Power Play (Nashville Assassins Next Generation 2)

“But doesn’t it seem too good to be true?”

I give her a dry look. “We fought two seconds ago about where to put the silverware. If this was a perfect relationship, you’d do what I say.”

She laughs. “You’re impossible.”

“And you’re everything I want, Posey. Honestly.”

My words stun her, and I take great pride in that. I’m being truthful, though. I’m completely and utterly in love with her. The only reason I haven’t said it is because I don’t want to scare her. I’m not saying she’s skittish, but I get nervous that I love her more than she cares for me. It’s no fault of her own; I truly believe she may love me. But I told Julia I loved her first. I was so eager to have her love me. So this time, I want to give Posey time to feel for me what I feel for her. I don’t know when I fell, but if I had to pinpoint a moment, it was the night she wasn’t feeling well when we were on her first road trip. I held her close to me, wanting nothing more than to protect her and make sure she felt all right.

She seems breathless as she asks, “Really?”

“Of course. Is it not like that for you?”

“Oh God, yes. Do I not show it?”

I smile, my body pulsing for hers. “You do, which is why I’ve never questioned it.”

“I’m sorry if I don’t,” she says, almost panicky. “I just don’t want to be too ‘OMG, I really like you,’ and you be like ‘Whoa, child. Calm down.’”

I laugh. “Lovely, you aren’t a child.”

“I can act like one.”

“So can I,” I admit, grabbing her jaw. “It’s what makes this fun. Don’t you have fun with me?”

“Oh, Boon, so much fun. The most fun I’ve ever had.”

“Exactly. I think you’re amazing just the way you are.”

She swallows hard, her eyes burning deep into mine, making me feel all kinds of things. My heart is racing, my palms are sweaty, and shit, all I need is Mom’s spaghetti, and Posey has me acting out an Eminem song.

When her eyes get a little misty with tears, my heart about stops. “My dad used to sing that song to my mom,” she admits.

“Which one?”

“Bruno Mars, ‘Just the Way You Are.’ I can still remember it playing and them dancing or him singing it to her. I wanted so much to find a man who would do that with me.” A single tear rolls down her sweet face. “I remember Shelli singing it one time and my parents dancing like they had just met. It was incredibly sweet. All I’ve ever wanted was to meet a man like my dad. Someone who would protect me, dance with me, and look at me like I’m the only one in the room.”

“Done, done, and fucking done, Posey,” I whisper, and I grin at her. The words are right there, ready for me to say them. Scream them, even. I love you. Instead, I pull my phone out of my back pocket, and as I hold her, I put on “Just the Way You Are.” But it’s not the Bruno Mars’ version; it’s the one by Boyce Avenue instead. As soon as the soothing guitar solo starts, I lift her off the counter. She wraps her legs around my waist and her arms around my neck.

And then we’re dancing in the middle of her kitchen.

Hell, she doesn’t know it yet, but it’s our kitchen.

“Dancing twice in one day?”

“Lovely, if we can dance, we will. Unlike you, I never got to see someone dance with my mom. Now I wish I had.”

She sighs softly and squeezes me tight. “I wish you had too.”

I kiss her neck. “Bruno is your mom and dad’s. But Boyce, they’re ours.”

She nuzzles her face farther in my neck as our hearts beat together. I feel my skin tingling. Only she does that for me. When she starts to sing along, I close my eyes, my heart thumping hard inside in my chest. Her voice is beautiful, like an angel. And I don’t care what anyone says—Posey is the “twin” everyone needs to pay attention to. Then again, fuck that. I’ll give her all the attention and then some. When she pulls back a bit, looking down at me, I grin.

“How’s that sound, lovely?”

She doesn’t say anything. Her eyes are intense, and she looks as if she has something else to say rather than answering my question. Shit, does that not sound good? I thought it was a kinda cool idea. Kinda sweet. Shit, I do suck at this—

“Do you love me?”

Wow. Okay, talk about putting me on the spot. My heart stops dead in my chest, and I don’t know why. I know the answer. Hell, I’ve been ready to scream it in her face for weeks now. Why are those three words stuck in my throat? Why does she stun me with those blue depths? Why couldn’t I have found her years ago? As I gaze into her eyes, I curve my lips slowly, and I feel my body vibrate with the answer. But before I can say it, there is a knock at the door. I stop, and we both whip our heads to the entryway. I look back at her just as she looks at me. I put her on her feet, and she fixes her shirt as she runs to the door, looking through the peephole.