For The Win (Gamer Girls, #6) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,22

reach up and touch them, but was too worried about someone seeing. That had just been a couple of friends hanging out. Nothing more. No one had to know - yet she was dying to tell Kate!

Her first real kiss, and it had been amazing. Oh, she'd kissed a girl when she was younger, but that didn't count. It had been expected, more like going through the motions. This? It felt real. It felt right! It felt like she was living a dream and would wake up at any moment, but she wanted to enjoy it. As she backed out of her parking space, a little giggle slipped out.

How could this man be so amazing? Just the fact that he'd come here to see her was mind-blowing. That he was also ok with the lie she was living? He'd made it clear that he wasn't going to make things weird for her. Even better, he thought she was cute like this. A tomboy, he'd called her, comparing her to Dez, which meant he still saw a woman.

There weren't words to explain that feeling. It was as if she'd spent her entire life invisible, and someone had finally acknowledged that she existed. Braden said he didn't care, and in one day, he'd proved it to her. He wasn't worried about what was in her pants. He wasn't bothered by the awkwardness of her life. He hadn't been scared off by all of her complications. Instead, he wanted another date!

As she made her way across town, she couldn't help but wonder what tomorrow's date would be like. And yes, tonight had definitely been a date. He'd bought her dinner, made small talk, and had kissed her passionately. She'd been able to feel his hard-on against her thigh as he leaned over her. There was no faking that, right? That meant he honestly liked her?

The hard part was when she got home. Rhaven wanted to smile like an idiot, but that would give the wrong impression. Trying her hardest to school her face, she climbed out of the car and headed inside, but she knew she was failing. The moment Tyler saw her, she was sure of it.

"So, have a nice night?" he teased.

Time to stretch the truth. "Yep," she said. "My favorite game company wants to use my design in their next game. Mine!"

He just groaned. "You're such a nerd, Ethan."

Rhaven rolled her eyes at him. "Fuck off. It's a big deal, ok? One of those things I can put on my resume, and who knows? Maybe I'll get a job because of it. One that will get me out of here."

"Prescord's not a bad place, you know."

"I meant Montana," she corrected. "C'mon, Tyler. You know I want to work with games. Since there isn't a company in our state, well, that means moving somewhere else."

"It'd kill Dad," he said. "Ethan, you know he's always worried about you. We both are."

"There's nothing to worry about!" she insisted.

He just raised a brow. "No? So, what, you just miraculously beat depression?"

She groaned. "It's not like that."

"Then what is it like?" he asked.

"I finally have some friends who get me, ok? Ever since I started going to those gaming tournaments, I feel like I've found a place where I'm not the weirdo. That's it. I mean, look at your friends. They think I'm a freak, and their favorite pastime is finding another way to try to bully me."

"Just say something and I'll make them stop," he insisted. "Ethan, they're just joking around, trying to include you."

"Well, it's not funny," she said, turning for her room.

Behind her, Tyler sighed. "You know I'm on your side, right? No matter what, you're still my brother."

"Yep," she said. "Trust me, I'm well aware of that."

Then she stepped into her room, closing the door behind her. Talk about a bucket of cold water on her great day. That was not the kind of chat she'd been prepared for. Granted, she loved her brother, and he did try hard, but he just couldn't understand. He'd always been popular. He'd been the guy who had no problems picking up girls, and Dad had been so proud of him.

Her? She'd been a mess since she was little. Granted, she'd never liked dolls, but a lot of girls didn't. Look at QQ! Rhaven was more like that, which had confused her for the longest time. She liked typical "boy" things like video games. She dressed in black, but loved makeup. She wasn't girly, but