Page 58 of Dangerous Games

Shit.

I forgot that I had told him I would play.

His tone sounds normal, but something about the look on his face tells me that if I don’t answer his question correctly, I’m going to be in big trouble.

“I should probably tell him I’m not going to be on after all…” I answer slowly as I wait for his reaction.

“Of course. I wouldn’t want you to be rude to Mr. Fuck Around And Find Out.”

Okay, I feel like I’m missing something here. What does he have against Wiz?

“Do you have a problem with me playing online?”

“I have a problem with you playing online with men who want to get in your pants.”

“What?” I ask, my voice rising as I sit up straight. “He doesn’t want to get in my pants!”

Gio looks at me like I’m stupid as he remains silent.

“Don’t look at me like that.” I’m getting pissed off again. My mellow mood was good while it lasted. I should have known he would piss me off again. “He doesn’t want to get in my pants. Our relationship isn’t like that.”

“Why don’t you enlighten me on what it’s like then,” Gio says as he crosses his arms and settles into the corner, his eyes boring a hole into my soul.

I don’t like the accusation in his tone. I haven’t given him one single reason not to believe what I tell him is true.

“We play online. We’re online friends. That’s it.” If he wasn’t being such an asshole about this, I would explain more, but right now I don’t think he deserves it.

“That’s it?”

“Why do you not believe me?”

“Because he seemed to know a lot more about your life than just online games.”

“Okay, yeah,” I set my plate down on the comforter, throwing my hands up in the air dramatically. “He knows when I can’t sleep or when I’m in a bad mood because usually when either of those are happening I get online to escape. That’s what video games are for. To escape reality. But that’s as far as it goes. He doesn’t know when I go to work or come home. He doesn’t know when I get my period. And he sure as hell doesn’t know when I’m on a date!” I’m full-on yelling now, but Gio doesn’t seem fazed.

Gio is silent as he stacks my plate on top of his and climbs out of bed, heading into the kitchen. I watch as he throws them in the trash before shutting off the kitchen light and moving to the living room. He grabs my controller. I’m too far away from the screen to read, but I can make out that he has the chat open and he’s typing. He must have been satisfied because he shuts my system off before turning the light off in the living room.

My apartment is black now. As my eyes adjust, I make out Gio’s shadowy figure heading my way. His knee hits the bed before he climbs over me, settling back in his spot. He reaches down, grabbing the comforter and dragging it over us, tucking us in.

I slide down, laying my head on my pillow. The only thing that can be heard throughout the room is our breathing, mine tense and his… I don’t know what this is but it can’t be good. Gio isn’t silent.

“What did you tell him?” I finally work up the balls to ask as I lay there staring up at the ceiling.

“Something he should have already known. Go to sleep. I don’t want you tired for family dinner tomorrow.”

Ugh.

Family dinner might just be the death of me.

Chapter

Eighteen

GIO

The next morning I left Bronwyn sleeping in her bed. I didn’t want to leave her, but I had shit to do before family dinner that I couldn’t have her around for.

As I left the bed, she stretched out into my spot without opening an eye. I was afraid I’d woken her, but she was dead to the world. I dressed slowly while I watched her sleeping form, wanting nothing more than to climb back into bed with her and wake her up with my face buried between her legs.