Page 21 of Game Over

“Okay, fine. Let's do this, what’s the worst-case scenario?”

It took me a moment to understand what he said through the nerves buzzing in my ears. “Huh?”

“What’s the worst thing you think could happen right now?”

“That’s silly,” I said, trying to put my compact away, shoving it into my way-too-overfull bag.

Why didn’t I bring a bigger one? Was it really that big of a deal if Charlie thought I was a high-maintenance omega? I was, so, it was just the truth…

“I’m serious,” Jesse said, taking my comfort fidget bag away and zipping it up easily. I would’ve taken it back and fished out my lip gloss again, but he kept it tucked beside him.

Rude.

“What’s the most catastrophic thing that could happen?”

I blew out a sigh as I picked at my purple glittery nails, the only thing I had left to focus my nervous energy on.

“I guess I’d say the wrong thing and Charlie thinks I’m not right for you and convinces you to dump me before I even get to eat my soft pretzel.”

His eyes widened with a long, slow blink. “That’s… incredibly specific.”

I groaned, covering my face with my hands. “I’ve been thinking about a terrible bar pretzel all day,” I admitted. “Maybe I miss Eva?”

They shrugged, narrowly stopping themselves from laughing as he leaned in to kiss my temple. “I get it, they’re a guilty pleasure. You know I love the cinnamon sugar one.”

“And you know I think that’s an incorrect opinion because you’re a freak who doesn’t get the caramel sauce.”

“You do miss Eva,” they teased, a hand finding my shoulder. “Pretzels aside, none of that would happen. What could you possibly say?”

“I don’t know!” I whined, throwing my hands up, and letting them fall back down, smacking my lap hard.

“Charlie knows how I feel about you, and unless you were going to tell him you cheated on me, or like… hated him as a Calypso main, then I think we’re all good.”

I laughed at that. Who could hate Calypso? They were the best healer in the game. “We’re marked safe there. I don’t have the time for two partners.”

“Then I think you’re in the clear.”

I couldn’t help the smile his casual confidence drew to my face. “Thanks, baby.”

“Of course,” Jesse returned, leaning in for a soft kiss that made me want to slide right across the console and sit in his lap.

The beta's face lit as he pulled away, features going boyish with his bright smile as he turned the radio up, raising his voice to speak over the excitable pop tune. “Hey! Look at that! It’s our song! I told you, sweetie pie, it's a sign! Today is going to be—” he broke off during the chorus, singing so loudly and with so much enthusiasm that I couldn’t help but follow along with him, our voices mingling in the compact space of the car along with the radio sounding a hell of a lot more like caterwauling than singing.

I’d managed to secure a lot of talents in my life, but karaoke was not one of them.

“Come on, we’re going to be late,” I said, moving to prepare to get out of the car.

Jesse grabbed my hand, entirely unbothered by our potential rudeness, using it as a microphone.

I couldn’t help it, terrible vocal cords or not, I sang along.

When the song was over I slid out of my seat, taking Jesse’s offered hand and shutting the door with my hip.

He’d dressed casually in a T-shirt and jeans with a pair of high-top sneakers. Gamer chic, given our chosen location for a meetup. It was, admittedly,perfect. The sleeves of his top just tight enough to hug his deliciously built arms.

Jesse was more of a sit-on-the-couch-and-smoke-a-joint guy than a gym bro, but that didn’t stop him from clocking hours racking weights anyway.

And how I loved a man with range.

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