For The Win (Gamer Girls, #6) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,39

seen."

Her eyes narrowed. "I thought Dez was the addict."

"Chance is a sex addict," he explained. "He used to pick up a piece of ass every night. Dez used to eat Vicodin by the handful. They got sober together, in their own way. Now, she smokes some pot and he gets to touch her. She doesn't care if he sleeps with someone else, but he sure does. So, when he's needing a fix, I make a joke of it."

"You and Chance Hunter?" she asked. "Bet that's hot."

"I've never done more than kiss him," he assured her.

But she was trying to imagine Braden kissing the very sexy man who owned Deviant Games. "Really?"

"It..." He groaned. "That sounds bad."

"Kinda sounds hot," she countered.

"Baby, he just wanted to see if he'd like kissing a man. He does. That's all. He's completely taken, Dez thought it was amusing, and he's not really my type."

She was enjoying having the upper hand for once. "So what is your type?"

"You." He lifted a brow, making it clear he was serious. "I like lean, delicate, beautiful, spunky, smart, and a bit vulnerable. Girls like QQ? She'd make me feel useless. I prefer Dez, or Kate, or Knock. Just soft enough to make me feel like I'm needed." He smiled at her. "And you give me that sometimes. When you shove everyone else away before they can hurt you? It makes me want to stand behind you and make sure they know not to push again. Probably sounds stupid."

"I never thought someone would want to protect me," she admitted.

"I do," he promised. "More than you can imagine. I wanted to scream at your brother that I'm the one who'll keep you safe - and I will, regardless of anything else, Rhaven."

"I kinda know that," she admitted. "What I don't know is how to deal with my family."

"You don't." He opened his arm, making it clear she should curl against him again. "Rhaven, the thing about coming out? You can't change what they're going to say. You can't make someone be ok with you. All you can do is figure out what happens if they're not."

She pressed her head against his chest, draping an arm across him to draw circles on his skin. "That's kinda where I'm stuck," she said. "If Dad doesn't want me living there, then what?"

"I was serious when I said I have a room," he told her. "And you have other friends - "

"I know, but I don't want that," she explained. "That's the sort of thing that ruins friendships, and I don't want to screw it all up because my family won't accept me."

"Friends help their friends," he countered. "That's how it's supposed to work. If you need a place, I'm sure I'm not the only one who'd offer you a room - or a couch! I know you. You'd go out, get a job, and bust your ass to get what you want. That's what you did in the PLG, and I have a feeling it's what you've done here, right?"

"Yeah."

He nodded. "So stop worrying about that. Hell, if it happens, I'll ask the crew and get donations to pay a few months on an apartment for you, ok? Murder, QQ, Void, and Psyc? That's at least four months right there. You'll be fine, Rhaven."

"I don't want to ask."

"So I'll ask," he said. "I'm also not broke. I mean, I'm not rich like them, but I'm not hurting. Just figure out what you want your family to know, and then decide when you're ready to tell them."

"I want to do it before Denver," she mumbled.

"Really?"

She nodded against his chest. "I told Tyler I was thinking about it. Trying to figure it out. I'm not sure, but it made him back off. And I've started hormones now, and I'm seeing the changes, so I can't keep this up. I have to pick a side of the fence. I can either transition and finally feel good about who I am, or I can stop and play it safe."

"You're not the kind of girl to play it safe," he reminded her.

"I'm really not," she agreed. "I just don't know how to bring it up."

"I don't know either," he admitted. "I was outed to my mom, but I always thought about it. I figured I'd tell her that I had some good news, and ask for a time to talk about it. Then I'd make dinner, and we could sit down with no distractions, and I could lay it