Page 94 of Power Play Rivals

“Beautiful. You are so fucking beautiful,” he praises with a desperate groan as he finds his own release.

I pant for breath while Trent wraps his arms around my waist to hold me tightly, preventing my knees from buckling. Once he’s made sure I’m somewhat lucid, he pulls away, his cum instantly running down my thighs. But I’m too out of sorts to even care, letting Trent take care of me. Ever so gently, he pulls my pencil skirt down and turns me around to button my blouse and brush loose strands of my hair back. Only when his black eyes meet my blue ones for a split second, only to then lower to my lips, I realize we haven’t even kissed yet.

Suddenly a crippling fear takes over, and before he has time to kiss me, I slide away, adding as much distance from him as I can. The taint of sadness in his eyes grabs my heart in a vise grip, threatening to squeeze it into a pulp.

We just stand there looking at each other as if there were a line on the sand in front of us that, once crossed, nothing would ever be the same.

Because after this…there’s no way I’ll ever let you go.

“Piper,” Trent starts taking a step towards me, only to be interrupted by the ringtone on my phone.

With my gaze always on him, I lift the phone off the ground and answer it.

“Piper?” Laurie’s voice rings out. “Our call got disconnected.”

I stare at a disheveled Trent, looking like a man on the edge, ready to break.

“Sorry about that. Bad reception. How about you text me a time and place for us to meet up instead?” I reply, watching how Trent clenches his fists at his sides.

“Yes, I do believe that’s best. How does dinner sound later in the week?”

“That sounds perfect. It’s a date,” I reply, my voice filled with molasses. “Goodnight, Laurie.”

I hang up the phone, my gaze never wavering from Trent.

“That changes nothing,” Trent spews and takes a step towards me, coaxing me to take a step back.

“No?” I arch a brow. “How about you let me be the judge of that?”

“Piper, don’t test me.”

“That’s just it, Trent. You think I’m testing you, but I’m not. I’m just trying to make something clear in that thick head of yours that you refuse to acknowledge.”

“And what’s that?” he snarls.

“That I only belong to one person—me.”

And with that parting remark, I turn around and leave.

Chapter 17

Piper

After eavesdropping on Nathan’s fiasco of a date with the kindergarten teacher last week, I’m relieved to say that Laurie has no such shy inhibitions when it comes to dating the fairer sex.

Not only has he taken me out to the finest restaurants Boston has to offer, but he’s also been a complete gentleman—charming and attentive throughout all our dates without giving me the feel of having an agenda behind them. The conversation between us flows so naturally that it almost feels like we’ve known each other for longer than just a mere few weeks.

It also doesn’t hurt that he likes to talk shop for most of our outings together, either.

Maybe that’s why I feel relaxed in his company.

It’s all about the work, nothing else.

No strings.

No dark alleys.

No stolen glances or piercing black eyes to haunt my nights.