Power Play (Nashville Assassins Next Generation 2)

And then she wraps her arms around Boon, and he hugs her tightly. I press my hand to my chest as I watch them hug, and everything inside me is firing off like mad. It’s all too much emotion at once. When she pulls back, she grips his biceps and beams up at him. “Thank you.”

His brows come in. “For what?”

“I have watched my baby blossom, and I have a feeling you had a lot to do with that.”

“She stole my heart, and I’ve decided to let her keep it.”

My mom’s face has to hurt from how big she’s smiling. “Well, I’m glad, because I’m excited to see y’all’s future.”

“Me too,” he says, looking back at me, and my heart soars.

“Me too,” I agree, and she pats his chest.

“Well, let’s have a drink and get to know each other as mom and boyfriend.”

“I would love that,” he says, and she claps her hands together.

“I need to piss like a racehorse. Get a table, and I’ll meet y’all over there. Order me a glass of red.”

I nod as she heads off, and Boon lets out a long breath. “Told you,” I say with a wink. He squeezes my elbow, and we go to find a table. Unfortunately, we don’t get far.

“Posey.”

I will remember the sound of his voice for the rest of my life.

I think of you as a sister.

My breath catches as I turn to see him. He’s cut his hair; it’s not as long as it used to be. He almost isn’t recognizable with how short it is, but those brown eyes are still unstoppable. I hate how dreamy I still find him. “Maxim.”

“Hey,” he says softly, coming to me. But when he tries to hug me, Boon’s hand is there, stopping him.

Maxim’s eyes narrow to slits, and I look at Boon. “Don’t.”

“I’m not doing anything, but he isn’t touching you.”

“Who is this?”

I shake my head. I owe him no explanation. “What are you doing here, Maxim?”

“I knew you were here. I ask a friend. I need to speak to you.”

I understand Boon’s concern and I almost tell Maxim to fuck off, but I know he won’t leave me or my mom alone until he gets out what he needs to say. “What?”

“Can I speak to you privately?”

“No,” Boon says simply, and I look back at him.

“Boon, relax.”

“No. I don’t want you talking to him.”

I glare. “I don’t need you to get all jealous. You have nothing to worry about.”

His eyes are in slits. “I don’t want you anywhere near him. I don’t want him fucking with your head.”

I scrunch up my face. “I can handle myself.”

I start to walk away, but Boon grabs my hand. “Posey.”

I remove my hand from his. “Boon. Relax.”

But relax is the last thing he does. “I’m not going to ask again,” he warns, and I bring in my brows.

“Then don’t.” He looks at me incredulously, and I honestly don’t know who he thinks he is speaking to. “Excuse me.”

I move to follow Maxim to the side of the room, and he laughs. “Who is the jackass?”

“My boyfriend,” I answer simply.

“Boyfriend?” He seems disappointed.

“Yes,” I answer, ignoring the death look Boon has on his face. “What do you want?”

“I want to talk to you. I miss you.”

I scoff. “Sorry, but that ship sailed, buddy.”

“What?”

“Maxim, seriously, if you’re here to tell me you miss me, love me, or anything like that, you’re wasting your time,” I say, and then I point to Boon. “I know what real love is now, and it’s that brute of a dude right there.”

Maxim’s gaze follows where I’m pointing, and then he looks back at me. “Seriously? That guy?”

Boon is glaring at us, and he looks as if he is getting an enema. “Yup, that guy.”

Maxim shakes his head. “I’m wasting my time, eh?”

“Yes, which is why I didn’t write you back or call or want to see you.” I meet his gaze. I can’t believe I loved him for as long as I did. I may have struggled to tell Boon how I felt, but I was terrified of telling Maxim. Why? He would never love me the way Boon does. “You know what? Thanks. Thanks for breaking my heart, because if you hadn’t, I wouldn’t have found him.”

He looks down at the space between us. “I shouldn’t have let you go.”

“No, you should have,” I say as his gaze meets mine once more. “Because it took getting you out of my life to find true happiness.”

He sighs. “Wow.”

I shrug.

“Then I’ll leave you alone. Good luck.”

“Right back atcha.”

As he starts to walk away, a sense of relief washes over me. I’ve always been worried Maxim would have a hold on me if I ever saw him again, but that’s not the case at all. The only one who has a hold on me is Boon. I turn to look at him, and his eyes are blazing with anger. I exhale and head toward him just as he stomps toward me. When he stops in front of me, I look up at him with the same fire in my eyes, ready for the fight.