Page 5 of The Shared Game

The game had been casual up until this point, but now it was time to take measure of my opponents. Well, certain measurements. Paisley’s curves, for sure. The distance between Aaron and me was worth keeping an eye on, too. I’d made sure to sit closer to him than I normally would, and I was pretty sure it was affecting him, and not just his game.

A flirty energy had been lingering between us for weeks now. He was too shy to do anything about it, of course. I doubted he was even ready to admit to himself that he had feelings for another man, let alone declare them out loud. Fine by me; it only made it sweeter if something did happen.

It was a bit of a dick move to call him out in front of Paisley, but I had my reasons. He either admitted he was into guys, declared he wasn’t competition for Paisley and was another option for me, or he denied it, and I finally had my answer.

I was tempted to make a move on him tonight. That had been the plan. But then there was car trouble, running late, and then… her. She was either the biggest spanner in the works to my plan to ask him out, or the perfect opportunity for even more fun.

Was it possible Aaron was into boys and girls like I was? Now that would just be the cherry on top of everything. And with someone as confident and in control as the delectable Paisley taking center stage, I was already imagining the fun the three of us could have together.

I was so focused on what might happen, I’d completely lost track of what was happening here and now. It was the final round, and I had made a mess of my game. Barely enough eggs to play any birds, and never enough food tokens to play the expensive birds I wanted to.

I came in dead last. Mindy was next, followed by Paisley, with Aaron winning, of course. The guy was sharp. I rarely saw him lose a game, no matter what it was. The fact that Paisley had kept up with him, finishing only a few points behind, told me that she was every bit as sharp as she looked.

Aaron moved to pack up, with Paisley assisting him. I watched as she stole furtive glances at him, and wondered if winning was the way into her heart, and bed.

I’d possibly come on too strong, but that was my way. It had worked so well for me in the past, and I wasn’t going to change who I was for anyone, no matter how hard they made it for me with so little effort.

Paisley was confident; I knew that. She was smart, too. Could my direct approach have fallen flat because of the situation? Would things be different if fewer people were around to hear our conversation?

A private game night, away from the hustle and bustle of others, might be the perfect idea. Somewhere away from Mindy shutting down any inappropriate questions. Away from anyone else, where Aaron might just let his defenses down and admit he was as into me as I suspected.

“That was fun, thanks, fellas. Paisley, lovely to meet you.” Mindy got up first and headed to the back to join the card games, as she did every night I’d seen her here—one big game followed by several trick-taking games; that was Mindy.

She exchanged a look with Aaron before she left. It was subtle, but something unspoken hung between them. The head nod toward Paisley suggested something, but I wasn’t sure what. I made a note to ask Aaron if I caught him alone.

“Yeah, that was a perfect first game, thanks for that.” Paisley flashed her brilliant smile, but it was directed at Aaron, not me.

“Are you sticking around to play another? Or perhaps something else?” Aaron’s voice cracked as he asked. I tried not to shake my head at how adorably awkward he was right now.

“Maybe. You got something in mind?”

“If I know Aaron, he’ll have plenty in mind.” I nudged him, which made him blush even harder.

“I’ve got one or two ideas, yeah.”

“So have I….” I made no attempt to disguise the suggestion in my voice.

Paisley stiffened, but leaned forward, eager to hear what I had to say. Aaron simply stared at me with a mixture of fear and curiosity.

“Yeah? Care to share them?” With pursed lips and folded arms, Paisley was daring me to rise to the challenge.

“What about a private game night sometime?” I glanced between the two of them, trying to sound as innocent as possible. Just to throw them off the scent of how suggestive my voice was a moment ago. Just to keep them on their toes, and hopefully unaware that I was planning to seduce one or both of them if I ever got the chance.

“Private? I’m guessing you would have some more ideas during that, Kevin?”

“A few, yes.” I cleared my throat. It was clear I’d have to exercise at least a little subtlety around Paisley, lest she call me out without a second thought.

“Where are you thinking of?” Trust Aaron to chime in with practicalities while I was still in the planning stage.

“How about your house?” I gave him a playful punch on the arm.

He looked like I’d just suggested we deep-sea dive with sharks. Honestly, his face was a picture of pure fear. For some strange reason, it only made him look more adorable.

“My house? Why mine?”

“Because I’m guessing you’ve got a super fancy board gaming table and a huge selection of games. Am I right?”

“You’re not wrong.” He admitted reluctantly.