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

show has found a direct path to me falling for him.”
    Oh, fuck caution . “Then it’s only fair I warn you that since the moment we both hit the lobby button in the damn elevator earlier, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you.”
    She froze, her mouth dropping open slightly almost as if inviting him to kiss her. Then her lips moved, though it took a second for her voice to catch up. “Is it really stupid if I say I thought it was you?”
    He didn’t answer, didn’t know how to answer.
    Her fingers abandoned her drink and drifted toward his on the bar. By the way she bit her lip either she was still adorably nervous or she didn’t realize she was doing it. “I have to admit, I’ve thought about you more often than I should today, too. I just never figured I had a chance with a guy like you when there were all the bombshells walking around.”
    “Oh hell no. I love these things, but usually only once I’m in costume. It tends to make the women who aren’t my type a bit more hesitant about approaching.”
    The noise in the room seemed to disappear while they were talking, and a glance around showed that the bar had indeed started to empty. When he turned back to Pen, she was frowning at him slightly, her fingers now close enough to his that he could feel their trembling.
    She let out a slow breath. “I’ll bite.” Oh, how he hoped she would. “What is your type?”
    “A woman who can spot the differences between the various models of the USS Enterprise. One who’s willing to talk DPS and mana and mobs.” Feeling bold, he tipped her chin up with one finger, savoring the contact. “For me, the perfect woman is a combination of Zoe Washburne, Inara Serra, and Kaylee Frye.”
    Her eyelashes fluttered and Pen swallowed hard before responding. He couldn’t help but wonder if she felt some fraction of what he did when they touched. “No River Tam?”
    “Hell no. ‘Morbid and creepifying’ is a bit much for me.” He took the chance to turn the question around while she chuckled. “What about you? What’s your type?”
    She twirled her glass, letting the liquid catch the light, then took a slow drink—clearly stalling. “That’s easy, I guess. I’m looking for someone who not only loves the idea of me, but the reality, too. To keep it short, I’m looking for a hero.”
    The bar could have filled back up and he wouldn’t have noticed. For the moment Cal’s entire world had been reduced to Penelope and how much he wanted to be the hero she craved. “The best part about meeting at a con like this? Fantasy is reality, and reality is fantasy. Here we both get to be whomever we are inside and no one judges. Hero, heroine, elf, wizard, alien… So, right now, I have the opportunity of a lifetime—I get to know the real, uncensored you.”
    The way she raised her right index finger and started biting at the nail made him worry that he’d sounded cheesy or like it was a line. Then she sucked in a breath and pushed her drink away. “Not here, you won’t. Let’s go upstairs.”
    Oh hell, that sounded like the best bad idea in the history of his life, but there was no way he was turning her down for whatever she wanted. He signaled the bartender for the tab, stood, and took her hand, helping her off the barstool. Once she was standing, he twined his fingers in hers. It felt so good there, so right, and the look in her eyes said she sensed it, too.
    Knowing that, Cal couldn’t think of a better Firefly quote than the simplest one. The one that said something wonderful had all his attention. “Shiny.”
     

 
    Chapter Five
    Love Me Back to Life
    Cal fumbled with the stupid card key. He pressed it against the lock three times. Then, when he tried flipping it over, he dropped it. On the fifth attempt, he finally managed to get the damn door opened. Very smooth. Thankfully, Pen seemed to be dealing with her own set of nerves. He held thedoor open for her and once more took in her wood elf