Power Play - Brittney Mulliner Page 0,3

drink? On me?”

I smiled and shook my head. “No, thanks though.”

A laugh I recognized sounded behind me, and my stomach dropped. Nope. It couldn’t be him. I glanced over my shoulder as his unmistakable voice rose above the others. Heat—a raw rage—washed over me.

I turned back around. “Actually, could I get a glass of your cheapest red wine?”

The bartender found a bottle and poured a generous serving before setting it in front of me.

“Thank you.” I smiled and picked it up by the stem. My entire body shook as I stood.

I hadn’t been this angry in years. Not when I realized my mistake this morning. Not when I lost the job. Oh no. This was next-level fury. I almost laughed at the irony.

“Miss?” I heard the bartender call after me, but I ignored him and took slow, determined steps toward my target.

Four years. It had been four long years since I heard that voice. The one that used to make my heart sing. The one that promised me so much only to disappear from my life right when I needed him most.

There he was. None of them looked up as I approached. He looked the same. Unfortunately. He was just as handsome as the last time I saw him. Thick dark hair, a jawline that could make supermodels cry, and those shoulders. Only it was all wrong. His hair was longer under his hat. There was scruff on his face. His shoulders were wider than I remembered. He was a man now.

I stopped across from him and waited as he glanced up, did a double-take, and dropped his mouth.

That caught the attention of one of the guys. He called his name and nudged him. Soon, the entire table was watching him.

“Taylor?”

I flung my hand up, aiming the wine at his face. I hit my target and spun back around without a word.

2

Jason

The guys stared me down, a few laughing, and waited for an explanation. Lucy was sitting across the table and a few chairs down. She was the only one not looking in my direction. She’d turned in her seat and watched Taylor run for the women’s restroom.

“Come on.” She tugged on Colby’s sleeve and together they left, following Taylor.

It hurt seeing how different she was, yet exactly the same. I’d always loved her dark, almost black hair, but it was even longer now and a bit lighter than I remembered. Her brown skin was just as flawless as ever. I’d been self-conscious around her because I suffered from a fair amount of acne as a teen, but hers was perfect. Never a blemish or pimple in the two years I knew her. She wasn’t that girl anymore though. She’d become a stunning woman. One that I never imagined I’d get to see.

“Care to tell us what’s going on?” Reese asked with a smirk.

I shook my head and accepted another napkin from Noah to dab at my shirt. The effort was in vain. Red wine against a white T-shirt. Taylor won that round.

“Here. Can I get you some seltzer water or anything?” The bartender looked like he was holding back a laugh. I accepted the towel he held out for me and dabbed at my shirt.

“An old hook-up from the season?” Colin teased. “Did you forget her name?”

“They hate when you do that.” Erik nudged Grant who rolled his eyes.

Why did this have to happen on our first night here? I was tired and had wanted to order room service and get to bed early, but when the vets on the team invited me out, I couldn’t say no. It was rare for them to extend an invitation to the rookies—well, not Noah. He was an anomaly.

The potential to make a good impression and maybe even wiggle my way into their inner circle vanished the second my eyes connected with hers. I didn’t see her until she was already at the table, otherwise, I would have approached her first. Well, maybe not. I would have at least been on guard. Okay, I probably would have left, feigning an illness or something to get out of there as fast as possible.

I was a coward, sure, but at least I would have been saved from public humiliation. And in front of the captain.

They were never going to let me live this down. This was the exact sort of thing they clung to forever, bringing it up at the most inopportune times. I’d seen it done to nearly all the guys at the