AllFreeNovel
Share Us
A harried-looking kid who couldn’t be more than eighteen hurried over. “Aubry Kaiser?”
“Yes.” Her voice was barely audible, so she cleared her throat and tried again. “That’s me.”
“Great. You’re the last one.” He turned around and raised his voice. “Take your seats. There’s a short video and then you’ll have the opportunity to play through the demo in pairs.”
She could do this. She’d already done the hard part of getting to the room itself. All she had to do now was walk over and sit down.
If she could just get her legs to move.
Quinn palmed her ass, making her jump. His cocky grin was as annoying as it was familiar. “Have fun. When you’re done, we’re going to renegotiate.”
The nerve. “There’s nothing to renegotiate.” She glared. “I think I made my position pretty damn clear yesterday.”
“I want some clarification of your…position.” There was enough innuendo laced into the last word that she’d have to be spectacularly oblivious to have missed it.
“You’re insufferable.”
He leaned down and whispered in her ear, “And yet it was my cock you were coming on roughly twenty-four hours ago.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Oh, we’ll have a conversation all right. Just you wait.” And then she marched to the empty seat in front of the nearest screen and plopped onto it. It wasn’t until the video started that she paused long enough to wonder if Quinn had provoked her on purpose to help her settle in.Chapter ElevenQuinn couldn’t care less about some game with alien shooters, but Aubry was into it, so he paid attention. It didn’t seem that different from the other first-person shooters out there with the exception that someone in the marketing department had taken the time to fully customize each of the playable characters to the people here. Aubry’s character was a dead ringer for herself, minus the tattoos.
Once they started playing, all he could do was watch her. She stared at the screen with a laser focus that was seriously sexy, her entire body still with the exception of her hands on the controls. He glanced at the screen in time to watch her take out two of the other players—guys directly behind them if the curses that rose were any indication. Over and over again, she evaded attacks, turning them around on the other team and racking up a truly impressive kill count. When the final screen popped up, she sat back and cracked her neck with a grin that hit him like a sucker punch. “And that’s how it’s done.”
This was her element—where she let go of her anxiety and prickly walls designed to keep people at a distance and just let herself be happy. More than happy. She looked downright joyful.
It was staggering to witness.
The guy next to her looked like he hadn’t seen direct sunlight anytime in the last decade. His shoulders were hunched and he was thin enough that Quinn would worry about breaking something if he slapped him on the back. He turned to Aubry, with hero worship in his eyes. “You’re MistressRed13.”
“The very one.” Her smile didn’t so much as dim at the human interaction.
“I don’t know if you remember, but I played backup for you against that evil overlord centipede, Claws. What you can do with an assault rifle is just poetic.”
As he watched, she relaxed and chatted with the guy. Apparently they’d played together more than once, and the way they talked about the game was completely foreign to Quinn. He liked things he could get his hands on and really dig into. There was nothing about virtual reality that made him feel more alive. He’d never been able to get into any of the games he’d played, let alone on the level Aubry and this guy—Kurt, his name was—were talking about right now. He’d never be able to share that with her.
What the hell are you even talking about? The only thing he wanted to share with her was orgasms. Who cared if she liked a game he wasn’t the least bit interested in, or that she’d probably eventually settle down with a guy like Kurt—a guy who got her?
He made himself stop and really consider that. There was nothing overtly wrong with Kurt. Nothing except the fact that he’d never be able to give it to Aubry the way she liked it. And he was so busy kissing her ass, would he really be able to challenge her or help her get more comfortable in a social situation or, fuck, act as a wall between her and her fears?
Quinn didn’t like the thought of her with someone else. He didn’t like that shit at all. And knowing that it wasn’t what either of them signed on for didn’t change a damn thing. He’d actually enjoyed most of the last few days with Aubry. He wasn’t ready to let her go, and he sure as fuck wasn’t about to do it before his sister’s wedding. A few more days. We’ll figure this shit out after that.
