Page 20 of A Geek Girl's Guide to Kissing a Video Gamer
“You flew me here. Paid for this hotel. Our food tonight. Even the lawyer. You’ve done all that. This was just an idea.” She smiled, and it was like her lips were sending a bat-signal. If only he had the courage to suit up.
His gaze darted to her lips and back up. “Actually, I’ve had a great time.”
Nodding, she slowly pulled away. “Me too, and now I’m ready to own you on a video game.”
“You are so on.”
While she grabbed the remote, he went to his room to get his game system. This was the best night he’d had in a long time. Granted, he played video games with his friends, but playing with Sadie was worth the flight, hotel, and anything else he had.
She was so bright and funny and easy to hang out with. He didn’t feel inept or awkward around her.
Pausing as he reached his bedroom door, he inhaled long and deep. He needed to slow down. While Sadie was nothing like Kim, that didn’t mean she wanted anything more from him than friendship. He needed to be okay with that.
The only problem was getting his heart on board. If he wasn’t careful, he’d fall for her, and he suspected nursing a heart broken by Sadie would be much harder than anything he’d experienced with Kim. Just friends. Stay cool.
Pushing his glasses back up his nose, he softly grunted. The only way he’d be cool was if he were blasted with liquid nitrogen. Oh man, he was so going to crash and burn.
Chapter 13
In five minutes, the doors would open and prospective clients would roam the aisles. In some ways, it was a comic-con without cosplay.
Every doubt she’d ever had played in her mind. Was she good enough? What if they didn’t like her or her art? A business was more than just the product or service offered; it was how that business made their client feel. Would Templar feel confident that Sadie could deliver? Xavier seemed pretty confident in her abilities, but he was also kind to her.
After a few hours playing video games with Xavier, she’d retired to her room, feigning exhaustion. Well, she had been, but there was no way she was sleeping. During the game, they’d talked about their game idea, and it had fueled her creativity. By the end of the weekend, she wanted to surprise him with the start of a storyboard.
Plus, the longer they played, the closer they moved to each other until they were sharing the middle seat cushion, which made kissing even harder to fight. Faking a yawn and running to her room seemed the best way to avoid messing everything up. How many times would she be able to do that, though? How was her willpower going to hold out the more she fell for him?
Xavier took her by the arms and smiled. “Stop worrying. Yes, I know the stakes are high, but if Templar doesn’t sign, so what? This place is going to be crawling with prospective clients. And you’re Sadie Baylor. You’ve got this.”
“She better,” Buck said as he stopped at the table. For once, Cinnamon wasn’t with him. “My lawyer faxed the contract back to yours this morning. Once they hash it out, I’ll sign, but if Templar ends up not using you, Empire will be done.”
Xavier dropped his hands from her arms and stood next to her, their shoulders touching. “Yeah, we get it.”
“You know, instead of just letting it die, you could just give it back to me,” Sadie replied.
Buck glanced left and then right, seeming to make sure no one was listening. “I could, but I won’t.”
Sadie held back tears. “Why? What did I do to make you like this?”
“You’re assuming I wasn’t this way to begin with.” A sick delight in his eyes grew as the words sank in.
“You…” She fought even harder to keep the tears at bay. “You used me?”
He’d said he loved her, wanted her, needed her. All the while, she’d been the means to an end: her money. Suddenly, her feet felt like they were sinking into quicksand.
Xavier wrapped his arms around her, and she turned into him, trying to figure out the signs she’d missed. Had she been that gullible? Clearly, she was, or she’d still have Empire.
“Let’s make one thing abundantly clear. Sadie will get her company back if I have to spend every dime I have.” Each word out of Xavier’s mouth sounded more menacing than the last.
Buck chuckled. “Really? After what happened with the last woman? You sure you’re ready to go to bat for someone you just met? You’ve sure spent a lot of money on her already. Convenient, right? That she just happened to be in the right place at the right time?”
The muscles in Xavier’s chest tightened under Sadie’s hand as he flinched. She even caught the sharp intake of air. He hesitated a second before replying, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He’d played down Buck’s comment, but she knew it had hit exactly where Buck wanted it to. She’d be lucky if they even remained friends after this. He’d always have doubts. She could say she didn’t know it was him before they met at the restaurant, but what about his voice? Wouldn’t she have recognized it?
If she never did another thing, she’d pay Xavier back for everything he’d spent on her so far. Somehow, she’d find a way, not that she expected Xavier to ever fully trust her.
Buck continued. “Funny. That’s not what I heard. Imagine my surprise when I overheard two guys talking about an ex-gamer and a video game designer faking a relationship. I may not be the smartest guy in the room, but I’d bet my Maserati they were talking about you two.”
