Page 29 of Erotic Temptations 2
We pulled up to the laser tag place—a low-slung concrete building with a mural painted on the side. Something about neon aliens and half-melted planets. Classic. The parking lot was half full, puddles coating the asphalt so the reflections danced each time headlights swept past.
He killed the engine. The parking lot lights turned the raindrops on his windshield into diamonds. I waited for him to say something sappy.
Instead, he opened his door and met me around the front, umbrella already out, like he’d actually planned it.
Kane parked close enough that my socks barely had time to soak through on the walk to the front. He opened his umbrella, sharing it until we got under the awning. His hand found the small of my back, not quite subtle, not exactly a declaration.
Inside, “Galactic Arena” was a different planet. The lobby pulsed with blacklights and that weird ozone-y smell that meant cheap plastic and overexcited kids had done permanent damage to the carpet.
Kane’s cousin had gone fullStar Warswith the signage. There were glow-in-the-dark letters everywhere, arcade games, and a claw machine against the back wall, plus a snack bar already stacked with garlic knots and, I swear, a pizza box almost as big as my torso.
His cousin ran the counter. He didn’t look anything like Kane but greeted us like we were long-lost brothers. “Yo! Took you long enough. This your friend?”
“Yeah.” Kane’s voice changed when he said it. Not embarrassed but more than casual. He sounded almost…proud. “Elijah, meet Joe.”
Joe gave me a real handshake, none of that limp-fish stuff. His fingers were stained with pizza grease, and he wore a HyperZone staff shirt and a name badge that said, “Ask Me About My Lasers.”
He sized me up but not in a mean way. More like he was figuring out how to set the phasers for our level of coolness. “You ever played?”
I shook my head. “My only experience is getting murdered inFortniteby twelve-year-olds. How do you feel about lost causes?”
Joe grinned. “We love ’em. I’ll set it up. You guys want a private round?”
“Definitely,” Kane said, looking at me. “Best way to learn.”
I would have melted if my feet weren’t already sticking to the mystery-stained carpet.
We were handed vests that reeked of plastic and post-adolescent sweat. I tried not to gag. Kane already had his half buttoned by the time I figured out which way was up. I fumbled, face probably red, but he stepped in to help. He buckled the last strap, knuckles bumping my ribs. His breath stirred the hair by my ear.
“You’re set,” he murmured, gaze lingering. He didn’t move away. Heat prickled down my arms.
Joe led us down a corridor with fake alien graffiti and doors labeled things like “Armory” and “Warp Core.” I had no clue what I’d signed up for, but my pulse was going double-time.
“Teams or free-for-all?” Joe asked, grinning.
“Teams,” Kane said. “Elijah’s with me.”
I shot him a look. I’d been joking about being a ringer. If he was counting on my skills, we were dead meat. He would probably never speak to me again if his legend status was downgraded by teaming with me.
He shrugged, amused. “Gotta play smart.”
We got our laser guns and ducked through a blast door into the arena proper. Instantly, the world shrank to a black-lit haze with piles of neon crates, walls painted with weird planets, and the sweet, sticky smell of pizza sauce. Somewhere, bass-heavy music thumped through the speakers.
Joe vanished like a gremlin. Kane was already scanning for targets, hand at the small of my back, steering us along a corridor.
“Stick close,” he said. “Joe has a mean streak.”
Kind of hoped Kane did too.
We crept between stacks of crates and mirrored plastic pillars. My shoes squeaked. Sweat broke out along my hairline, though it was freezing in here. Every now and then, Kane’d press an arm to my side, guiding me. His hand was absurdly steady.
I kept waiting to get hit, but we darted from cover to cover, my heart hammering. Behind the barriers, I caught Kane’s grin, teeth bright in the darkness. Smelled his cologne, warm and green, and the tang of ozone where the lasers snapped.
Joe was nowhere. Or everywhere. Twice I heard his laugh echo off the plastic walls, then a zap of red light narrowly missed me.
Kane barked out a soft “move!” and we scrambled behind a barrel, knees knocking.
“You’re surprisingly fast,” he said.