Gamed (A Standalone Romance Novel) (Bad Boy Romance) by Claire Adams Read Free Book Online

drink in front of Sienna's
mother.
    Mrs. Thomas had a
tendency to overdo everything. She threw herself wholeheartedly into any
activity, from chronicling Sienna's successes to redecorating the house to
having a few drinks to celebrate her daughter's accomplishments. A few always
turned into too many. Or sometimes, it took no drinking at all for her to shift
from high speed to sinking ship. Her mood could swing to dire melancholy, and I
worried the gentle smile on her lips was a thin facade.
    "You probably
knew our daughter best of all and yet no one understands why you two were
together." She stared over my shoulder at the bartender until he brought
her a glass of white wine. "I used to think of you like the moon, just
drifting around her and catching her light. She was the sun, Owen, the bright
golden sun." Her breath hitched. "No. A shooting star, I guess."
    "She was
golden," I said.
    "I get it,
you know," Mrs. Thomas said. "I get how Sienna could go from way up
there to way down here." She looked at the ground and swayed. "I feel
it too. Everything lifts you up, up, up and then the air is too thin, you can't
breathe, and you crash down. She just wasn't supposed to fall. Someone was
supposed to be there to catch her."
    She looked up and
the flash of hatred was sharp. I pulled back the hand I held out to steady her.
Mrs. Thomas blamed me. No wonder Sienna's father had asked me to leave. The
longer I stayed, the more people would feel the same way.
    I was supposed to
be with Sienna. I was supposed to know how she was doing. I should have seen it
coming and stopped her. I should have loved her enough to keep her from it.
    No one knew I
wasn't even with Sienna. But it did not matter anymore.
    I dodged past Mrs.
Thomas without another word. Anything would set her off. She was hoping I would
and followed me inside. I knew Sienna's mother needed a reason for a scene; she
was just keeping it together. I slipped down the side hallway and flipped the
light on in the guest bathroom as I went. I shut the door and leapt around the
corner just as she came after me. Luckily, the door to the basement was cracked
open and I was able to slip downstairs without a sound.
    The lights were
off except for a bluish glow at the bottom of the stairs. I stepped lightly
down and discovered Quinn sitting on the edge of the old leather sofa. She
leaned forward as she furiously tapped the video controller. On the large
screen television, the world of Dark Flag came into focus.
    I stepped around
the corner so I could not be seen from the top of the stairs, but I did not say
a word. For just a moment, I wanted to watch Quinn in my world. It was like
seeing a stranger on the moon and realizing she had always been there.
    #
    I leaned on the doorframe. It would not be long before Mrs. Thomas decided to
look in the basement. I should have gone out the front door. I should have left,
but something made me stay. With Sienna gone, I knew once I left that house, I
would have no reason to come back. And I wanted a reason.
    It was Quinn. In
the darkened basement, I could think about it. Just for a moment. In the bluish
light from the video game screen, I allowed myself to look at her.
    Her chestnut brown
hair was thick and soft. It fell in waves to the middle of her back, loose and
free. It was the kind of hair I wanted to scoop into my hands. It would run
through my fingers like silk. Against her black dress, it was warm with streaks
of gold.
    The dress was
sleeveless, showing the graceful reach of her arms. Quinn was slender and
athletic, despite the soft curves of her body. Her arms showed taut muscles as
she shifted the controller and tapped in sequences. Long delicate fingers that
could have played the piano or performed surgery flew over the controller.
    She leaned forward
again, concentrating on the game. In the light from the television screen, I
could see her full lips parted. As she focused on a difficult move, her tongue
swept across her lower lip. She