Page 23 of Off Her Game

“I didn’t mean…” He seemed genuinely perturbed like every time tonight she’d pointed out a dating faux pas. Perhaps his ingenuousness was legit.

Hadn’t Emma said something about him avoiding the social scene? Now she felt like crap for being tough on him. Her go-to behavior with the opposite sex, born from years in the eGaming world where sexism ran rampant, made her quick on the offensive.

“Maybe we should talk about the game level another time,” she suggested. “In the fake dating world it’d be moving a bit fast, don’t you think? In the non-fake world me going to your place feels like a step beyond our agreement. I’m not angling for anything serious to come out of us fake dating.”

“Your call. I’d like to spend more time with you for real, not for this farce. But I didn’t mean to imply… I’m not looking for anything serious, either.”

“Nothing serious then. Just fun? Okay, clarification. Fun as in playing the game. That’s it.”

“Yes.” He looked relieved, but also jazzed.

“You better play your best, and realize I’m going to win. We’re not starting from level one, though. Not enough time.”She bit back a smile at his suppressed enthusiasm. A fellow gamer geek hid inside the body of this socially maladroit Adonis. She related, not the body part, but the chance to play and have some genuine competition. That she totally got.

“If we play,youbetter bring yourA-game. You have no idea what you’re in for.”

His tone suggested he wasn’t referring to playing the game. She narrowed her eyes.

“Just the game.” His shirt pulled tight across the strong muscles of his chest as he shifted in his seat. She’d liked being pressed against those contours. And that kiss… This was bad. Temptation and resistance—two words that never worked for her.

She said hoarsely, “Okay. One game. We’ll start on forty to get warmed up to forty-one. Being the game’s designer I assume you have the ability to skip to a higher level from the start. You can’t play Rys.”

His eyes flared wide. “How would you know he’s my choice?”

“I’ve played this game since its release against gamers that can make even the most experienced player beg for mercy. I can read personality character choices. I see people as their character choices sometimes, especially when it comes to this particular game.”

“Why can’t I be Rys? That’s not fair. I know you want to be Evelle.”

“Rys has thoseEmeidaggers from hell. Whoever plays that character is always ramming one in Evelle’s leg on level twenty-one. You know, the one with—”

“The swinging bridge and the helicopter air attack. I hadn’t thought of that. Perfect ambush for Evelle. But we’re not playing level twenty-one.”

She crossed her arms again. “No Rys. His knives irk the hell out of me.”

The car stopped. She glanced outside to his apartment building in uptown Manhattan.

He hopped out of the car and held his hand out for her, “One game, two levels. I owe you at least this.”

She took his hand. Her heart raced while her brain spun with a case of second-guessing.