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“You’re good at this,” Nick said, admiration evident in his tone.
“Brooke and I loved going to the arcade as kids.”
“You said you didn’t play.” There was a little accusation in his voice.
I shrugged, enjoying our back and forth. “Not anymore.”
“Not even with Hunter?”
“He doesn’t ask me to play. I’m not cool enough, I guess.” He was more focused on playing ball outside than video games, which was a good thing.
When I finished the game, I stood, in part to get some space from Nick. He was taking over my senses, making me forget the reasons we couldn’t go any further than friendship.
“My turn,” he said, sitting on the stool, his legs spread wide. He patted his thigh. “Come over here. There’s room, so you can see better.”
I moved without thinking, his hand came to my hip, pressing me to his left side so he could use his right to play the game. It was worse than him standing behind me because I was between his legs, resting against his rock-hard thigh.
What were Brooke and Ben thinking? Could Hunter see? I craned my neck to see where he was.
“The boys are on the other side. They can’t see.”
“It doesn’t make this right,” I hissed even as my body heated from the proximity.
“It sure as hell doesn’t feel wrong.” His tone was gruff.
His gaze was on the screen. Anyone looking at us would assume he was focused on the game and nothing else. But I could feel the tense muscles in his thigh, the way his fingers flexed over my hip. I had this intense urge to move so that my ass was pressed against his cock. It was stupid and crazy, but my inner desires were taking over.
For a few seconds there was nothing but the beep of the system as his Pac-Man gobbled the dots across the screen. He was much more skilled than I was. “Are you sure that gaming system is for Brody?”
Nick chuckled, and the sound rumbled through my body. “Let’s put it this way—I wasn’t upset about getting it.”
“So you’re just a kid inside. One who loves baseball and video games.” I smiled at him, loving the picture I was getting of him.
He shook his head, loosening his grip on my hip so he could hang it loosely around my waist. “I love arcade games. That’s different than video games. It reminds me of playing with my brother when we were kids. Before everything changed.”
His expression turned from playful to grim.
The hair on my neck stood at attention because Nick was telling me more about him. He was letting me in. Goose bumps erupted over my body. “You’re a good brother.”
“That’s not true.” His denial was immediate.
“Maybe you can’t see things clearly. You’re too close. Too quick to judge yourself harshly.”
He turned his attention from the game to me. “How could you possibly know all of that?”
“So far, I’ve seen a man willing to uproot his life to take care of his nephew. A man willing to brave public opinion to raise Brody in his hometown, the same town with townspeople his father stole from. You’re a good person. A great coach. You’re too hard on yourself.”
I could see him so clearly. Why couldn’t he? He was amazing. Nothing like my ex. A tingle shot through me. He was the opposite of my ex. The kind of guy I should go for. But there were reasons why we shouldn’t. Why I couldn’t. The reasons were jumbled up with the feel of him so close, his warm eyes focused on me. He made me feel wanted, treasured. I remembered our night together, the way he was so sweet and gentle, yet confident and sure, and I wanted more. I wanted everything.
I wanted to forget about my sister, our kids, and everyone else’s opinion, for a shot at happiness.
He nodded at the screen. “It’s your turn.”
I sighed, not wanting to push it. We’d only just reconnected, so, of course, he wouldn’t trust my assessment. Even if we couldn’t be anything more than friends, I could make him see how amazing he was.
Twelve
NICK
