Page 9 of Power Play (Titans Hockey #2)

Chapter seven

Jonesy

S hit's weird. There's some history between Lacey, Tracey and Ben and I can't quite figure it out.

Lacey's been quiet and withdrawn. She's making an attempt at small talk, asking polite questions trying to get to know us on a personal level, which I appreciate.

Ben hasn't stopped staring at Lacey, but Lacey won't look back at him.

And then there's Tracey. Clearly there's bad blood between the twins, but for the life of me, I can't figure out what it could possibly be. But then I don't have siblings. Maybe this is normal? Sibling rivalry?

Tracey's overly flirtatious, targeting whoever Lacey is talking to at the moment, until Lacey moves on to talk to someone else. It's been going on all afternoon.

Lacey will make small talk with Trey, only for Tracey to bounce over, press her tits together, and hijack the conversation. Then, inevitably, Ben tries playing ref and tries to block Tracey while letting the conversation stay on Lacey. It's getting on my last fucking nerve.

It's a puzzle my brain can't solve. I didn't want to invite the entire fucking team. I wanted more one-on-one time with Lacey, feel her out, maybe get my dick wet if the vibes were good, but I knew she wouldn't come alone, so I invited a handful of people I thought wouldn't be competition.

The cabin might be a misnomer. It's a "cabin" like the White House is a house. I bought this "cabin" when I signed a five-year contract with the Titans. I figured it'd be a good place to escape for awhile .

Whatever.

We grill some burgers and BBQ chicken, and when night falls we gather around the fire pit.

I make sure to grab a chair next to Lacey's, except Ben snags the one on the other side of her.

I need to get him alone and feel out the situation.

If she's already taken, I'll back off. Not because I give a shit about bro-code or Ben, really, but because bad blood in the team is just bad for business.

I've shared bunnies with other guys before, but we always knew the score beforehand.

I’ve also seen fights between teammates in locker rooms because of mistakes. No, thanks.

If I'm not getting my dick wet this weekend, I'm going to be pissed. Playing host to a bunch of hockey players I'm barely friends with for nothing.

"So, Lacey, how was your first week with the Titans?" It's a softball question that hopefully doesn't reach Tracey's radar. She's too busy flirting with Ryan. Good.

"Honestly? It was tough. I caught a cold on the plane and had to work through it, then..." her eyes dart to the side. "Ran into some people I wasn't expecting." And then her face relaxes a bit. "But it's also exciting to start a new career with a new team. I can't wait for the first game."

Finally, Ben leaves her alone to go take a leak.

"What's with your guard dog?" I ask, barely hiding my displeasure.

"Ben and I grew up together. There's... a story there... and he's just very protective."

I take a drag of my beer, but before I can lay on the charm - something I'm not used to doing - Tracey gets up, walks towards Lacey and pretends to stumble.

I watch as it happens. She stabs her toe into the ground and lurches forward, pouring her white wine all over the front of Lacey.

Lacey gasps at the sudden sensation and her hands fly up in shock one second, and then the next second, I watch as her entire countenance deflates.

If someone spilled beer all over me, they'd get a face full of my fist. But Lacey almost acts like she expected it. Fucking twilight zone.

"Oh my gosh, Lace, how clumsy of me! I'm so sorry!"

I narrow my eyes at Tracey. I can smell a bully a mile away, and it makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I'm about to read Tracey the riot act and send her home, when Lacey stands up and says quietly, "I'll just go change."

I see this as an opportunity.

"Hey, put on your bathing suit. I'm ready to move this party to the hot tub, anyway."

Lacey nods and leaves, leaving the chair next to me open for Tracey, who plops down into it ungracefully.

"What's your deal?" I demand.

She twirls a strand of her hair around her finger and crosses her leg so she's pointing her knees towards me. "What do you mean? I'm just so clumsy sometimes."

She says it as if it's almost endearing.

My eyes narrow. Obviously, they're identical twins, which means physically Tracey is just as attractive as Lacey.

But it's her demeanor that's turning me off.

Her need for the spotlight, her bullying Lacey, her shameless flirtation.

She's Lacey, if Lacey decided to be a puck bunny.

Internally, I groan. I really don't want to have to deal with a thirsty puck bunny as our new social media manager .

Before I can decide whether I want to play into her game or send her packing, Ben comes back out the back door.

"Where's Lace?"

"Changing into her bathing suit. Hey man, can you help me with the clean up?" I ask, standing and walking back inside.

In the kitchen, I check to make sure Tracey didn't follow us and that we're alone.

"Alright, Ski, you've got forty-five seconds to tell me what the fuck is up with the twins over there."

He sighs and runs a large hand down his face. "It's not my story to tell, man. I'm sorry."

"Is there anything between you and Lacey? Because I'll be honest, I came up here to get my dick wet, not play house to a bunch of horny hockey players."

"Lacey?" His eyes widen before he shakes his head. "Nah, man. Stay away from her. She's one of the good ones."

"I didn't ask if she was a good girl, or a bad girl," I say, my voice low and suggestive, just to make the jab at him that I've been thinking about her naked. I want to get a rise out of him if it'll give me the answer I'm looking for. "I asked if there was anything going on between you two."

He narrows his eyes at me. "There will be."

"So that's a 'no'. Thanks man." I slap him on the shoulder. "Thanks for the green light."

I pop the top off of another beer and head to the hot tub. I'm not going to stay away from a woman because Ben wants there to be something between them. That's on him .

Eventually Lacey, Tracey, Ben and the others join me in the hot tub.

While I waited for them, I decided that's the game that I'm going to play.

I have no interest in Tracey, but if flirting with her gets a rise out of Lacey, then I'll have a good idea of where I stand with her.

I want to get a rise out of her. I want to see some fire in her eyes, something other than her hiding in plain sight.

Lacey's wearing a unitarian black one piece that covers everything while Tracey's wearing a barely-there white bikini.

Unfortunately for Tracey, it's having the opposite effect.

Lacey's covering makes me want to see what's underneath.

Tracey showing everything off is boring.

If I wanted to look at tits, I'd go to Pornhub.

Lacey's a beautiful girl, and she knows it, but her demeanor, her bathing suit, makes me feel like she doesn't want the attention.

I wonder if that's because her twin has been stealing it their entire life.

Surely Lacey's got enough of a backbone to stand up to her sister.

Sure, she panicked that one morning, but it only took her a few minutes to get herself under control.

I don't know what's caused Lacey to be so strong, but so shy at the same time.

Tracey sees the moment my eyes lock on Lacey and she swims over to me in the hot tub. Instead of sitting next to me, she perches on my thigh. Even better.

Maybe I'm a sadistic asshole - no, I know that I am - but I want a reaction out of Lacey.

She's been ignoring me, or overly stiff and polite to me, the entire time she's been here.

I'm not used to that, and it's making me feel off kilter.

Women throw themselves at me, the way Tracey is.

I don't even have to try anymore. I go out to a hockey bar; women see me and flock to me.

Usually I can seal the deal in under ten minutes.

I know what they want; they know what I want.

It's a simple transaction. So, what I'm not used to is wanting someone who doesn't want me back.

Fuck, maybe it's not even worth the effort.

When Lacey turns from her conversation with Ryan and sees Tracey on my lap, I give her a slow, sexy smile and make a point to play with Tracey's hair.

What I'm not expecting is Lacey's reaction. There's a flash of hurt before her eyes go completely blank. No. Her eyes didn’t just go blank—they went hollow, like someone flipped a switch and drained the light from her face. It isn’t anger or jealousy.

It's worse. It's nothing. I expected the hurt, the jealousy.

What I didn't expect was her to completely shut down.

Next to her, I see Ben watching the entire interaction.

He laughs quietly and shakes his head like he knows a secret I don't.

That's got me even more irritated.

I push Tracey off me ungracefully. She doesn't get the message and still cuddles up against me, our thighs touching from hip to knee. She laughs a little too loudly, makes sure the attention is on her, and hijacks every conversation.

What should have been a hot and heavy sexy hut tub sesh has gone weird. Everyone around Tracey can't get a word in edgewise, and the vibes are off. Everyone is politely engaging with her, but it's forced. And I have to watch Ben and Lacey whispering quietly to each other.

After a strained hour, everyone makes some sort of excuse to go to bed early. This is a fucking train wreck of a vacation. And we have another day and a half of it.

As I towel off and go to head to the master bedroom, Ben slides up next to me and I notice we're alone.

"You're not going to get her like that," he whispers, leaning in conspiratorially .

"What?"

"Lacey. She's a good girl. She doesn't do jealousy or envy. You'll only push her away by trying to make her jealous."

I look up at him, but he's already looking up at a bedroom window, supposedly hers.

"Why are you telling me this?"

He shrugs. "I dunno, man. All I know is that is that woman deserves the world. And if you're the one who can give it to her, I won't stand in your way."

I quirk an eyebrow at him. "Do you... do you love her?

" I ask, my voice breathy with wonderment.

I've heard of this mythical thing called love but haven't actually seen in it real life.

I see affection when we hang out with married players, but I'm not sure I've ever seen love.

I thought it was just something authors wrote smutty books about, not real.

I can't imagine loving someone so much you'd happily let them be with someone else.

I can't imagine putting someone else's happiness before my own.

What the hell happened between the two of them? !

He looks at me, a soft smile playing on his lips. He looks up at her window again wistfully, looking lost in a memory. "Yeah, man. I really do. You will, too, if you let her in. There's not an ounce of that woman that's unloveable."

He claps me on the shoulder before tossing me a nod and leaving me alone on the back deck.

Not for the first time since I met her do I feel unsettled.

The instant attraction I felt for her. The vulnerability and strength I saw that day when she had that panic attack.

The wanting her, but her not wanting me.

The complete and utter shutdown when I tried to make her jealous .

And now Ben telling me he loves her enough to let me have her? And that if I ever did, I'd fall in love? What fucking Twilight Zone have I woken up in??