Chaos & the Geek (Grace Grayson Security #1) - Elizabeth Stevens Page 0,44

beers. “Careful, mate. You might end up with panties on the chandeliers.”

“Oh, so like your place then?” I replied, feeling like I was forcing the normality, but it was better than nothing.

We all fell into a relaxed conversation as we all shared a couple of beers. The guys only stayed for an hour or so, then they headed off for places to be, jobs or ‘dates’ and the like.

“So…” Amber said as she picked up the beer bottles and took them to the kitchen. “Thanks again for all your help today.”

I shook my head. “No problem.” I drummed my hands on the kitchen counter, totally at a loss for words and feeling like a teenage boy in the first awkward throes of my first crush.

“Did you–” I asked as she said, “Were we–”

“You go,” she said with a shy smile.

I shook my head. “No. After you.”

She smiled as she looked down. “I was just thinking we could set the console up. I’ve still got Street Fighter…” Her eyes rose and there was a challenge in them.

This was a challenge I could answer. I smirked. “You think you can beat me?” I chuckled.

She shrugged. “I’ve had a lot of time to practise…”

“I’ll believe it when I see it.”

She grinned warmly, then jogged off to one of the boxes. I got another couple of beers out while she set it up and did not keep my eyes off her arse in any way.

We dropped onto the couch, our thighs bumping together but neither of us moving away. Strictly speaking, we were too close. I wasn’t sure I trusted myself at that distance and the last thing she needed after such a harrowing day was me being all…vibe-y.

But she didn’t seem to care. And, truth be told, she was giving off some vibes of her own.

She fair and square beat me in the first two games, but I was beating her steadily for the third. Half her health was gone and I was gearing up for my uber move. Amber, obviously, wasn’t having any of it.

Her shoulder nudged mine and she put her hand over my controller.

“Interference!” I called and she laughed.

“No! No! No!” she giggled as she held her controller as far away from me as possible and uber moved the shit out of my fighter.

“Total interference, ref,” I said as I tried to reach for her controls with my longer arms.

She shook her head as she turned to me and our noses bumped.

There was this look in her eyes that screamed at me to kiss the girl, that the girl wanted me to kiss her. Her chest rose and fell against me rapidly. Every nerve in my body was on alert to her. My heart skipped a beat and I suddenly forgot why this whole thing was a bad idea.

My arm was on the back of the couch behind her, the other one stretched for her controller. Almost as one, our stretched arms dropped together. I trailed my fingers over her shoulder and felt her hand on my leg. I dipped my face towards her slightly, touching my forehead to hers for a moment. She inhaled quickly, but then I felt her reaching up towards me.

At the exact moment our lips met, “K.O.,” came the call and I pulled away from her and looked at the TV.

I spluttered a laugh to see her fighter victorious onscreen. I looked back at Amber in disbelief. She had her hand over her mouth and her eyes were full of cheeky humour.

“Did you actually just…?” I asked, sparing a quick glance to the controller still in her hand.

She shook her head wildly. “No,” came her muffled reply. She held both hands up innocently, looking both apologetic and like she was about to burst into laughter. “No. That was a total accident. I swear.”

My eyebrow rose. “Sure it was.”

“No,” she laughed. “I promise it was.”

“I demand a rematch, Amber Grace.”

She tried to draw herself up intimidatingly. “Game on, Christopher.”

As we went into battle, we laughed and there was no mention made of the almost-kiss for the rest of the night. I wasn’t sure if I was glad about that or not.

11

Amber

I took my time waking up on Sunday morning, feeling better than I had in a long time. I felt like, after taking a million steps backwards, I was finally moving on with my life.

Sure, I’d lost basically my only two real friends and my boyfriend in one fell swoop, left most of my belongings behind