Page 223 of Better When Shared
Gamer Rules
A Spicy MMF Romance
Kristin Lance
Chapter 1
Kiaan
The seaplane lurched as it hit the water. I gripped my armrest tight enough to leave an impression in my palm, but it wasn’t because I was concerned for my safety. It was because of one man Ryker Hale. He sat in the row in front of mine, talking cheerfully to the passenger next to him as if he wasn’t about to single-handedly destroy my love life.
My eyes skimmed over his broad shoulders, down to the stupid Denver Fire Department t-shirt that fit him like it was painted on.
Thankfully, he hadn’t looked my way, or perhaps he had and hadn’t recognized me. At first, I’d tried to convince myself it wasn’t him. After all, most Denver firefighters probably looked a bit like Ryker. But why would a random Denver firefighter be travelling to a remote island in Washington State, where our best friend lived?
That didn’t seem likely.
The longer we sat on the plane, the more the details convinced me it was him. I’d heard Ryker’s booming laugh a million times through my gaming headset, and one of his muscled forearms sported a Legend of Twin Blades 3 tattoo.
There couldn’t be two gamer geek Denver Firefighters with that tattoo.
So, if it was Ryker, why was he headed to San Juan Island on the same flight as me? This was my big move; my grand romantic gesture. And he had not been invited. Hell, he hadn’t even been told about it.
The pilot announced our arrival at Friday Harbor, his voice drowned out by the engine’s whine as we taxied toward the dock. Ryker gathered his worn backpack, probably full of heroic firefighting stuff or kittens he’d rescued, while I pulled my carry-on from beneath the seat.
I’d known Skylar and Ryker both for years; we’d been members of the same Legend of the Twin Blades guild since the first edition of the game released when I was in college. And while other players came and went, those two had been steady.
The plane rocked as it bumped against the dock. Passengers began to disembark, and I hung back, letting Ryker go first so I wouldn’t have to acknowledge him. Maybe he wouldn’t recognize me. I’d rarely shared my photos with the group the way he had—I valued my privacy in the gaming community,never wanting anyone to realize who I was and treat me differently.
Besides, I always thought I looked dorky in photos.
Stepping onto the wooden dock, I scanned the small seaplane terminal for Skylar, stomach churning as I searched the crowd for a beautiful Asian woman with teal-streaked black hair.
At first, Skylar hadn’t shared photos at all, but lately, things had gotten a bit more heated between us in direct messages, and she’d shared a little more.
But I didn’t see her anywhere, only an older woman, elegant in a bohemian sort of way, and waving enthusiastically. At me?
I looked back, just to be sure she wasn’t waving at someone behind me. There was nobody else there.
“Ryker! Kiaan! Over here!” the woman called, waving both arms now.
Wait. She knew our names?
Ryker turned at the sound of his name, then frowned and glanced my way, his eyes finally landing on me. I watched the progression of emotions across his stupidly handsome face: confusion, recognition, and then something that made his nostrils flare and his jaw clench.
Perhaps he was as irritated to see me as I was to see him. His gaze dragged from my face down my body and back up again. What did that mean?
“Fuck, you’re gorgeous,” he muttered. Or, I think that was what he said. Maybe I’d misheard him.
Heat rushed to my face. I hadn’t expected the low, husky quality of his voice or how it would send a jolt straight through me. And I definitely hadn’t expected how much taller he’d be in person, or his impossible blue-green eyes. The photos hadn’t done him justice.
His face broke into a golden retriever smile, and he pulled me into a hug before I could dodge it.
“Kiaan! Holy shit, man! Hui didn’t say you were coming, too!” His arms were solid around me, his chest firm against mine. He smelled of cedar and something clean and masculine that made my brain short-circuit.
I stood stiffly in his embrace, hands awkwardly patting his back.
Hui rushed up to us, her smile wide. “Ah, my granddaughter’s two handsome young men are here in person! Skylar will be so surprised.”
