Page 56 of Knot That Difficult

Devyn looks absolutely delighted. “Do zombies sound good?” she asks excitedly, bouncing on her feet.

He looks between the both of us, as if thinking deeply, then nods curtly.

“Hell yes!” Devyn yells. “Let’s do this!”

She grabs her drink and races past us to the arcade.

Connor looks at me, shakes his head, then laughs.

He smiles so hard the corners of his eyes crinkle.

* * *

It’s only beenthirty minutes, but I’m contemplating asking Connor to buy the place.

Sure, it sounds crazy, but there’s a good reason for it.

I never want to leave.

Connor and I watch Devyn in awe, both our mouths agape, as she destroys zombie after zombie with her plastic gun, getting perfect head shots every time.

There’s a crowd gathered around her just to watch her performance. I catch the faintest whiff of other Alphas, and I stand next to her a little too closely.

“Where the hell did you learn how to play this well?” I demand, delighted.

It’s not a new game; it’s at least ten years old and a zombie classic.

But she’s not even breaking a sweat doing it. One foot is on a pedal underneath her to reload the gun, and she occasionally shoots off the video game screen to switch weapons.

She sticks out her tongue as she narrows her eyes on the pixelated zombies, executing perfect shots. “At my foster home, we were able to go to the arcade if we were good,” she says nonchalantly, her focus still on the screen. “I traded candy for the boys’ arcade tokens.”

I shoot a worried glance at Connor, who blinks in shock.

Connor had mentioned that she was secretive about her childhood on their date, and based on her answer now, he didn’t know she was in the foster system.

I have so many questions, and I’m sure he does, too.

“This is the hardest boss!” she yells, her blonde curls bouncing as she aims the gun at different dead people on the screen. People behind us cheer, and some even have their phones out to record her breaking a high score.

“Turn your fucking camera off,” I hiss at one of them, an older Beta with greasy hair and a creepy face. Before I snatch it from his hand, he puts his phone in his pocket, and I give him a warning growl. He walks away, muttering to himself.

Asshole.

Connor continues to watch Devyn, a mixture of confusion and awe on his face. His scent is strong; a combination of rich bourbon and bitter coffee. The subtle scent of his arousal fills my senses, and my cock twitches.

Mixed with Devyn’s sweetness, it creates an aroma that makes my mouth water.

He’s enamored with her, just like I am.

“See? This is much more interesting than chess.” She turns to Connor for a moment to laugh as the next level loads. “And much more badass-looking.”

“If I’m ever in a zombie apocalypse, I know who to call,” he says, his voice fond.

Dressed in her leather jacket and with her wild blonde hair, she looks like she could fend for herself in a post-apocalyptic world and be fucking adorable while doing it.

But then tragedy strikes at the next level.

Devyn misses a shot, and the screen fills with red.

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