For The Win (Gamer Girls, #6) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,116
was as much of a draw as the gamers he had come by for demos. The big guy didn't seem to care, and his attention was locked on her. With a casual gesture, he pointed to the side, where the servers and other equipment were hidden from view by dark cloth walls.
"What's up?" he asked. "You both still in?"
"We are," Rhaven said, "but barely. Seems someone made a few World War II maps."
Braden looked away, shoving his hand over his mouth. "Uh huh."
"You knew!" Psyc said.
"Dude, I fucking designed them," Braden shot back. "Not on my own, but the concept was mine. Which ones have you done?"
"Parachutes," Rhaven said, "and a ship. Psyc, Murder, and I almost died in that one. No cover, no way to hide, and everyone came for us."
"Was it fun, though?"
Psyc was nodding. "Fuck yeah, man. That shit was intense. Kinda brilliant, too. I mean, all the rules are there, and it holds to the same mechanics we know, but it's very different. Both the first and second round, there was a long lag before the players figured out what to do."
"The parachutes were my favorite," Rhaven said.
"Ship for me," Psyc said, taking a step back. "But I'm starving. I'm sure you two are as well. Lemme run over and grab something to bring back. Burgers?"
"Something lighter," Rhaven said. "Like a club sandwich?"
"Can do," he promised. "Tell him about the dicks outside the gaming hall, Rhaven. If you don't, I will." Then he looked at Braden. "Seriously. Burger?"
"A big one," Braden told him. "Thanks, Psyc." Then he turned his complete attention on Rhaven. "What guys?"
"Teen boys calling me a freak," she told him, knowing that there was no point in trying to hide it. "Adam and Void lost it. Thought Psyc was going to break their faces, though. Both Void and Murder had to hold him back. And Cyn mentioned something about it being a hate crime!"
"You ok?" Braden asked, gesturing to a pair of director's chairs.
She sat down. "That's the weird thing. I don't even care about that. I'm used to it, you know? But seeing these guys act like this? That's going to take a little getting used to."
"They've known for a while," Braden pointed out.
"Yeah, but they just 'knew.' They didn't say anything. They didn't out me. It was all passive. Cool of them, but still in the background. This? They're pissed off for me, and I've never had that happen before."
Braden just nodded. "Feels kinda good, right?"
"Very," she breathed.
"You know Psyc is trying to impress you, right?" Braden asked.
Rhaven's teeth immediately clamped down on her lower lip. "He kinda said that."
"Let him." Braden leaned closer. "Rhave, you and me? We've never played by the rules. When the world was telling us that things should be one man and one woman, and where we fit in that dynamic, we flipped it off. Why is this different? Psyc is interested in you. Enjoy it. Flirt with him. Make out with him. Make out with me." He grinned. "Hell, I'm down for some orgies and all, but pretty sure that would scare him off."
"Brae!" she gasped.
His grin got even bigger. "I like when you shorten my name. I'm also being serious, Rhave. This entire week has been shit for you. You deserve to stop worrying for a little while. In this case, to stop worrying about me, or about him, or anything else. Just have fun. Flirt. Dance. Kick ass in the tournament. Be loud. Be quiet. Most of all, just be you, and let yourself discover who that could be."
"Why are you so good to me?" she asked.
He reached over for her hand, sandwiching it between both of his. "There's something sad about you. Some shadow that lingers in your eyes, and it reminds me of Dez. That little piece that's always waiting for the rejection. This? It's just me saying I'm not going to do that. So, I'm laying it out there. If you want to sit on his lap, act like Riley, or even take him back to your room and get naked, I'm not going to reject you."
"But you wouldn't like it," she said.
"I like you," he told her. "I accepted you as Ethan, even when I knew it was a lie. I accepted you as shy and reserved, loud and angry, and everything in between. You living your new life as a woman, without anything to be ashamed of? It's kinda the sexiest version of you I can imagine."