For The Win (Gamer Girls, #6) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,10

about you now that she knew how you had sex? The anxiety of knowing that she'd seen it, and that you'd have to decide whether to admit it was true or lie to her face? Yeah, that's where Rhaven's at right now."

"I know," Braden assured him. "Believe me, I get it. But she said something tonight. She said she can't get a job that she wants because 'Ethan' has only worked minimum-wage stuff, but she can't claim her work as Rhaven because that's not her legal name. She's fucking stuck, Chance. How do I deal with that part? This woman is terrified to tell her family who she really is because they might cut her off, and she has nowhere else to go."

"Wait," Chance begged. "Rhaven's trying to get a job with her mods?"

"Sounds like she'd love to be a dev," Braden said.

"Thought she was trying to be a pro gamer. Can't do both, Brae."

"Yeah, but she said she only wants to be a pro gamer to get a job in the field. Gaming is going to be her - " He paused. "Shit. The contracts. They're all under legal names, so that would be her tie! She wants to get a PLG contract so she can have something on her resume to break into the industry. She's self-taught, so no degree to brag about, and her experience is all hobby stuff."

"Damn," Chance breathed. "She's good, too."

"I know," Braden assured him. "And none of this helps me know how to treat her when she walks into the Denny's in her hometown, surrounded by people she knows. I want to impress her, Chance. I want to make sure she knows I'm serious. I also don't want to out her, because there is nothing that sucks as bad as that."

"So treat her the same way you would any other gamer," Chance suggested. "Talk shop. Ask her opinion. Be friendly, but hold her eyes just a little too long. If she's uncomfortable, don't push. Back off first, because I think she will chase. That girl has the hots for you, Brae. She lets her eyes devour you when you aren't looking, but she's too used to playing it safe. You have to give her a reason to cross the lines or break the rules."

"Yeah, but what kind of reason?" Braden asked.

"Trust," Chance told him. "That has to come first. If she wants you to back off, then back the fuck off. Don't be a damned stalker. Don't push. She's scared because she probably has a damned good reason to be. How many times do you think she's been bullied or beaten up in her life?"

"Too many," Braden breathed.

"Yeah," Chance agreed. "And you aren't getting laid, man. Sorry, but from the sounds of it, she's not ready for that."

"I'm not looking to get my dick wet!" Braden snapped. "I don't know why that's your first thought!"

"Because I usually am," Chance said. "Every encounter is a chance to see just how far I can go. That's why I'm good at this. I know how to seduce them and leave them wanting more."

It was true. Braden had seen it time and time again. Chance knew how to make everyone fall in love with him. Men, women, and even Dez. She hadn't been willing to touch people, but Chance had talked her into moving in with him, and he'd done it in such a way as to make it sound like he was saving her. Hell, he'd probably thought he was, for that matter.

But it wouldn't be that easy with Rhaven. She was used to running away. It was easiest for her to keep everyone at arm's length. The only reason she'd even gotten involved with the high table at the gamer conventions was because the Kings of Gaming had targeted her. If that hadn't happened, she would've simply been given her fancy new computer by the winners of the Columbus capture the flag tournament, and then she would've vanished back into obscurity.

Instead, she'd still gotten the computer, and ended up telling them all her deepest, darkest secret. Rhaven was trans, and beautiful enough to easily pass. Her voice was wonderfully husky. Her body was lean and sensual. She looked like a gorgeous woman, but that wasn't the thing that made it impossible for Braden to forget her. It had been the way her voice broke when she told them what KoG had been about to release.

Because Rhaven was a strong and untouchable woman on the outside,