Changing His Game (Entangled Brazen) (Gamers) (13 page)

He blew out a breath, and with it came a chuckle, which turned into a full on fit of laughter. Marley stared at him like he was crazy. He probably was a little crazy. He shook his head. “I’m sorry, I just…I thought that was going to be a lot harder than it was. To say all that. To open up. I don’t even talk to my best friend about it much but I…” He pulled her closer until she was pressed against his side. He cupped her cheek. “I wanted to give you something back, for all you’ve given me, so there you go.”

He hadn’t given her everything, but damn, this was new. Baby steps.

She smiled and leaned into his touch. “Thank you for that. For giving that to me. And for what it’s worth, I’m sorry that things happened the way they did for you and your father.”

He rubbed a thumb over her bottom lip. “Yeah, well, it is what it is.”

With a kiss to her forehead, he rolled off the bed and grabbed their plates. “I’ll do the dishes and be right back.”

She stretched. “This is ridiculous. I’ve been a bum. I can do the dishes.”

“Just relax.” He was already walking out the door of the bedroom.

After he loaded the dishwasher and cleaned up from breakfast, he made his way back to the bedroom. He heard the familiar soundtrack of
Aric’s Revenge
and stopped in the hallway. He laid a hand on the wall and closed his eyes. He knew he was going to have to tell her. And he would. One day. But he’d done enough sharing for now, and he’d rather spend the rest of their time today with his mouth attached to various parts of her body.

He walked in and spotted her propped against the headboard, knees bent, eyes on the TV. She looked up. “Oh hey, sorry. I beat this game way back when it came out but the movie made me nostalgic so I’m playing it again.” She pressed the button to save her game.

He put a knee to the bed and pushed her forward so he could sit behind her, then he rested her back against his chest. “You don’t have to stop.” He ran his fingers up and down her thighs.

“But—”

He spread her legs gently, hooking her knees over his thighs, so she was open in front of him, displayed for him.

“Austin,” she whispered, almost dropping the controller.

He pressed a kiss to her neck. “Keep playing.”

He untied her robe, and the sound of the silk slipping against itself sent a shot of pleasure right to his cock where it rested against her lower back.

She squirmed, and he flicked his eyes to the screen. Aric ran into a wall and she cursed under her breath. He smiled and spread the edges of her robe apart.

Her breasts rose and fell with her breaths. Her nipples were red and hard. He held one breast in each hand, rubbing his thumbs over the buds.

“I-I can’t—”

“Aric has to get into the castle,” he murmured. “You can’t stop playing now.”

She made a sound in the back of her throat, and he smiled into her neck. He loved her breasts. They were high and full. No matter what she wore, the swells under her clothes never ceased to draw his attention.

Her stomach tensed as his one hand left a breast and continued downward. On the TV, Aric was searching the stone walls for a way inside the castle.

He slipped a hand down further, into the small bit of pubic hair she kept neatly trimmed. She whimpered and accidentally slashed Aric’s sword against the rocks.

“Now now,” he said, dipping lower to tap lightly on her clit. “Can’t go hacking away without finding the right spot first. The way inside.”

“Jesus,” she swore, her hands trembling as they held the remote.

He placed his lips at her ear as she continued around the back of the castle, feeling the walls for loose stones. “It can be tricky. Not everyone can find it. Do you know where it is?”

She licked her lips and opened her mouth. No sound came out at first, and when her voice finally did, it was in a rush. “Between the two columns at the far left corner.”

He dipped lower into her folds, taking her wetness and spreading it around.

“Very good,” he said. “But you can’t just barge in, right? You have to work the stones free gently.”

She was breathing hard now, her breasts heaving. Her legs clenched around his. The buttons on the remote clicked as Marley entered in a combination. On the screen, Aric took the hilt of his sword and began to tap away at a stone. Dust began to seep out, falling at his booted feet. Austin remembered designing that area of the wall. The weak stone was only noticeable by a small clump of slightly darker gray pixels right in the center.

“There you go,” Austin said, swirling Marley’s clit. Her hips began to rock. “Take your time. There’s no rush.”

Marley swallowed and a bead of sweat dripped down her neck. Austin licked it up.

He lowered his hand, circling the wetness around her entrance as the dust built up a small pile at Aric’s feet. The stone began to push into the wall.

“A little bit more,” Austin said.

Marley’s arms were coated in goose bumps, as she jammed her thumb over and over again on the button at the top of the controller. Aric continued to slam the hilt of his sword on the stone.

Then the telltale sound of grinding as the stone slid inside, and Austin slid his finger home.

She gasped and dropped the controller, gripping Austin’s wrist as he worked her with his fingers. “Oh my God,” she moaned, her hips rocking harder.

He watched his hand moving between the silk edges of her robe. “So beautiful, Marley. Fuck, I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“More,” she pleaded.

He smiled and nodded to the controller between her legs. “Pick it up.”

“Ausssstin.”

“Pick it up. You know Bauer’s guards will be coming any minute. Aric has to take them out.”

“You gotta be kidding me right now,” she said through gritted teeth, her fingernails digging into his wrist.

He grinned harder, liking the pain, and stilled his fingers. “Nope. You can’t come until you reach Bauer’s throne and defeat him.”

“I hate you.”

“No, you don’t.”

She growled under her breath. Then to Austin’s complete satisfaction, she picked up the controller and readied Aric’s sword for the imminent attack.

Austin’s cock was hard and aching where it rested at her back, and two of his fingers were sunk deep inside of her while she played a video game
he
developed. He wished he could go back in time and tell his awkward, dorky, thirteen-year-old self to hang in there because life sure as hell got a whole lot better.

Bauer was the King who held Evelyn hostage. He was a sadistic bastard who held a grudge over Aric’s family. And right now, his guards were about to discover Aric.

This was close to the end of the game, where Aric made the choice to turn away from seeking revenge on Bauer by taking his wife by force, and instead forges a rescue operation for Evelyn.

Austin waited, counting down the seconds, based on the flickering light of the hallway sconce, to when the guards would discover Aric walking down the back hallways of the castle.

3…2…1…

A set of three guards came around the corner, bracing once they spotted Aric. Before the middle guard could alert more guards, Marley cut Aric’s sword in a downward arc, cleanly taking his head off. Then she stabbed the other in the side, right where there was a gap in his armor. She crouched and swung Aric’s leg out, taking the third man down, then stuck the sword into his neck.

All three men were dispatched before they could alert more guards.

Austin was impressed.

He wiggled his fingers and her chest hitched.

“You’re a bastard,” she muttered.

“You’re a hell of a player.”

She eyed him over her shoulder, a smirk on her mouth. She ground her ass back into his cock and now it was his turn to catch his breath. She winked. “I’m no amateur.”

“I see that.”

She continued toward the center of the castle, where Austin knew the throne room was. A legend map was optional, but he noticed Marley didn’t bother pulling it up on the screen. He smiled.

He began to move his fingers again as she drew closer to Bauer, wanting to see how well she played while distracted. Her hips were moving, almost involuntary, like dancing to the beat of a song, but instead riding his fingers.

He pressed a kiss to her shoulder as the sounds of the throne room grew louder—the voices, clanging of swords, booted footsteps.

Aric burst into the room with a roar, taking out the weakest guards first. Marley breathed heavy as Aric’s sword flashed in the room, taking down as many enemies as she could. Austin moved his fingers, curling them inside of her and she groaned, her eyelids closing before popping back open. Aric fell against a wall and took a hit to his hip.

He rose and began fighting again but Marley was more distracted now. Her arms shook and her fingers pressed wrong buttons.

The timer began to tick. Aric’s anger level was sixty-seven percent, and if she could hold it, the dragons would come. That was the only way to beat this level.

He moved his fingers with the timer and counted into her ear. “One.” He licked her earlobe. “Two.” Marley moaned as he raked his teeth down her neck. “Three.” He took his free hand and grabbed a condom he’d left on the nightstand the evening before. “Four.” He ripped it open with his teeth and struggled one-handed to roll it down his incredibly hard cock. There was a moment of silence as both of them froze, like the moment before the tornado touches the ground. Before lightning strikes a tree. Before a wave crashes down.

“Five.”

Large talons crashed through the ceiling of the castle’s throne room and giant wings beat the air. The dragons were there, and they’d wreak their destruction until no one was left standing but Aric.

Austin took the controller from Marley and tossed it onto the pillows. He shoved her onto her back, and then he rammed home.

She cried out, thrashing below him, hissing out a “yesss” and raking her nails down his shoulders.

He went down to his forearms, gripping her hair with his fingers, holding her head in place as he pounded into her, unable to stop himself or tone down his intensity.

She stared up at him, her eyes wide, her mouth open, pure pleasure etched in every line of her face. Her thighs gripped him like a vice and her heels dug into his ass, urging him on.

She squeezed her eyes shut and when she opened them, tears leaked out of the corners. He wiped them away with his thumbs, and she made a small sound in her throat. Her fingers worked between them, and he knew when she started coming because her inner walls began to contract around him.

That was all he needed, as she cried out his name, for his own orgasm to knock into him with the force of that huge wave crashing to the ground. The lightning striking the tree. The tornado touching down.

He collapsed on top of her, his face shoved into her neck, while she wrapped her arms around him and held on tight as the last of his orgasm was wrung from his body and into hers.

Her fingers carded through his hair and curled around the strands at the nape of his neck. She pressed a kiss to his temple, and he squeezed his eyes shut. In a short matter of time, this woman had definitely found his weak points and snuck her way into his castle walls.

He thought about opening his mouth right there, telling her that he was technically kinda sorta her boss. That he also kinda sorta wrote code for the video game that she’d just played.

It wasn’t the hesitancy to trust that kept his mouth shut this time. It was the timing. He didn’t want to leave her body, her warm embrace. He didn’t want to see those hazel eyes darken in anger.

He’d wait. He had a plan. He’d talk to Grant, maybe convince him to seek more offers. Once Austin sold
Gamers
, he’d tell her. And then he’d reveal his part in
Aric’s Revenge
too. He could only hope that by then he’d have worn down the weak points in
her
walls enough for her to find it in her heart to forgive him.

He held her closer. “You did it. You won.”

She rolled her head to the side, where the screen showed Aric in an empty throne room, surrounded by ashes and his dragons. “Oh, yeah, I won the game.”

He shook his head. “I wasn’t talking about the game.”

She stared at him, her mouth open in an O, before she closed her lips and curved them into a smile. “Oh yeah? What else did I win?” She cupped his cheek, her thumb brushing his stubble.

“You won a grumpy IT guy with control issues.”

She giggled, her body jerking under his. “Wow, it’s like Christmas!”

He pressed a kiss to her lips. “Lucky you.”

She was silent for a moment as her face softened. “Yeah, lucky me.”

Chapter Twelve

Marley fussed with the flowers, rearranging them in the vase, checking the water levels. She had even spent time online, looking up each respective flower, so she muttered the names as she touched each petal, each leaf. “Lily. Dahlia. Viburnum.”

“Mars, quit talking to your plants.” Chad opened up her refrigerator and pulled out a beer. He screwed off the top and threw it in her sink.

She glared at him, fished it out of the basin, and tossed it in the trash. “You’re just jealous you didn’t get any flowers.”

“I’m more jealous you got breakfast in bed.” He raised an eyebrow and took a pull of his beer.

She’d told him about the date…well, most of it. She’d left out pretty important chunks, like how Austin had his hand up her skirt the entire dinner, and like how he’d edged her over a game of
Aric’s Revenge.

She shifted uncomfortably. She still couldn’t think about it without flushing.

“So what’s the verdict? You going to see him again?” Chad asked.

Austin had left Sunday afternoon with a kiss on the cheek and a promise to call. He had called, too, every day. It was now Tuesday evening and she’d already talked to him as she drove home from work. He said he wanted to take her out again on Friday and she had tried not to sound too eager, when all she wanted to do was jump up and down. This could actually be something with a guy that turned her inside out. And more than that, she felt needed. She made him laugh, and smile, and he’d confided in her, which he was clearly not accustomed to doing.

She pushed the flowers closer to the window and turned to face Chad. She leaned back on the counter, grabbing the edges. “Yeah, actually, he asked me out again. Friday.”

Chad placed his beer on the table and smiled. “That’s great, I’m really happy for you.”

She shuffled her feet, the ears flopping on her fuzzy bunny slippers. “He makes me feel beautiful. And sexy. And important.” She raised her head. “Isn’t that what we all dream about? To feel wanted and important, like we’re making a difference in another person’s life? Like we fulfill them in some way.”

Chad cocked his head to the side and rotated his beer on the counter. “Yeah, I guess we all do.”

“I don’t know where this is going to go, but I’m willing to put in the work for it. I think he’s worth it.”

“And he’s awesome in bed.”

Marley blushed. Yeah, so she’d told her brother that much. “That’s just icing on the cake. I genuinely like him.”

“I think he seems like a good guy, Marley. I approve. You got over how weirded out you were about the job thing?”

She shrugged. “Yeah, I don’t know what my malfunction was, but I realized that there’s really no conflict of interest, no reason I can’t see him. So once I got over my own neuroses, it’s been fine.”

“Anyone at the office know?”

She shook her head. “No reason for them to, and I think Austin is respecting me by staying away.” She bit her lip. The other reason might be because he’d told her he couldn’t look at the supply closet without getting hard. Oops.

Chad clapped his hands together. “So, while we wait for the pizza, let’s talk about your interview.”

Marley nodded, setting her game face. “Yes. So I know James and Grant like me already, but Owen told me there were a couple of other people interviewing like”—she coughed—“Sorrel.” Another cough. “So, I need to make sure I show them everything I’ve done at
Gamers
and why I deserve the position.”

“Do you think they’ll talk to Owen?”

“I don’t know. I hope so. Because I know he’s rooting for me.”

“Can you get him to make a statement about you or something?”

Marley wrinkled her nose. “It doesn’t really work that way.”

Chad’s face fell. “Oh.”

“You’re helping, Chad, I swear you are.”

He smiled again. “I actually have a lot of experience with interviews. I’ve done more of those than actual jobs.”

Marley rolled her eyes. “Only you.”

He opened his mouth, but the doorbell rang, cutting him off. He stuck his fists in the air. “Pizza!” Then he grabbed Marley’s wallet off the counter and trotted to the front door. She glared as he handed over her cash, but didn’t protest. She’d asked him to come over anyway. She didn’t think about all the times he’d asked her to come over and still paid with her money.

Her phone rang and she saw it was James. She frowned, because it was almost seven at night. “Hello?”

“Marley.” James’ voice scratched over the line.

“Hey, James. You still at work?”

“No, no, but I wanted to call to give you as much notice as possible. I know we mentioned Thursday for your interview, but can we move it to tomorrow night, by any chance? Something came up in Grant’s schedule.”

She hesitated as Chad walked in with the pizza, his brow furrowed as he saw her face. It was only one day, and she’d set aside tonight to prepare. She and Chad usually went out to dinner together every Wednesday but he would understand her having to cancel. “Yeah, sure, tomorrow’s fine.”

“Thanks a lot for being flexible, Marley.”

“No problem. Thanks for calling as soon as you knew there was a conflict.”

“No problem. Take care and see you tomorrow.”

Marley said her good-byes and hung up her cell phone, staring at the lit screen.

“Everything okay?” Chad said around a mouthful of pizza.

She looked up to see him holding a slice in his hand. “Can you get a plate?”

“Why dirty a plate when I’m going to polish this baby off in five bites?”

“Get a paper plate, you filthy animal.”

He rolled his eyes and stalked over to the refrigerator, where she kept a stack of paper plates on top. He pulled down one for himself and then handed another to her. She slid a slice onto her plate and then licked her fingers. “It’s not that big of a deal, but they moved my interview to tomorrow.”

“So one day earlier?”

“Yeah.” She took a bite of pizza. Heaven.

“It’s okay. We’ll get you prepared tonight. You can totally do this.”

She nodded, feeling weird. She wouldn’t talk to Austin again until after her interview. She hadn’t even had a chance to tell him about it. They always seemed to chat about random stuff while on the phone, like the new restaurant they were building out along the bypass or the latest box office figures for
Aric’s Revenge
.

She had wanted Austin to be a part of this big event in her life, but they were so new. She didn’t need to call him just to tell him about it. It’d be a surprise when he called her tomorrow evening.

She picked a pepperoni off of her slice and dropped it into her mouth. “You’re right. I’ll totally do this.”

Chad returned her grin.

…

Austin rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger.

He told himself that being at the
Gamers’
office was okay. Marley had said she’d be out eating dinner with her brother that evening, and it was after hours, so he, Grant, and the editor James—who was in his own office—were the only ones in the place.

“Where’s Sydney?” he asked, antsy to get out of there.

Grant waved a hand toward the door. “She’s off getting a drink from the vending machines in the lunch room.”

She’d shadowed Grant that day for a school project, and Grant had asked Austin to pick her up and give her a ride home.

“What did you say you were doing here late, again?” he asked Grant.

His friend swiveled around in his chair. “I have an interview coming in about ten minutes or something.”

Austin tensed. “Who?”

Grant raised an eyebrow. “Not like you know him, you antisocial bastard, but his name is Jack Sorrel.”

Marley had mentioned him. She called him a douchecanoe, which had made Austin laugh out loud. Austin picked a piece of lint off of his dress pants. He had no involvement in the editorial side of
Gamers
. He was more or less just an investor now. He never asked questions about employees or anything, preferring to observe from afar. He knew it would be odd to ask, but he did it anyway. “Do you like him for the position?”

As expected, Grant stared at him. “Uh, not sure. I think I’d rather hire the chief copy editor. She’s smart and organized. Knows her shit better than anyone in this place really.”

Austin had to cough to cover up his smile. His heart beat so hard, he thought it would come out of his ribs. What was that feeling? Pride. He was proud of his Evelyn. “Well I’m sure you’ll find the right person for the position.”

Grant was still looking at him, like he was trying to figure out a puzzle. Austin looked away.

Sydney appeared in the doorway, a diet Coke in her hand. “Hey, Uncle A.”

He smiled at her “Hey you. How was your day?”

She wrinkled her nose. “Kinda of boring.”

Grant made an exaggerated gasping sound. “How dare you!”

Sydney took a sip of her soda. “Dad, you played
Minecraft
all day.”

“Liar.”

“Slacker.”

Grant pointed his finger at her. “That game is addictive, and I will have none of your lip, young lady.”

Sydney rolled her eyes and then turned to Austin. “Can we stop and get dinner? I’m starving.”

“Of course,” he said.

Sydney hoisted her book bag onto her shoulder and walked around behind Grant’s desk. “We’re heading out, Dad. I was just giving you a hard time. I do appreciate you letting me hang here today.”

Grant ran his hand down the long braid that hung over Sydney’s shoulder. “I know. Thanks for wanting to spend time with your old man.”

“You’re not old.”

“My aching back!” Grant wailed.

Sydney leaned down and pressed a smacking kiss to Grant’s cheek. “See ya, Dad.”

“Take it easy on your Uncle A.”

“Always do.” Sydney rounded the corner of Grant’s desk and began walking toward Austin, when there was a knock on Grant’s open office door.

Austin turned around, and his stomach plummeted into his shoes.

Marley stood at the threshold, hazel eyes doubled in size. Her gaze darted to him, Sydney, Grant, and then back to Austin.

He stood frozen, unable to move. Marley wore a skirt suit, her makeup and hair carefully arranged. She looked…ready for an interview.

When Grant spoke, Austin stifled a groan. “Oh, Marley! I forgot we rescheduled your interview. Sorry, come on in.”

But she didn’t come in. In fact, she didn’t move. She didn’t hide her emotions well, either, because confusion was written all over her face, from her parted lips to the furrow in her brow.

“Hey!” Sydney spoke up. “I met you at the movie theater.”

Marley blinked a couple of times before focusing on Sydney. She nodded once.

“So you work here?” Sydney asked her.

Marley finally opened her mouth farther and formed words. “Um, yes. Yes, I do.”

“Oh cool!” Sydney said. “Grant’s my dad.” She looked up at Austin. “You didn’t tell me you two were coworkers.”

Austin cleared his throat, but Marley beat him to it.

“We’re not really coworkers,” she said, but her voice shook, like she wasn’t sure she was right. Maybe it was Austin’s frozen stance. He had always been so great at disguising his emotions, but his whole presence probably screamed
Caught
!

And his worst fears were confirmed when Sydney frowned. “Right, I guess Uncle A’s your boss, right? He owns
Gamers
with my dad.”

The floor fell out from beneath him, and he was sucked down, down, into a basement alone. Without Marley. Without anyone, really.

He’d spent so long in that basement, and he’d been happy there. But now he’d seen what it was like up top and he didn’t want to go back there.

But Marley’s face was so pale, and her balance wavered. She shot out a hand and gripped the doorframe to keep her on her feet.

“Right,” her voice was a whisper. Then she cleared her throat and spoke louder. “Right.” And then she looked right through Austin, like he wasn’t even there. Her eyes went to Grant and her voice was almost a plea. “Are we ready to get started?”

Grant was staring between her and Austin, a frown on his face. And Austin clamped his mouth shut. As much as he wanted to pull Marley into his arms and apologize and come clean about everything he kept from her, he couldn’t do that. He couldn’t embarrass her in front of Grant, right before her interview.

So he kept quiet, and he watched as Marley pulled herself together. The color came back into her face. She brushed her hands over her jacket and skirt, like she wanted to erase his touch.

Every cell in his body hurt. Was this what heartbreak felt like?

He licked his lips, wondering if he should say something, anything. But Marley was walking into the room, her bag clutched tightly in front of her. She didn’t look at him and she allowed herself a wide berth around him to take a seat across from Grant’s desk.

Grant was still staring at Austin like he wanted an explanation. But he wouldn’t get one. Not now. Austin had done enough damage. There was no way he’d say anything now.