Game of Love(13)

“Yeah.”

He lifted his eyes from the computer screen and put his hand on top of hers. “But?”

Regina turned and faced him, then pushed herself onto the worktable and swung her black Converse, leaning back on her palms. Her eyes roved over his face.

Dex waited for the but. She’s too weird. She’s moody. She’s too something. He could come up with a litany of things Ellie was too of. Stubborn would top that list, followed by complicated and moody. But all of it made her the beautiful, frustrating package that she was.

“No buts.” She narrowed her eyes. “Do you need there to be a but?”

There it was. Her need to protect him.

“I don’t think so. It’s complicated.” Complicated didn’t begin to scratch the surface. “We’re not really like that, Regina. We’re friends.” Even after how much she’d hurt him in the past, he still wanted more with Ellie. But no matter how much he wanted there to be more, Ellie still had her guard up. And it was probably a good thing, because Dex’s ability to safeguard his heart against his love for her was quickly becoming nonexistent.

She slid back onto the floor and touched his arm again—a habit she’d begun when he used to stare at the computer screen and “Uh-huh” her, only half listening to whatever she said. Now he looked up at her raccoon eyes. Regina was a runner, just like Ellie. He’d always known she was, but she didn’t physically run. She hid behind her tattoos and makeup. Maybe that was what had endeared her to him. In many ways, she was a lot like Ellie.

“Sometimes friends make the best lovers,” she said and headed for the door.

“It’s not like that,” Dex hollered after her.

“Maybe it should be,” Mitch added.

He’d forgotten Mitch was even in the room. He looked around his monitor and met Mitch’s gaze. He sat with his feet up on the table, his hands clasped behind his head.

“Listen to Mr. I Will Never Date over there,” Dex teased.

“I’ll date. You find me a woman who understands my working until four in the morning, getting up at noon, living and breathing Metacritic, and having nightmares about glitches and missed release dates.” He scratched his scruffy neck.

“Maybe if you shaved once in a while, you’d find someone who would put up with the rest of you.” Dex pushed to his feet and watched his friend turn his attention back to his keyboard. “Why don’t you go home? We’re no longer a three-person team, Mitch. It’s okay to take a night off. The testing team has this under control.”

“Nah. Not now, but soon. I wanna check out the forums and see what the fans are saying.” He typed something, then sat back with a whoop! “Rock it out, Thrive! We can’t wait.” He scrolled down. “Hurry up!” He clicked on something else. “World of Thieves II is gonna blow away KI’s game.”

“See?” Dex breathed a sigh of relief. “Suit yourself, Mitch. Lock up?”

“Yeah, yeah.” He waved him off. “Give Ellie a kiss for me.”

Dex glared at him.

“What?” Mitch threw his hands up in the air. “She’s hot. If you won’t kiss her for you, I figured you might for me.”

“G’night, Mitch.” Dex played it cool, sauntering out of the office at his typical relaxed pace, while his insides were churning a mile a minute. He’d thought about Ellie all day. When she’d shown up at his apartment the night before, he’d wanted to take her in his arms and never let her go. He wanted to kiss away the pain and fear he’d seen in her eyes. But one wrong move and she’d be gone. He hadn’t been able to keep his distance. He’d fallen back into the guy he’d been the last time she’d seen him. The guy who adored her too much to let her suffer alone. The guy who wanted nothing more than for her to be in his arms, placing no demands upon her, and allowing himself to open his heart, regardless of what she might do to it. But he wasn’t a kid anymore, and she was no longer a lost girl. She was confused, and she was going through a hard time, but she was a woman, not a girl. And the feelings he’d been repressing for so long were pushing his friendly facade to the side and quickly moving to something much bigger. Hotter. He had to be careful or he’d get burned.

On his way out of the office, his phone vibrated with a text from Sage.

Hey, bro. You okay? How’d it go with Ellie?

Sage had been the only person Dex had told about the time they’d spent together as teenagers. He’d had to tell someone, and Sage wasn’t the kind of brother who would give him shit or tell him to get over her. Sage was thoughtful and empathetic. He’d listened to Dex tell him what he missed about her, what he loved about her, and what he found more frustrating than an interminable glitch in one of his projects. Sage had always been wise beyond his years, which was why Dex had turned to him when Ellie had shown up four years ago. Sage had been there to help him pick up the pieces of his heart again, but Dex had never quite recovered from the desolation she’d left in her wake. What the hell am I thinking?

He looked at his cell phone and hadn’t a clue what to say. He went with the safe route of tucking away his feelings and sticking to the facts as he texted Sage. I’m cool. She’s staying with me right now. Don’t ask. No clue where anything is going. He didn’t even know how to text about Ellie without showing his emotions. Sage’s response made that loud and clear.

Dangerous territory. I’m here if u need to talk.

He texted quickly. Thx. Dex headed back to his apartment with his shoulders hunched forward to ward off the evening chill, wondering if they’d ever had a chance at something more. Had the hurt through the years stolen any chance of a future together? Could they find their way through the missing years and navigate the circuits of change that had taken place and finally uncover their grown-up selves? And if they made it that far, would they forge a new path together, or would it all be too much? It’s Ellie. It’s definitely too much.





Chapter Twelve


ELLIE PACED DEX’S apartment. She’d never been so nervous in all her life, and certainly not nervous about seeing Dex. She must be overtired. The toll of the trip, a night without sleep, and the uncomfortable interview all coming down on her at once. She’d showered in Dex’s bathroom and spent fifteen minutes with the smell of his soap soaking into her skin and permeating her senses. She felt a little naughty relishing in thoughts of him. Naughty? She’d never felt naughty in her life. She didn’t even know where that feeling came from. And when she put the feeling of naughty beside an image of Dex in her mind, it was new. Different. And a little scary. She’d changed her clothes twice—which was two more times than she ever had in preparation for a date with Bruce—finally deciding on her fallback outfit, jeans and a black V-neck T-shirt. Boring? Maybe. Safe and comfortable? Definitely. Now her chest constricted and her nerves twinged. She opened the door to the apartment and went into the hall. She needed air. Something. Anything to escape the feeling of being trapped.

She sighed. This is stupid. Trapped by Dex?

She pushed the elevator button. Maybe a quick stroll down the block would ease her nerves. The elevator doors opened, and Dex took a step out, wearing faded jeans and a snug T-shirt beneath an open long-sleeved button-down shirt. Jesus, he was handsome. She looked down at her own clothes and thought about how alike they were—except Dex would never have hurt her the way she’d hurt him. Ever.

His smile faded too quickly. “Are you leaving?”

“No.” Maybe?

He looked at the apartment door, then back at Ellie. “Come on.” He motioned her into the elevator.

They rode down to the lobby in silence and then headed out onto the street.

“Where are we going?” Ellie asked, keeping up with Dex’s quick pace.

“You had that look.”

She didn’t need to see his face to know he was serious, and she didn’t need to think about what he meant. Dex knew. He always knew. She pondered how to reply, and before she could conjure up a suitable response, he broke the silence.

“I figured we’d get it out of your system together. You let me know when you feel more settled.” Dex shoved his hands in his jeans pockets.

Guilt hovered around Ellie’s shoulders like a cloak, heavy and cumbersome. She wanted to say that she had no look. She didn’t need to get anything out of her system. She’d outgrown the need to run from feeling trapped, but it would have been a lie. She didn’t know if she’d ever get past that feeling. She stole a glance at Dex as he walked beside her as if it had been his plan all along. Was it his plan? Maybe he had planned on helping her get her restlessness out of her system. He always did know just what she needed.

“Staring makes some people uncomfortable,” Dex said while staring straight ahead.

Shit. “I’m just trying to figure you out.”

“Really? Not much to figure out. You needed to escape. I’m escaping with you.”

Cars filled the streets and people filled the sidewalks. Ellie moved closer to Dex to let a group of guys pass, and she brushed against his side. Her stomach fluttered. She still couldn’t piece together what had changed between them, but there was no doubt that the stirrings she felt were deep and real and more sexual than she’d ever felt before. He took her hand and held on tight. Fingers interlaced, steps in perfect stride to one another.