Page 56 of Trust Me

The corner of my mouth lifted. “Touché. I haven’t been working, but now that I am, you can bet your ass that half of my money will be getting put away for as long as I can manage it. You think I don’t want to go and blow my tips on some new shoes? Good food? Some carts from the dispensary?” I shook my head. “I have a budget for those things, and if they don’t fit in that budget, I don’t get them.”

“This sounds miserable. No wonder you look bored all the time.”

“Well, maybe you should be more entertaining. Ever thought about that?”

He threw a paper airplane at me, conjured from somewhere only he knew, and the tip hit me in the eyelid. With a swear, I thrust my leg out and kicked him. It only took moments for a full-on duel to ensue. Despite my physical fitness, he got me in a headlock. I hadn’t wrestled someone nearly my size in a long time, and clearly, I wasn’t prepared for it.

“I think you need some goals too,” he said directly in my ear. The words were breathy, making me shiver as I felt them against my skin.

“Yeah?” I got out through the pressure on my throat. “Like?”

“Get me to submit in a wrestling match. Bet you can’t.” His arm tightened around me, taking away the rest of my breath. I tapped his arm, but he waited another few seconds before he released me. “Although, it might just require you to ask nicely.”

I coughed a little as I tried to orient myself. There was a smile on his face as he got to his feet, which made me narrow my eyes.

“I’ll beat you next time,” I said.

He shrugged one shoulder. “Looking forward to it.”

“Where are you going? There’s still a bunch of mail.”

Stepping around me, he plopped onto the couch with a loud groan. “We’re gonna game.”

“But—”

“Yeah, yeah. Responsibilities. One hour.”

When I didn’t respond, he stuck his lip out. With a sigh, I sat beside him and took the controller he held out.

Baby steps, I guess. There was no way I’d let him off the hook unless he actually didn’t want me to help him, but I was pretty sure he did. That meant I had my work cut out for me. Somehow, though, I didn’t really mind.