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“Hardly.” He pressed a kiss to the side of her head. “Only the best arcade game in the history of life.”
Tugging her over to the last machine in a line of them, he set down the pizza box on the floor beside the machine and fed some dollars into a coin changer. He got back what seemed like a serious amount of coins and stuffed them into his pockets as if they were gold doubloons. He dumped a couple into the machine and grabbed one of the joysticks, taking his stance and spreading his legs.
While he was occupied, she might have moved back to see how his ass looked in the jeans, but she would never admit it.
“Okay, here we go. You’ve never played, so let me run through the basics for you.” Realizing she wasn’t still beside him, he glanced over his shoulder. “What are you doing?”
“Checking out your ass.”
So much for not admitting it.
He swiped his tongue over his teeth. “And the verdict?”
“Not tight enough, but from what I can see, thumbs up.” She grinned and moved into his side, tucking closer as he slung his arm around her shoulder again. “I’m an ass woman, I’ve decided.”
“Objectifying me yet again. I like it. You want to play this game or what?”
She wiggled her fingers over her joystick. She’d played a lot of video games during her years in private school. Just because she wasn’t familiar with this one didn’t mean she doubted her abilities.` “Prepare to be decimated.”
Twenty minutes later, he conceded defeat. In West’s case, that meant moving on to the next game he thought he could school her on. This one, however, she knew all too well.
“Monkey Madness? Dude, you may want to rethink this life choice.” She flexed her biceps, though they weren’t really visible due to the puffy jacket. “Your manhood may seriously be threatened by the end of this night.”
“Bring it.” He poured in more coins and gave his joystick a smack that made her think of him possibly smacking other things.
Like her ass.
Whoa, okay, so maybe slow your roll on the Tumblr scrolling, huh? Turning kinky when you haven’t even figured out vanilla.
She grabbed her joystick and sucked in a breath. “If I win, what do I get?”
He gave her one of those sidelong glances he’d perfected and tucked his tongue into his cheek. “What do you want?”
She grinned and focused on the screen. “I’ll tell you when I win.”
By the time he smacked the joystick again in certain defeat, she’d shed her beloved jacket and tied off the Warning Sign shirt at her waist to try to relieve the heat drenching her skin. Playing video games was sweaty work, especially when you were possibly gambling for sex acts.
Not that he knew that yet.
She also hadn’t fully summoned her courage to make that her prize, though she was becoming more and more sure it would be. Her own personal joy button was practically throbbing every time he manipulated his stick. Muscles bunched in his forearm, and his veins stood out in sharp relief with every movement. His fingers were deft and sure, his intensity as he glared at the screen palpable.
As much as she tried, she couldn’t stop from sneaking glances at him. He was utterly lickable.
Her distraction was how he avoided a hurling barrel and spun around to do a crazy dance right in front of her. His character, not actually him. But from his whoop of delight, he just might dance too.
She’d pay to see that.
“Busted. How you like them bananas?” He shook the joystick again and grinned at her and she prayed she wouldn’t screw this up.
If she couldn’t handle a normal, regular guy, this one was miles out of her league. Not because he was a rockstar. Not because he was beautiful. But because he was fun and exciting and real in a way she’d never encountered before.
She wasn’t ready to say goodbye.
“Lauren? You okay?” He frowned. “What’s your last name, by the way?”
The question chased away her momentary blues. If he wanted her last name, he must not be quite ready for this night to end yet either. “Bryant. Born in Seattle, currently a resident of Claremont, California.”
If he thought it odd she offered that much information, he didn’t acknowledge it. Instead his gaze brightened even in the dim blue and pink beams coming from the overhead track lights. The place reminded her of the underwater exhibit at the zoo. Dark with funky lights that gave it an otherworldly feel.
