“It’s an endearing quality that you’ll learn to embrace with time.”
“Fine. But for the record, I’m only trying this so you stop giving me those puppy dog eyes. I can’t say no to anything when you give me looks like that.”
“I’ll keep that useful nugget of information tucked away.”
His hand caressed my cheek, and he gave me a smile that set my insides ablaze. “Use those powers for good, okay?” He looked at the candy in his hand and took a tentative bite. His expression went from disgust to revulsion in the span of a few seconds. “This tastes like shit.”
“It tastes like my childhood.” I picked up the bag and shoved a worm in my mouth.
His eyes widened as he watched me chew and swallow the candy. “Well, your childhood should have put you in a hyperglycemic coma by now.”
I couldn’t help the laughter that bubbled up, because Brogan freaking out about a gummy worm was the funniest thing I’d seen in at least a week.
“Excuse me, I need to wash the taste of shit down with something.” He moved his laptop from the couch cushion to the end table and disappeared into the kitchen. A couple minutes later, he came back, brandishing two glasses of red wine. He handed me the long-stemmed crystal, and I took a deep sip. This was a far cry from my three dollar beers. My taste buds would be weeping next time I went to a bar.
I placed my glass on a coaster on the coffee table and strode over to the console and turned it on. The good old hunter and dog flashed on the screen, accompanied by the pesky ducks. I hadn’t played this game in years. Ever since the newer gaming systems came out, this one had collected dust under my bed. But when Brogan said he hadn’t indulged in good ol’ nineties technology, I had to share something that was near and dear to my childhood.
After handing Brogan the controller, I instructed him on how the game worked. “Aim it at the ducks. The goal is to kill each one and you move to the next level.”
“Sounds simple enough.” He shrugged and pointed his controller at the television.
I smirked. “Mm-hmm.” Right. Only a novice would say that. Anyone well-versed in the Nintendo-sphere would know that getting each duck took a certain amount of skill and luck, and positioning the controller a quarter inch to the side of the duck because sometimes the screen was a little off with the laser.
I watched him as the loud cling of the trigger rapid-fired, and Brogan continued to miss the ducks flying across the screen. He cussed under his breath, and his brows pinched together in concentration. “What the hell? I had them!”
“It helps if you look through the sight instead of going all G-unit on them. Be one with the gun, boss.”
“Right.” He shook his head and plopped down on the couch, holding up the gun to me. “How about you show me how it’s done.”
I grabbed the controller from his hand and stuck out my tongue. “Gladly.”
The round started again and I shot each duck before they were able to fly off the screen.
“I don’t know how you just did that but I definitely like watching you with a gun in your hands.”
“Yeah?” I pretended to blow smoke from the plastic barrel. “You should see me play Mortal Combat then. I’m proficient with all sorts of weapons.” I wiggled my brows.
“I don’t know whether to be scared of you or turned on.”
A wave of heat licked through me. “Maybe a little bit of both.”
I tossed the controller onto the table and climbed on top of him, my legs on either side of his thighs. His fingers wrapped around my sides as he pulled me closer to him. Nothing beat the feel of his skin, the way his eyes softened when he looked at me… The way everything else slid away, my one reprieve during the toughest months of my life.
My palms cupped either side of his face, my hands slipping into his hair. He groaned and leaned into my touch as I massaged my fingers over his scalp.
“Scared is the last word I’d use when you’re on top of me.” His soft mouth met mine, and a sigh escaped my parted lips. A searing heat spread from where my mouth met his and cascaded down my spine as I arched my body into his. Even though we were close enough that the only barrier left was clothes, I needed more. How could someone so different from me elicit such a reaction? I didn’t even begin to understand him, but his willingness to try something that meant a lot to me was heartwarming. If we’d met in college, he’d be a best friend. Someone to share secrets and desires with. Someone I’d want to be around because I liked him as a person first and foremost. Because Brogan was a nice guy, and nice guys were always the most trouble.
His tongue slid across my lips at the same time his hands worked over my back. Any thoughts bumping around in my head quickly dissolved as our kiss deepened, and my grip on reality slipped into a haze of feather light touches, skin, and contented sighs.
Chapter Eighteen
Lainey Taylor Rule of Life #92