His Secret PuckBunny : Dark Hockey romance (TCP #2)

Chapter 11- You cant control People

Pavel prided himself on keeping his two worlds separate: hockey and the gentlemen's club. The club served as a way to distract himself from his obsession with Lily. Never had he thought those two worlds would collide but he needed to be sure.

Pavel focused on the road ahead, his hands firmly gripping the steering wheel as he drove. Lily sat in the passenger seat, her gaze occasionally drifting out the window

"So, how's the new apartment going?" He asked, breaking the silence. His voice carefully composed, concealing the fact that he had prior knowledge of her apartment.

The neighborhood and the new apartment didn't sit well with him. Deep down, he understood that if he were to tell her to move out of there, she would likely refuse out of sheer stubbornness.

"It's great having my own space," Lily said.

"So you have no issue, no problem or anything."

"No. It's perfect." She said, almost convincingly.

Another big fat lie.

Pavel had devised a plan, one that would make her come to him. He could literally hear his therapist's voice echoing in his head. You can't control people. This was narcissist behavior, or was it histrionic?

Mason Pavel knew very well he wasn't either of those things. Lily wouldn't do anything she didn't want to do and he didn't wish to control her.

He simply wanted to control the chess pieces in her life, to make her recognize her own feelings and make decisions based on her own desires.

The sleek black Mercedes purred to a stop outside Lily's modest building, a stark contrast to the urban surroundings. Pavel, sitting behind the wheel, turned off the engine and turned to her with a casual smile.

"How do you know where I live?" She questioned, her eyes narrowing with suspicion. "I sat here silently watching you make all the correct turns, and here we are, right in front of my building."

Pavel, maintaining his calm demeanor, pulled out Lily's phone. "It was on here, when you ordered the Uber."

She took the phone but continued to stare at him suspiciously, a subtle hint of distrust lingering in her gaze.

"Okay, you've got to stop looking at me like that and show me your new place."

She hesitated for a moment, her apprehension still evident, but she eventually took her phone from him and stepped out of the car. The familiar city sounds surrounded them, and Lily led the way towards her building entrance.

They climbed the stairway because the elevator was out of order. Inside, the apartment felt smaller with Pavel's broad frame filling the space.

Standing in the middle, she pointed. "There is the kitchen. Over there is my bedroom, and over there is the living room where I hang out most of the time."

Pavel noticed a new lock sitting on the kitchen table. "What's with the lock?" he asked.

She shifted uncomfortably. "That.. I think someone may have broken in a few days ago," she finally admitted.

Pavel's brow furrowed. He stepped closer, dark brows knitted in worry. "Then why are you still here? You should stay with Caleb or something."

But Lily stood her ground, lifting her chin. "I chose to move out on my own because I wanted space. I'm 21 years old. I want to be an adult and do adult things." she insisted. "I want to prove that I can do this myself, like an adult."

"Okay, Miss adult... What are you going to do about this then? Because you can't stay here if someone is trying or probably has broken in." and will break in again because you left your new lock out in the open.