Gaming for Keeps (Entangled Ever After) by Seleste deLaney Read Free Book Online

prefer.”
    “I alr…” In his effort to push away the negative thoughts, he almost blurted out that he already knew her name. Which would have been really awkward since she gave no sign she recognized him from earlier. “Er, I’m Cal Burrows.”
    A tiny line appeared between her eyebrows as they pulled together, but it disappeared soon enough. “Okay, Cal, so what kind of geek are you? What do you do for a living? Married? Girlfriend? Spill so we can move onto something more interesting.”
    And just like that, the idea of reality flew out the window. He couldn’t tell her what he did. “Gamer, film, and some comics. Not really into the anime thing. No woman in my life. As far as my career…I’m in coding.” Veiled truth worked, right? “Your turn. Same questions.”
    “We match in general terms as far as geek squads. I also have a bit of a love affair with books, so I work at a university library. I’m their go-to computer nerd. And at the moment, my only romantic entanglements exist in those same books.” Her jaw tightened for a second after she stopped talking. If he hadn’t been watching so close, he would have missed it, along with the tiny shudder that seemed to shake off whatever had caused it.
    Obviously there were man troubles in her past. How could anyone make a woman like this as jaded as she seemed in that brief moment? He wanted to find whomever had done it and have a couple minutes with him away from any witnesses.
    Though Cal had told Pen they’d just talk, he really wished he could press his lips to the muscle that still twitched along her jaw. And the little furrow every time it showed up between her brows. And her lips every time she didn’t smile.
    If he didn’t put the brakes on his runaway thought train, he was going to do something stupid and push her away. She’d already made it clear she was willing to walk. He wouldn’t drive her to leaving just because everything about her set his nerve endings on fire. He remembered what the casual touch of her finger had done to him, and he wanted it again far more than he should. Definitely time to keep talking.
    “So, which fictional romantic entanglement has your attention at the moment?”
    Pen frowned at him as if her thoughts had been a million miles away on some planet where English wasn’t the common tongue.
    He brushed back a curl that had fallen from her pins but pulled his fingers away rather than letting them linger like he wanted. “In other words, what are you reading right now?”
    “Uh…you’ve probably never heard of it.” A red flush crept up her neck and began to stain her cheeks.
    Interesting. “Try me.”
    The flush deepened to crimson that shone purple in the glow of the bar lights. “Fine. It’s a paranormal romance called Incubus Unchained . Happy?”
    Who was he to judge? He cosplayed an incubus upon occasion—it just had a tendency to gain him more attention than he liked. But he was enjoying her blushing too much to just let it go. “Depends. Does it have a half-naked couple on the cover?”
    She swallowed hard and looked anywhere but at him. “No. Just a half-naked incubus.”
    Yep, sounded like his costume. “Well, it’s no bodice-ripper, but I’m a fan of anything that makes you blush like that. I can’t imagine a woman looking cuter than you do right now.” Like he’d flipped a switch, her embarrassed smile disappeared and the blush turned into something a little less friendly. “What’s wrong?”
    She shook her head and nudged her drink toward him. “You called me cute.”
    Huh? “That’s because you are cute.”
    A look of frustration took over her features and she crossed her arms over her chest in a way that seemed a mix of anger and trying to hide. “Thanks, but if you want a puppy, I’m sure there are furries somewhere in the mix on the con floor.”
    His jaw dropped open and Cal blinked at her. What the hell? When he’d said he’d let her walk, he never fathomed it might be