyelids fluttered. Contentment washed over me.
“It’s getting late,” Lennon said.
“I can’t believe I only have one more night here after this one—one more night with you.”
“Well, that’s one more night here. But I have a few weeks before the start of my season. I’ll visit you. Then, when you have more time off, you can visit me.”
I tipped my head back and met his dark gaze. “Can it really be that easy? I mean…”
“Are you asking me if this is real? What we’re feeling for each other?”
I nodded, the lump in my throat too large for me to speak around.
“I think it is. I want it to be. But the only way we’ll know is if we keep seeing each other.” His hand slipped from my cheek to my nape. “I care about you, Vivian. More than I have for anyone. Ever. Which freaks me out even as it excites me. I want to know you, to see if we’re as compatible in three weeks and three months as we could be in three years.”
“But we live over a thousand miles apart…”
“We do, but I won’t play hockey forever.”
I sucked in a breath. “You’d move closer to me?”
“If you wanted to stay in San Francisco, then sure. As long as we could visit my mother and sisters from time to time.” Lennon pursed his lips. They were lush and looked so soft against the dark hairs of his beard. “Well, it would probably need to be every couple to three months. My mom and sisters get into mischief.”
I smiled. “I don’t actually have any reason to stay in San Francisco. I mean, I have a friend…ish person in my building, but since my mom died and I finished school, I’ve just been working. I don’t have much holding me there.”
Lennon leaned closer, so close that I could feel the heat of his skin. I shivered with the need for him to be even closer. “Those details we can sort through once we’re sure this is what we want.”
“Okay,” I breathed.
“Right now, though, I have a terrible need…”
“What’s that?”
“I desperately need to kiss you,” he said.
Without thought, I licked my lips, desperate to feel the pressure of his skin to mine. “Yes. Please.”
He stared into my eyes as his lips met mine. The hair of his beard tickled my cheek and chin, and I shivered again, loving the dichotomy of textures. His lips were even more supple than I’d expected. Soft, warm, delicious. He tasted of the wine we’d drunk but also of man.
That deliciousness settled in my bloodstream like a warm haze, and I knew one taste, one million tastes of Lennon Cruz wouldn’t be enough. He was addictive, even as he felt like home.
He didn’t deepen the kiss more than soft swipes of his tongue against my lower lip and the tip of my tongue. It was sweet but sultry—a promise of more to come.
And I wanted more. Much more.
He pulled back and met my gaze again. Only then did I realize I’d closed my eyes. “Oh, Vivi. I’m never going to get enough of you.”
His deep voice was soft, almost its own caress over my skin. I clung to his shoulders as I pressed my cheek to his. “I was thinking the same thing.”
“I should get you back to your bed and breakfast.”
Disappointment hit, as did nervousness. As quickly as I was falling for Lennon, I wasn’t ready to jump straight into sex.
He must have felt me tense up because he whispered, “Hey, hey, now. We may only have a few days here, but we have all the time in the world to get to know each other. To be with each other. I don’t want to rush us as we become us.”
A faint smile tugged at my lips. “Okay.”
He brushed his lips against my temple. In a graceful move I wouldn’t have expected from such a large man, he rose to his feet. He held out his hand to me, and I placed mine in his. He gently tugged me upward and against him, where we cuddled for long moments.
“There’s also the fact that…well, I like to be in control,” he said.
I tipped my head back and looked at him. “What do you mean?”
He hesitated, clearly trying to choose the right words. “In the bedroom, I like to be in charge.”
“Okay. That doesn’t seem to be a dealbreaker.”
“I hope it isn’t. We’ll explore it when we’re ready.” He offered me a smile.
I smiled back. “I like everything we’ve done together, Lennon. I don’t think you wanting to tell me what to do during sex is going to change that.” In fact, part of me found the idea comforting and exciting. Being slightly awkward, I’d always spent too much time in my head to fully relax and go with the moment.
“To sleep with you now, so we can get up and out tomorrow,” he said, all business.
“Is this part of you being in control?” I raised an eyebrow.
He considered the question before nodding. “Yeah, I think it is.”
“So…what do you want to do?” I asked. “After I get a nice sleep tonight?”
He side-eyed me as he finished folding the blanket, a smile tugging at his lips. “As long as it’s with you, I’ll be happy.”
Chapter 4
Chapter
Lennon
* * *
The next day was clear, bright, and just the faintest bit crisp—a perfect day for a hike, which led Vivian and me on gentle switchbacks up to a rise above the lake. We sat on a sun-warmed boulder at a deep blue pond surrounded by green trees while white clouds reflected on the mirrored surface. I turned to look at Vivian, who had leaned back on her palms. She wore khaki shorts that showed some of her creamy, well-defined thighs, and an elbow-length T-shirt in a pale pink. She looked fresh and sweet and fit—absolutely perfect.
“It’s so pretty up here,” she said.
“It is,” I agreed.
She smiled, flashing a faint dimple, as she continued to look at the view, and I continued to look at her. “Eyes on the prize, Lennon.”
“They are.”
She laughed, a bright, cheery sound that had me cracking a grin. She placed her palm in the center of my chest and kissed me. My arms came around her as I settled into the moment.
Falling in love was everything I’d hoped it would be but better. I was so enthralled, I almost skipped my way back down the trail. We snacked on local cherries, cheese, and crackers at a picnic table at the lake’s edge.
“Ooh, how do you feel about a canoe ride?” Vivian asked as we passed the stack of boats.
“Not sure I’ll fit,” I said.
“Oh, you’re not that big,” she said.
I smirked. She flushed and bit her lip. I took pity on her and said, “I’ve always wanted to canoe.”
“Me, too. Do you understand the paddling? That confuses me.”
“I think so. But only one way to find out. Let’s go.”
Vivian laughed so hard at my attempts to get in the damn thing, I thought she’d fall out. Somehow, we managed to shove off the shore.
This far from the public beach, the water was glass smooth. The temperature was moderate, and the faintest hum of insects added to the serenity of the moment. Vivian tipped her head back, elongating her neck and giving me a view of her cheek around her hat’s brim.
Her hair was braided today, but soft wisps had slid out, framing her oval face.
For nearly twenty years, I’d been my mother’s and sisters’ protector. Their main provider. I’d made sure everyone had enough to eat, money for gas, school, clothes. I no longer had to worry about any of them—my mother now worked as an assistant for one of the lawyers at my sister Mia’s firm, whereas my youngest sibling, Nina, was in her third year as an interior architect. All were financially stable and held jobs that paid them more than their bills.
They were happy, healthy, and no longer my responsibility. Vivian could be my priority—Vivian and the family I could see us having. A kid or two sitting between us in the canoe in an ugly orange life vest. Belladonna or another large dog would join us.
The image was so real, so powerful, I ached for it to be true. I vowed then and there that such a future would be mine—ours.
“This is nice,” I said. “Peaceful. I can see why people like doing it.”
“I wonder why my mom moved away from here,” Vivi murmured. “It’s kind of paradise, really.”
“Maybe we could make it a tradition to come up for a week every year,” I said.
Vivian’s silver eyes glowed. “You think you’d want to do that with me?”
“I’m surer with each passing minute.”
She pulled her paddle out of the water and turned to face me. “Me, too. Lennon, I can’t tell you how much I’ve enjoyed the last two days.”
“I know. It’s almost like a dream.”
Later that night, after a sumptuous dinner that left us both full and a little sleepy, we held hands as we meandered down the side street we’d taken as a shortcut to get back to Vivian’s bed and breakfast. It sat at the far end of the street, a tall sentinel against older homes, some dilapidated but others refreshed with crisp lawns and flowers bursting from their beds. We hit a section of the street that was darker than the rest because a couple of streetlights were out. Unease dripped down my spine and my steps slowed, which had Vivian glancing up at me.
“Maybe we should go back to the main street,” she said.
I shook off my concerns. “The area’s populated enough,” I said. “I’m sure it’s fine.” I shot her a smile to show I wasn’t worried about it…until shapes slunk out of the shadows. Worse was the glint of metal on the blades they held.
Chapter 5
Chapter
Lennon
* * *
As one of the enforcers for my hockey team, I’m used to charging toward violence. But this quaint street on a sultry night with Vivian at my side threw me. And that moment of hesitation nearly cost us our lives.
Within a few seconds, four men had materialized from those shadows, surrounding us in that moment of indecision. I drew Vivian closer to me, which allowed the man nearest her to take another step.
“We’ll take your money,” the man in front of me said.
“And any other valuables you might have,” the one nearest Vivian added. He leered at her.
“Sure,” I said easily. “We don’t want trouble.”
The man in front of me chuckled. “Then toss your wad of cash over, big spender.”
I reached into my pocket slowly and did as he asked. Vivian whimpered as she slid her small purse off her arm and threw it at the spokesman’s feet.
He bent down and counted the bills. “This all you got, hockey star? I expected more from you.”
He knew who I was, which meant this wasn’t a random act. These men had targeted me, and that put Vivian at risk.
All my senses amplified—along with my heartrate—and yet I couldn’t see the fourth man, the one behind me. As I’d anticipated, he was the one to attack first. He kicked me in the back of the knee, and I went down, hard.
“Since you don’t have the kind of score we’re looking for, we’ll take it out of your woman instead,” said the man nearest Vivian.
She screamed my name just before the man grabbed her, gripping her cheeks and covering her mouth with one hand while the other arm banded her waist. With a roar that came from some deep, primitive place inside me, I lunged, knocking the other two men into the one holding Vivian. She stumbled but managed to dart away, eyes wide. From the corner of my eye, I saw the fourth man move toward her.
“Run!” I bellowed. Then I swung at the fourth man, connecting my fist to his throat with a brutal hit that dropped him to the ground.
The other three fell back, clearly surprised by my ferocity. That lasted two breaths, maybe three, before they converged.
A fist fight is infinitely different—and more civilized—than a knife one. I took multiple cuts to my left arm, cheek, and neck as I pummeled, kicked, and slammed the three men into each other.
I was outnumbered but not outclassed; I could take these three. But the fourth man must have not been knocked out. In a flash I found my head yanked back and the blade pressed deep into my neck.
“Move again, fucker, and see what happens.”
I forced my muscles to relax. He changed the tilt of his blade and pressed it into my cheek. I hissed in pain as the blade sliced through my flesh. The rest of the men moved in closer. The man with the knife yanked it back as the man who’d grabbed Vivian buried his fist in my gut while another slammed his booted heel into my thigh. One of the men slammed his fist against my temple as my body turned toward him, knocking me farther off balance. As I went down, someone slashed my left arm with his knife. All that happened before I could blink or react.
Then, I did respond. My head was fuzzy from the hit to my temple, but I refused to go down easily. It wasn’t in my nature. As if on autopilot, I lashed out, and I heard the snap of a broken arm—maybe elbow—as I plowed through one man and kicked at the next one. A knife glinted in the dark right before I jerked back. The blade slashed my head, and blood dripped into my eyes as I punched the third man.
