Page 40 of Playing Dirty (Leighton U #4)

Madden

“Dude, can you relax?” Miles chides from where he’s sitting on the floor of our living room.

I frown, not sure where the statement is coming from, but when he reaches over and grabs my ankle, stopping my leg from bouncing up and down, I put the pieces together.

“You’re gonna give me an anxiety attack if you keep doing that.”

Torin and Vaughn do their best to contain their laughter but fail miserably when I just start bouncing the other leg that’s out of Miles’s reach.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” he gripes while releasing me.

I can’t really help it, though. I’m oddly nervous, which doesn’t happen often. Or ever, really, so the last thing I need is these three giving me shit for worrying about how game night will go with Theo joining the mix.

Shooting my glare between the three of them, I mutter, “You guys better not make me regret this.”

“When have we ever?” Torin asks, arching a dark brow.

Vaughn frowns, and his gaze darts around the room. “Um. We haven’t?”

Torin rolls his eyes. “That’s my entire point.”

“Maddy Boy’s acting like we’re gonna do something to run off stepbro. But why would we do that when we bought the expansion pack just for tonight?” This comes from Miles, and he reaches for the little red box containing all the extra pieces for Theo to prove his point.

True enough, but even if these three are on their best behavior, it doesn’t automatically mean this is going to end well. It’s two different worlds colliding for the first time, and anything could happen.

Sure, Theo has technically met Miles and Torin once before, but it wasn’t a situation where he stuck around to make idle chitchat with them. Quite the opposite. And he’s been hard pressed to do more than pull up outside the duplex since. That’s something I want to change.

I want Theo to like them, to be comfortable being here—and vice versa.

Even if I’m ready to murder them at this particular moment, which is a thought I don’t have time to verbalize because my phone buzzes on the couch beside me, instantly pulling my attention down to the screen.

Theo: I’m here.

I jump up from the couch like a hot potato, and I hear Miles chuckle from behind me, which earns him a swift middle finger.

“You call him stepbro a single time while he’s here, and I will make your life a living hell,” I promise the three of them before I open the front door.

Theo’s seafoam eyes lock with mine the second it’s open, and immediately, the anxiety welling inside me starts to dissipate. Though, from the wary way he glances through the opening behind me, his nerves are still very much alive .

I step out onto the porch with him, pulling the door closed behind me.

“Hey,” he whispers, his lips forming a shy smile.

“Hi.” The word comes out on an exhale, all the tension leaving my body in that singular breath.

Slipping my hand around the back of his neck, I pull him in for a kiss that’s meant to be quick, though it easily becomes anything but.

I lose all sense of time whenever our lips meld together, falling into a parallel dimension where the only thing that matters is me and him.

But unfortunately, I’m very aware of the people waiting for us inside—and even more aware of the absolute nightmare they’ll be if they catch us making out on the front porch—so I break away.

Theo swallows roughly and drops his forehead to mine, whispering, “I almost bitched out about a dozen times since waking up.”

“I’m glad you didn’t,” I murmur back.

Truthfully, I was waiting for a text from him to cancel, despite agreeing to come earlier this week. And while I would’ve understood him giving in to the fear or worry I can so clearly see on his face right now, it means a lot to me that he’s here anyway.

And because of it—and because I can’t help myself—I press another slow kiss to his lips.

Theo’s arms slide around my waist, holding me tighter to him, and it makes it nearly impossible to not agree when he asks, “You’re sure we can’t go back to my place and keep doing this instead?”

God, I could do just this for eternity and it still wouldn’t be enough.

A little laugh slips free, and I shake my head. “Tempting offer, but wouldn’t you rather kick some Blackmore ass in Catan?”

He pulls back and glares. “Using my competitive side to get your way is a dirty move, you know. ”

I know it is, but I’ll do what I have to do in order to get him inside. Even if it means resorting to antagonistic tactics that rev him up into rivalry mode.

“Come on, let me officially introduce you to the guys.”

Linking my fingers with his, I take a few steps backward and drag him into the house with me. Despite the hesitation still lingering in his gaze, he follows me without protest.

The three of my friends are still in the middle of setting up the board on the coffee table when we join them in the living room, Vaughn and Torin bickering over the number placement, and Miles sorting out cards for everyone.

“Uh, guys. This is Theo,” I say, though the formality feels a bit odd.

Vaughn’s light-brown head of hair is the first to pop up, smiling from ear to ear when he notices Theo’s hand in mine still. “I’m Vaughn. Best friend to Madden and game master extraordinaire.”

“Oh, sweet Jesus,” Miles mutters under his breath.

“Torin” is all Tore says while lifting a few polish-chipped fingers in some semblance of a wave. He doesn’t even look up from what he’s doing, his shaggy black hair covering half his face.

“Ready to get your ass handed to you, stepbro?” Miles asks with a wry grin, holding out a set of cards for each of us. “I’m Miles, by the way. Madden’s actual best friend.”

To his credit, Theo seems to take the stepbro comment in stride, though I really might cut Miles’s dick off for it later. Jackass.

“I think I’ll be the one doing the ass-handing, thanks,” Theo says, his gaze flitting between my friends.

It’s evident from Miles’s attempt to literally keep his mouth shut—and the way Vaughn elbows him roughly—that he’s fighting his baser instinct to turn Theo’s comment into some sort of innuendo. But he somehow manages, and the three of them make room around the table for us to join.

I reluctantly let go of Theo’s hand while we settle into place on the floor, but then quickly rest my palm on his thigh once we’re all seated.

Vaughn starts explaining the rules to Theo at a rapid-fire pace, meanwhile Torin discreetly takes advantage of Vaughn’s distraction to swap a few pieces on the board.

And that just makes Miles and me start chuckling under our breath.

So the chaos begins.

“I can help if you get confused or anything,” I tell Theo, whispering low enough for his ears only.

A smile tugs at the corner of his lips. “And why would I ever take the advice of the enemy?”

There’s a competitive gleam in his eyes, one I’ve seen countless times before, and I can’t help the chuckle that leaves me.

“All right. You remember this moment when you’re running low on resources.”

We ease into the game, though I think that’s more for Theo’s sake than anything else, especially knowing how seriously Catan is taken in this household.

Of course, Miles and Vaughn still wind up in a trading war almost off the bat, taking cheap shots at each other whenever the opportunity presents itself.

Torin being Torin, he takes silent advantage of them focusing on each other, quickly building roads and cities across a good quarter of the board, all the while creating a monopoly on bricks.

It doesn’t take long for Theo to get the hang of how to play, using his turns more strategically as time goes on too. He even goes as far as blocking me and Vaughn from reaching one of the ports at the edge of the board since Torin refuses to trade any of his bricks .

But the best part of the whole thing?

There’s not a single mention of the rivalry or the stupid pennant. It’s just a group of guys having a game night, albeit a pretty cut-throat one for it being the first time meeting my— Theo.

“So, Theo,” Vaughn starts, his sapphire eyes lifting after dropping a few roads in place. “Do you like musicals?”

Theo glances my way, obviously not sure what to make of the question, before letting out a nervous laugh. “Uh, does High School Musical count? I watched that as a kid.”

Vaughn’s features pinch up. “I mean, not really, but I guess it’s better than nothing.”

Confusion etches into Theo’s brow, but Torin is quick to supply some context around Vaughn’s inquiry.

“Vaughn is a theatre major. So, naturally, he likes to see if anyone is as cultured as he is. And if not, he makes us suffer through any show he stars in.”

Torin’s statement is partly accurate. I’ve seen pretty much everything Vaughn has ever played a role in. More than either of the other two combined, since I’ve known him the longest. Though, I enjoy most of the shows, so I wouldn’t necessarily call it—

“Suffering is a strong word choice,” Vaughn shoots back, stealing the thoughts straight from my head. “Especially for someone who cried when I was in Next to Normal last year.”

“Yeah, because it was so bad,” Miles teases while taking his turn, only to elbow Vaughn in the side playfully once he’s passed the dice over to Theo for his roll.

But I don’t miss the way Torin’s expression shutters on a dime.

“Oh, fuck off,” Vaughn says on a laugh before looking back at Theo. “Blackmore’s theatre program has a show every April. You should come. ”

Theo stills mid-roll, and I glance over to catch a perplexed expression on his face while he stares at Vaughn.

“Really?”

Vaughn shrugs. “Sure. Why not, if you haven’t seen one in person?”

Theo’s gaze darts from him to me, gauging my reaction to the offer. Which, as unexpected as it is, isn’t unwelcome. So I lift one shoulder in a slight shrug, and leave the choice up to him.

His attention drops to the board while he rolls, offering a non-commital, “Yeah, okay. I’ll think about it.”

“That usually means no,” Vaughn points out.