For The Holidays (Gaming The System Book 9)

by Brenna Aubrey

Hi, my name is Adam Drake and I’m a smartphone addict. I could just picture it now.

  With a sigh, I began straightening our room while Adam was on a snowshoeing hike with the other three guys. I had an appointment with the girls to sit in the infrared sauna in a few minutes.

  Maybe I should honestly start worrying about him? What if he was having neurological problems? Or the onset of mental illness? I’d just finished the neurology rotation of med school a few months before. I remembered the signs—unusual and uneven pupil dilation. Adam’s eyes were so dark it was difficult to tell, unless I was positioned very closely in a brightly-lit room. Tracking motion and answering basic questions were part of the screening. I made note to apply it next time I spoke to him.

  I bent to grab the decorative throw-pillows that had been heaped on a nearby chair to replace on the bed. When I picked up the last pillow, a slip of paper fell to the ground. With a sigh, I grabbed it. He usually wasn’t one for leaving trash around. Actually, for a man, he was pretty damn neat.

  It was a list, written in his even, precise writing. Some of the items were checked off.

  Lavish encouragement

  Hold hands even while you’re disagreeing

  Find time in silence to gaze deeply into each other’s eyes.

  Spend thirty minutes only kissing without touching each other or having it lead to sex.

  Spend time spooning and just talking, nothing else.

  For team work, find a fun project you can work on, together.

  Write each other a long letter listing all reasons, big and small, why you love each other

  Show spontaneity. Choose to do something wild and crazy together that you’ve never done before.

  My brow creased and... sudden understanding hit me.

  No it wasn’t a brain aneurysm after all. It was my husband glomming onto the fact that we’d made some low score on some stupid app quiz somewhere and him insisting we up that score, like a true gamer.

  Min-maxing his real life. Oh, Adam.

  Nowhere on this list did it say, Ignore your wife in that sexy teddy sprawled out on the bed like a queen waiting for you to service her sexually.

  I contemplated how I might get back at him for this... a little spousal revenge never did any harm, right? I felt the inspiration for a practical joke coming on....

  Except not, because he walked in on me while I was holding the list. He was back hours early—from the sound of it, all the guys were. “What—I thought you were going snow-shoeing today?”

  He shook his head. “They aren’t allowing it today because of avalanche risk.

  I blinked. “Oh...”

  “So we have the afternoon...” he said with a small waggle of his eyebrows. In one swift and very impressive move, he slid an arm around my waist and kicked closed the bedroom door. “What should we do with it?”

  “Mmm,” I frowned. “We could try to tick off more of the boxes on this list, if it weren’t such a ridiculous a thing to do.”

  His frown mirrored mine until I held the list up and waved it in front of him. “I’m guessing your OCD hunt for this is what ruined what would have been some awesome sexcapades yesterday?”

  Adam blinked and reached for the list with his free hand. I pulled it away from his grasp, because I’m petty like that. “I don’t see ‘Buy your wife a gazillion-dollar brand new gaming rig or piece of jewelry’ on this list. Can I add that? Or maybe ‘Give your wife no less than five orgasms every time you have sex.’ I like that one even better.”

  He raised his eyebrows at me expectantly, wordlessly demanding I hand over his little programming flowchart for upping your relationship score.

  “How about... you agree to become my willing sex slave for the next twenty-four hours?”

  He narrowed his eyes, and his hand darted out, quick as a flash, and tore the list out of my hand. Then, with a wicked gleam in his eyes, he leaned in. “More like you’ll be my willing sex slave.”

  I blew out a breath and rolled my eyes. “Promises, promises.”

  But he was glancing over the list again and tucked it into his back pocket. I should have tossed it into the fireplace when I’d had the chance!

  He had his grabby hands all over me before I could even move on from the vision of that damn list reduced to a handful of ashes. And in a plot twist even I hadn’t seen coming, I pushed him away. When he gave me that questioning stare, I pointed to the end of the bed.

  “We need to talk.”

  His handsome features sobered. “That doesn’t sound good.”

  “Come here...” I sat down and patted the spot beside me. “You need to toss that list.”

  After a brief hesitation, he took two strides and sunk down on the bed beside me. “I was just trying to do the right things. That quiz—”

  “Was some stupid little bit of BS that someone wrote up for filler space on a pseudo-news site. They don’t know us.”

  He blinked as he stared at me, then rubbed the back of his neck as he shifted. “Okay, but aren’t you concerned?”

  “By what? Do you think we have a bad marriage?”

  He shook his head vigorously. “Of course not. But you have to admit, we are very busy people.”

  “We are. We don’t see each other as much as we want to right now. But this is just a phase. A building phase. I have school, you have all the work. We’re building a future right now. This is temporary.”

  “Temporary for at least a few more years.”

  I shrugged. “Sure, but in the meantime, we make the most of the time we do have together, right? I mean, you voluntarily surrendered your phone up here without the tiniest inkling of a fight. Because you wanted quality time with me. That’s huge, and I really appreciate it.” My hand darted out and I cupped his bicep, then let my hand slide down his arm slowly, relishing the firm muscle underneath his sleeve. I smiled. “I love that you were so worried about us that you made a list, even if the list was ridiculous.”

  His brows furrowed. “Ridiculous? What? You mean you didn’t like staring into each other’s eyes while we laid on the bed together?”

  I bust out laughing. “That was weird, you gotta admit. When have we ever done that, and why would we? When I talk to you, I want to tell you everything and I want to listen to you talk about everything you want to tell me. And when we’re not talking....”

  “We should be fucking?”

  I laughed. “I’m not gonna argue with that.”

  He lifted a hand, hooked it around my neck and pulled my head to him, tasting my lips slowly, firmly with measured movements. “I gotta admit I was driving myself crazy.”

  “Yeah, you tend to do that, don’t you?”

  He locked his other arm around me and pulled me down on the bed with him. I laughed and we faced each other. “I want to take this bikini off you with my teeth.”

  I laughed and pushed back on his shoulder so I could look into his face. “I don’t want to see that list again... and for god’s sake, stop with that bullshit encouragement. I mean, I love when you encourage me but let’s keep it for more special occasions, okay?”

  He kissed me again, pushing his tongue in my mouth. “All I can think about right now is how much I need to get inside you. I’m horny as fuck.”

  I smiled, reaching a hand down to cup his crotch. “Thank god for that.”

  There was a knock at the door. Jenna and Kat were yelling at me to get off my ass and meet them in the sauna.

  Well shit, so much for hot afternoon sex. Adam lay back with a sigh, staring at the ceiling and ruffling his dark hair. I gave him a consolation kiss and whispered sweet dirty nothings in his ear to tide him over until we could get down to the real thing.

  Chapter 26

  Jordan

  Jesus, Fawkes, you fuckin’ idiot! Why didn’t you just tell her the truth?

  I ran a hand through my hair, curling my fingers to give it a tug, my mind on an infinite loop.

  I’d been stunned to silence threatening a full-blown inter
nal meltdown when I’d walked into that room this afternoon and saw her holding the ring box. So I’d done first natural thing that occurred to me. I’d lied my ass off.

  Because all I could think was I couldn’t just drop to a knee on the spot. Where in hell was the epicness in that? Imagine bragging to her girlfriends about her idiot fiancé who’d proposed to her while she was wearing nothing but a bath towel.

  I’d lied to more than my share of women before, but never April. Well, until all this bullshit proposal business came about. What a complete and utter disaster—all of it. Right up to the fact that she hated the ring and had deemed it hideous. She never would have admitted that to me if I’d slipped it on her finger. She would have just loathed it in silence—if she’d agreed to wear it at all.

  Note to self, find a new engagement ring stat, right after swiftly kicking Adam in the ass for his shit advice. Or maybe his shit advice had been revenge for the once or twice or maybe even three times that my advice had almost cost him his now-wife. Whatever.

  I tore myself away from the view out the main dining room window and pulled out my phone to text Anna for more help. Ring-shopping at the nearest jewelry store was in order. And a new plan for how to pop the question to April.

  Now what to do about damage control? Cover my tracks like a coward, or ‘fess up and just take my lumps?

  As if sent from the Universe, at that moment William entered from the kitchen with a steaming mug in his hands. I stared at him for a long moment, frozen in indecision.

  The coward’s way it was, then.

  William’s eyes flicked to me, and he paused to grab a few cold cuts and some fruit off the snack tray.

  “Why are you staring at me?” He didn’t look up as he filled his plate.

  “I need to talk to you real quick… can we go to the kitchen?”

  “I just left the kitchen.”

  “I need to… make sure I’m not overheard. Please?”

  I saw, with relief, that it would take no further argument—which was actually pretty unusual for William. But after I pulled him aside and explained the situation, the difficulty began.

  “I don’t understand. Why am I lying to your girlfriend?”

  My head ached from clenching my jaw. William. I loved the dude, but he drove me flat out crazy sometimes. “I told her I was holding the ring for you to give to Jenna.”

  “Yes, you said that. I’m not hard of hearing. I just can’t figure out why you thought lying to your girlfriend was a good idea.”

  Because I’m a dumbfuck. I sighed and rubbed my forehead. “Just do me a solid this once, William? I need you to cover for me.”

  He shook his head. “This once? I do favors for you often, and it’s too warm in here for blankets. Unless you needed covering outside? In which case—”

  I held out a hand, my head throbbing. “Never mind, I’ll think of something. But please, if she asks, can you just go along with it? Or change the subject without answering her?”

  “It’s not logical to keep such a big decision and a momentous question a secret. She should have time to—”

  I cut him off, chopping with my hand. “Never mind your opinion of my approach, Mr. Spock. Just...will you do it, please?”

  He paused, looked at me for a moment, as always without actually meeting my gaze, and curtly nodded. “I won’t correct her if she approaches me with alternative facts. Of course, I’ll have to tell—”

  “Great! Please, just don’t tell Jenna either, okay?” I slapped his shoulder and left him there, openmouthed and staring.

  There was only a day left, and I had to find a ring and find it quick. I had an idea of going simpler by asking her tomorrow night when we rang in the new year. With a new ring, of course. I checked my phone. Anna had texted back and we were going to meet to discuss how she could help me find a non-hideous ring. I sighed. Hopefully Tiffany’s offered refunds on $40,000 engagement rings.

  I was in the middle of texting her back when April found me.

  “Jordan.”

  Uh oh. I knew that tone well. Without finishing the text, I hit send in a panic and shoved the phone in my pocket. I was sure it’d make absolutely no sense when Anna got it, but I’d finish the thought later. Now I turned to face my not-so-happy girlfriend standing beside the entrance to our suite.

  She jerked her head toward our bedroom, and I held my breath, bolstering myself.

  Once I was through the door and closed it after us, she spun on me, arms folded tightly. “We need to talk.”

  Without thinking, I checked my watch. I likely only had an hour or two before the shops closed, and tomorrow, New Year’s Eve, might be iffy…

  I glanced up at her and she stared at me, mouth open. “Did you actually just check your watch?”

  Whoa. She wasn’t just irritated. My girl was pissed off. “Uh, sorry. I didn’t mean—”

  Fuck, how to get the hell out of here and go get her a damn acceptable ring she wouldn’t hate so I could just get it over with and pop the damn question already?

  Her eyes fluttered as if she might start to cry.

  I blinked. Shit, now how do I fix this mess that my previous lie had just created?

  “Jordan! Please tell me what’s going on. I—”

  My phone rang. April blinked and recrossed her arms, her beautiful blue eyes shooting daggers right through me.

  It was Anna. I knew it had to be her. Asking why she’d only gotten half a text that didn’t make any sense.

  I blinked.

  April’s eyes narrowed. They dared me to answer.

  The sky outside our window was getting darker and darker… closing time.

  Fuck. “Let me just get this—”

  Her eyes bulged, incredulous. “Don’t you fucking—”

  Yeah, I fucking dared.

  I answered it.

  She gasped, and I turned my back, on her, heading into the bathroom. “Yeah, hi. Sorry about that text.” I shut the door and briefly—quietly—told Anna I needed her to take me around to a decent jewelry store—and quickly.

  My girl was about to lose her shit, and that was going to be even messier to clean up than this mess I’d already created.

  I bolted from the bathroom, my arm up in preparation. As I knew she would, she got a couple shots off—pillows came right at me. Usually when she was throwing stuff in the bedroom, it was playful—or foreplay.

  But this was straight-up, flat-out anger. “I promise I’ll explain everything when I get back!” I shouted as I bolted from the room. I could have sworn I saw her pick up the fireplace poker out of the corner of my eye, so I hastened my departure.

  Twenty minutes later, after meeting Anna at the jeweler—she’d asked them to keep it open for me with the promise of a sure sale—I texted April and asked her to meet me in the solarium of the mansion after dinner.

  The time for fancy uber epic proposals was over. I just needed to get this shit done already, while I still had a girlfriend to propose to.

  Chapter 27

  April

  This was it. I’d had enough.

  He’d once liked comparing me to Disney princesses. When we were dating, I was Snow White. Well this buckaroo was about to feel the cold sting of Snow White transforming into Elsa the Ice Queen. It was time to start Operation Freeze Out. I was actually currently contemplating freezing out certain parts of his body of which he thought very highly.

  I’d never in a thousand years have thought that Jordan would cheat, given his own history with a fiancée who’d cheated on him, but what else could explain this? Before we’d become a couple, he’d been a perpetual hound-dog in rut, screwing everything in a skirt. Honestly, how could I have presumed to tame such a beast?

  I was this-close to packing up my shit and heading out early when I rounded a corner to the dining room and almost ran into the culprit herself. Anna was setting up the table for the caterers in the morning and unloading a basket.

  Jordan had texted me to meet him after dinner, but
he still wasn’t back, and we’d finished eating an hour ago. He’d gone off to meet her, I was almost certain. I hadn’t heard all of the phone conversation in the bathroom but I had heard him say her name.

  I wanted to cry and find my girl squad for sympathy. But here I was, alone in the dining room with her instead. My eyes narrowed in on Anna like the scope on a sniper rifle, ready to pick her off.

  Elsa the Ice Queen could just as easily set her sights on the other woman as she could fantasize about freeze-drying certain male appendages, so there was that!

  “Oh, hello April. I was just—”

  “You need to back off.” My spine stiffened and I folded my arms over my chest, shoulders squared.

  She blinked.

  Summoning my most badass cowgirl, hand on hips, I narrowed my eyes at her. “My prized bull doesn’t graze in other pastures. And I don’t take kindly to rustlers.”

  The front door opened and slammed. Anna stared at me like I was insane. “Are you...um... do you own a ranch?”

  The nerve of her standing there acting all innocent and like she didn’t understand what I was trying to say. I raised my finger to her. “Listen, beotch—”

  Footsteps approached quickly and just before I might have lunged to get in this woman’s face, I felt hands settle on my shoulders. Big hands. Strong hands.

  My Beast’s hands.

  “April, let’s go have that talk.”

  Anna’s eyes raised from looking at me to meeting Jordan’s gaze, and I went supernova. “Don’t even look at him, lady! He’s—”

  But Jordan was pulling me away toward the solarium before I could finish. It was quiet in there, and it was dark. Jordan flipped on just one of the lights so that it was still kind of dim. My throat was tight and my heart raced. Shit. Was this it? Was he going to admit to me that my worst suspicions were actually true?

  I shrugged off his arm and pulled away, hugging myself, suddenly cold. Then, I turned on him. “I want the truth and I want it now. Stop with the bullshit.”

  He froze and we held a stare. Tension snapped between us and I felt my back go stiff. Was I about to get some glib, slick presentation of lies? Or was he going to confess? Were we about to break up? My stomach bottomed out.