For The Win (Gamer Girls, #6) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,142

out, because tomorrow is another day, and we're not done yet, baby."

She laced her fingers through his, holding his hand up before her knees. "Thank you for defending my honor, Braden. I never would've thought anyone would do that. I wish you hadn't needed to, but thank you."

"Anything," he promised. "I mean it, Rhaven. I will do anything for you. Even forget that I can't decide if it's sexy to see you with your other guy, or if it makes me stupidly jealous - or both - because seeing you happy is the only thing I want."

"I don't deserve you," she said softly.

He leaned in to kiss their joined fingers. "Yeah, you do. You deserve the world, baby. And the moon, a few stars, and so much more. I'm going to make sure you figure out how to believe that, one way or another."

Chapter 47

The party ended up being at Ice's suite again. Just like the night before, it was stocked with everything, although there was a bit less food this time. When Braden walked in, he was cheered like some kind of hero, and everyone wanted to make sure that Rhaven was doing ok. Kate came over with a glass - and not a little one - filled with whiskey. To ease her nerves, she promised.

Which was why Rhaven was feeling pretty good when Psyc finally got there. He stumbled into the room with a bottle of something in his hand and an inebriated smile on his face. Clearly, he'd started before the rest of them.

"Tell me she isn't hot?" he asked the room, pointing at Rhaven with the hand wrapped around the bottle's neck. "The fuck is that dickmunch thinking? And why they gotta be hating like that?"

"You," Braden said, grabbing him by the shoulders and steering him to the closest couch, "are drunk."

"Oh, yeah," Psyc agreed.

Adam just gestured to the bottle. "Where did you get Captain Morgan?"

"Packed it," he said. "Just in case, you know?"

And he tried to take another pull at the bottle, but Adam snatched it from his hands. "Food first."

"Gonna fuck up my buzz." But his eyes landed on Rhaven. "So pretty."

She could feel herself blushing. "You're drunk, Psyc."

"Very."

So she set down her own glass and headed to the buffet thing on the far side of the room. Grabbing a plate, she began picking out things that looked drunk-friendly, then carried them back. Setting the plate on the coffee table before Psyc, she made it clear she expected him to eat, turned to get her glass from where she'd left it, and then paused when the door opened.

"I got more pictures!" Murder announced as he walked in. "My bro's boy..." He paused, tapping at the air as he mouthed those words again. "Yeah, Cade snapped some. Check it!"

He was showing the pictures to Kate when the next group arrived. Then the one after. Rhaven made her way over to sit beside Psyc. Braden smiled at her and wandered into the kitchen. The entire suite was talking, and the chatter was loud, but in a good way. It helped to drive away her own letdown.

How could she have won the tournament and still not gotten what she needed? Not that she was going to turn up her nose at the prize money, but she'd had it all planned out. Place well enough, get a sponsor, use that to pay her bills while she took a couple of classes, or tested for some certifications, and then build up her resume.

Now she had nothing.

She was staring at the glass in her hands when a packet of papers dropped into her lap. Rhaven jumped, startled by it, and looked up to see Dez and Chance standing before her. Beside her, Psyc grinned and pointed to the bar.

"Drinks are on the house!"

"He's drunk," Rhaven explained.

"And cut off," Adam called back. "Chance? Got a bottle for you two."

Dez just waved it off, her attention never leaving Rhaven. "I heard you didn't get any offers."

"Nope," Rhaven agreed. "Too risky to sign a contract with a trans woman."

Psyc leaned forward to grab a mini sandwich from his plate. "And that's why I'm drinking. Shit sucks this time."

"Well, look at that," Dez told Rhaven, pointing to the papers.

So she did. At the top was her name - the one she preferred. Beneath that was an address that she didn't recognize, but the phone number was definitely hers, as well as the email address. Beneath that was a long list of work history. It