Page 12 of Trick Play
Piper throws her body against me hard enough to jostle my thumb off the controller. When I glance at her, she looks almost entirely unaware of me, her face set with a grim determination I wouldn’t have expected to see from a girl participating in a football team video game tournament.
But what do I know? I haven’t been paying attention to any of the other girls here. Maybe they’re all just as fiercely competitive as Piper is. Or maybe it’s a family trait, because I know I’ve seen that expression on her brother’s face before, usually during a tough game. Except I don’t find it sexy on her brother, but on Piper …
A wide grin stretching across my face, I refocus on the game. She wants a fight? Then I’ll give her a fight.
A few adrenaline-filled minutes later, she squeaks across the finish line right in front of me, the screen declaring her the winner, and she stands, lifting her hands above her head in a victory pose. “Yussss!” She faces me, her smile fierce and triumphant. “In your face!” And then she proceeds to do a victory shimmy right in front of me, and while I normally wouldn’t appreciate losing or having the person who beat me rub it in with a dance, in this case I’ll make an exception.
Leaning back on the couch, I spread my legs and watch. When she finally stops, still smug and lit up with well-deserved pride at winning, she looks at me, her gaze tracking down my body and back up again before meeting my eyes. “Well?” she says, the single syllable wrapped in challenge.
I lift an eyebrow and gesture at her to continue. “Keep going. I was enjoying the victory dance. Feel free to come closer if you want to. It’s worth losing if this is the consolation prize.”
She stares at me for a long moment, her grin fading, her chest heaving, and I wait for her to say something, do something as her eyes drift to my mouth. My lips quirk in a grin. I can’t help it. She’s dying to kiss me, and while this would be easier on both of us if she’d just admit it—because the feeling is really fucking mutual—this kind of foreplay is more fun than I’ve had with a girl in I don’t even know how long. Maybe ever.
When she finally gives in to me, I know we’ll be explosive.
Eli calls out the names of the next people up, and Piper tears her gaze away from me, turning and leaving the TV area abruptly. Eli gestures for me to vacate the couch so the next round has access to the TV. Gotta keep things moving, or this tournament will never end, even though it looks like I’m out. I have no complaints, though. Because now I can focus all my attention on Piper.
Standing, I stretch, looking around to see where she scampered off to. I don’t see her in the main area, but her roommate nods toward the kitchen. Dunno why she’s on my side instead of her friend’s, but I’m not complaining. Ellie gives me a thumbs up from her spot in Simon’s lap. And yeah, I’m just going to pretend that doesn’t make me want to throw up in my mouth.
Piper’s leaning one hand against the counter, her back to me and her head down, a half empty glass of water in front of her. I step up behind her, close enough that she could lean back against me if she wants. “Ready to admit defeat?” I whisper in her ear.
She startles, straightening and forcing me back a half step so her head doesn’t clock me in the mouth. Then she turns slowly, her narrowed eyes meeting mine. “I’m sorry? I’m pretty sure that I just beat you.”
I chuckle, soft and almost menacing. “That’s not what I’m talking about, and you know it.” The thrill of the chase sings through my blood. I love that she’s pushing back like this, especially when we both know how this will inevitably end.
Her nostrils flare, her lips tightening, but her eyes drop to my mouth.
“See what I mean?” I say softly. “You’re doing it again.”
“What am I doing?” she asks, breathless.
“Staring at my lips. I can kiss you now if you want. That way you can stop wondering.”
Her eyes jerk to mine, dark with desire, but with an edge of defiance. “If you kiss me now, then I don’t have to go on a date with you.”
She’s trying to negotiate. Interesting. Does that mean she knows she’s already lost?
I consider her for a moment, taking in the way her eyes wander over my face, continually straying to my lips and then back to my eyes. She wants me to kiss her. And I want that too. But I’m not ready to give up the possibility of a date. “If you kiss me and don’t like it, then sure.” I shrug. “I’ll let you off the hook.”
Her body sways toward mine, and I force myself to be still. She needs to verbally agree to the change of terms. And she needs to admit defeat. “But just so we’re clear,” I say, “you letting me kiss you means you’re admitting you’re attracted to me.”
She huffs out a breath, pulling back. “Are you serious right now?”
I nod once. “Admit you find me attractive. Ask me to kiss you. And if you can convince me you hate it, then no date.”
Another huff, and her arms come up like she wants to cross them, but there’s not enough space between us to make that happen, and with the counter behind her, she can’t back up either, so she drops them back to her sides. “I have a feeling there’s no way I’d manage to convince you I hate your kiss.”
One corner of my mouth lifts. “Oh, I’ll be able to tell if you’re lying.”
She rolls her eyes. “Fine.”
I raise my brows. “Fine? What does that mean?”
A put-upon sigh. “Fine, I admit it. I find you attractive. As my roommate put it, you being hot as fuck is as much of a fact as gravity. The sky is blue, water is wet, Cal McAdam is hot. You win.”
I grin, enjoying this impromptu exposition on my hotness, plus the tidbit that she’s discussed me with her roommate. “And?”
She rolls her eyes again and jiggles her whole body in the most delightful way, even though I know it’s a sign of frustration. I kinda like frustrating her like this. Deciding to pursue her is the best decision I’ve made in a long time.
