Bad Game: A Geeky New Adult Romance (Leveling Up In Love Book 2)

by Kat Alex Crystal

  And so did he. Thanks to she-who-would-not-be-named.

  He pressed his tongue into her first, then slid up to her clit. Her thighs tightened around him, squeezing, up over his shoulders, and she let out a quiet moan. He traced his fingers up her thigh, then over her center while he thrust his tongue into her core, setting off more startled noises. Then he switched, licking and sucking at her clit while he slid one finger inside her.

  The groan that escaped her was heavenly, and he shuddered at the sound of it. He wanted to surge up and fuck her brains out right now, not wait a second longer. But no, no way, chances were she wouldn’t come that way, not the first time, and he was making her come tonight. What if he never got another chance? He wasn’t getting anything until she’d had her fill at least once. First things first. He was going to do this right.

  He stroked his finger in and out of her, sucking and licking, until finally he thought he just might be able to fit a second one. She gasped again, louder, and damn was she tight around him. He watched her face as best he could, the white light of the moon outside limning her cute features, her closed eyes, her heaving chest. God, he wanted to see her come. It wasn’t just for her sake anymore.

  He twisted his hand around and curved his fingers up, feeling for the spot. Her eyes snapped open, her mouth dropping open without a sound. This was his chance. Speeding up, he buried his face in her delicious taste, the sounds of her pleasure filling his ears. Her hands had a death grip on the pillows behind her head, her eyes squeezed shut again, and then—

  Her thighs tightened around his head as she gasped and cried out, her back arching and hips bucking into him, and it was all he could do to hold on, to finish the job, to not shove his cock inside her and fuck her senseless right there. Oh, but in a minute or two. She wouldn’t know what hit her. Her movements slowed, then stopped, and she reached for him instead of the sheets.

  He happily dove back up into her arms, and she pulled his head against her, down onto her shoulder. Sweat slicked them both, and she was panting even harder than he was. His cock throbbed against her again, but he ignored it for a moment, relishing the feel of their bodies simply lying side by side.

  “How’s that for dessert, huh? Better than brownies?” he said, kissing her skin just because it was there.

  She laughed breathlessly. “Maybe just a little.”

  “I’m still hoping for brownies, though.” Still in her arms, he could reach her nipple if he just scooted down a little and… He ran his tongue around it.

  She drew back, giggling, but he would not be deterred so easily. He took it into his mouth and sucked, nipping at her gently, and she squirmed and swatted him again. “That tickles!”

  Laughing, he settled for a moment with his face between her breasts. This right here. This might be heaven.

  “Nick?”

  “Yeah?” He shut his eyes, listening to her voice reverberate through her chest, her heartbeat, her breathing.

  “What about you?”

  “I’m in no hurry.” He smiled against her even though she couldn’t see him.

  She was quiet for a moment, running her hands up and down his back. A little more restless than before. He might not be, but maybe she was?

  “Take me, Nick.”

  He jerked his head up in surprise, meeting her gaze.

  “Take me. Now.” He stared for a moment, savoring those words, those sweet lips. “Please?” she whispered, and he almost came on her leg just at that. Trembling at those words, he took her lips with his again for a long, hard kiss, then reached for the condoms.

  Rolling one on as quickly as humanly possible, he cursed himself for letting himself get so turned on. He needed all the control he could muster for this. Lowering himself back over her, he paused. “It might hurt. Do you want it fast or slow?”

  She hesitated, then shrugged, squeezing his forearms. “I want you like yesterday.”

  He laughed. “Fast then?”

  “Yes, please.”

  There was that delicious word again. His kink might be showing. Shuddering and barely holding it together, he nodded and centered himself against her, then lowered his lips to meet hers. Sliding his tongue into her mouth, he thrust into her body, wet heat engulfing him.

  This gasp put all the others to shame. But not too much pain creased her brow. When she’d relaxed, he kissed her again, not moving. “Okay?” he whispered. He was barely okay. He needed a minute probably more than she did, her body firm yet yielding to him, throwing him to the very edge of control.

  She nodded. “Okay. Good, in fact. Not as good as the other dessert, but you know, not everything can be brownies.”

  Laughing, he lowered his mouth to hers again, daring to slide just a little out of her, then ram back in again. And then again, a little farther out this time. Maybe he should be more gentle. He broke away from the kiss, studying her face for a hint of tension, but there was none. Her eyes were closed, lost in feeling.

  Straightening up so he could watch her face, he allowed himself to move in her faster now. God, of all the men, Penny wanted him. Had chosen him for this moment. Even if it all fell to pieces tomorrow, this would be something she would never forget. And neither would he.

  Her hands tightened around his forearms, then drifted up to his shoulders and back down again, her simple caress sending waves of pleasure through his shoulders and back. He was going to make damn sure this didn’t fall apart, though. He didn’t just want this, he wanted everything. This a thousand times, a thousand tomorrows. She was his someone, and if he could help it, he was never going to let her go. If he could ever afford a damn fireplace, he wanted Penny to be the one with him beside it. Preferably exactly like this at least some of the time.

  A groan escaped his lips as her legs crushed harder around him, somewhere between ecstasy and urgency, and he drove into her with abandon now, no sign to slow down playing across her sweet eyes, her panting lips. Her eyes popped open, and to his surprise, her body quaked around his, trembling and clenching around him in pulsing waves. A cry slipped from her, propelling him over the edge after her into delirious bliss, his own shout of release following her own.

  He collapsed against her, propped on his elbows, and just listened to their breathing for a moment. Smelled her skin, her shampoo. Felt her soft hair tickling his face. He slid out after a long moment of procrastination. Panting, he raised his head to look at her. “Good?” he choked out between gasps. “You okay?”

  She grinned. “Way better than brownies.”

  “I’ll have to actually have some to judge that.” He grinned back and pressed a closemouthed kiss against her as her hands cradled his face. “Where’s your bathroom again? I’ll be right back.”

  She pointed. He left her as briefly as he could and clambered back into her arms, breathing her in again.

  In spite of himself, his shoulders tensed a little. He clung tighter to her in response. This was always when shit got weird with Ashley—well, if it hadn’t been weird to begin with, which it usually was. But this was the moment she would always get up and go do something ridiculous, like run the dishwasher or start reading a damn book. Or banish him to the couch. Why had he ever put up with that? She had never, ever lay beside him for more than a few moments, as long as he could remember.

  Penny’s not Ashley, he reminded himself. And he was not thinking about that crazy bitch again. He pushed her from his mind and kissed Penny’s shoulder.

  She sighed and squirmed closer to him. For one horrible moment, he thought she might break away, but instead she shifted down, putting her head on his shoulder, tossing her arm around his waist, and pulling him in. He kissed the top of her head and just lay there, listening to her breath. The snowed-in city was especially silent tonight. His eyes traced the curve of her hip under the sheets, wanting to run his hands all over her again, but he had a sneaking suspicion she was almost asleep. The air was sweet with the smell of sex and baked goods and Penny.

  Looked like all that s
now shoveling had been worth it, to say the least. He squeezed her closer and drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter 6

  The next morning, Penny opened her eyes to the sound of the door buzzer ringing. She sat bolt upright, even more confused when she remembered she was naked. Snatching the covers over her, to her shock she heard Nick’s voice from the hall, buzzing someone in.

  For a foggy moment, her pulse raced. Wait, what had happened last night?

  Whoa, what had she been thinking? She had barely talked to Nick for two hours in total, and then she’d thrown caution into the incinerator and let him in, pretty much as far as she could possibly let anyone in. Who the hell was he letting into her apartment? What if he was a psycho? What if he was—

  Someone knocked, and the door opened. “Fifteen forty-five,” a voice said from the hall.

  “Here you go,” said Nick.

  What the hell? Still, her pulse slowed as the night slowly came back to her. Every glorious moment, every shadowed touch, those peaks of sheer intensity she’d barely dreamed of when her own fingers did the walking. He had been nothing but sweet and gentle and kind.

  Sir Dreamy to the core. Better than she’d imagined him.

  She took a deep breath. It was fine. She just wasn’t used to waking up next to someone. Or waking up to them letting someone into her living room, either.

  On the end table, his phone buzzed, and she glanced at it automatically. And froze.

  It was a text from Ashley, for fuck’s sake. Hey stud, why didn’t you text me back last night?

  She tore her eyes away, a small part of her filled with a sudden smug satisfaction that for once someone had ignored Ashley in favor of her. Ugh, what a terrible thought. But other paranoid thoughts raced through her mind. She hadn’t specifically asked him if he was single. Available. Or if he wanted a relationship. Maybe this was just a one-night stand to him. Maybe he just wanted another fuck buddy.

  Like Ashley had been.

  Oh, God. She wanted so much more than that. She ran a panicked hand through her hair, trying to force her brain awake. And to think. To be rational. Deep breaths. It could be nothing. Sir Dreamy wouldn’t be very chivalrous if he just slept around, right? Okay, sure, she didn’t know for sure either way, he had never claimed to be chivalrous, but… it didn’t feel right. He really seemed like he’d been into her. God, let her not be being super, super naive. This is what she got for dodging the hard conversations and jumping in headfirst.

  She slipped out of bed and winced. Some muscles she wasn’t used to using were quite stretched. Holy hell. Straightening, she considered putting on pajamas, but a part of her had kind of hoped if she put them on, they’d be taken off again soon. Maybe just a robe.

  Feeling brazen, and possibly insane, she eschewed her fluffy pink slippers and strode barefoot and naked under her robe out into the hall.

  He turned from the kitchen. He had his jeans on, but no shirt, looking a little sheepish and a lot hot. He was pale as hell; was it odd that that seemed super hot for no reason she could explain? Her eyes couldn’t resist raking down his long, lean lines, following the trail of brown fuzz leading from his navel down into his pants, drawing her eye ever downward. She forced her gaze up to his smile and away from his package. Two take-out containers sat on the counter. “Hey,” he said softly. “Buzzer wake you up?” He held out his arms, beckoning her.

  She nodded, smiling and heading for him. She was such a sucker, but she wanted her body against his again, doing whatever activity he pleased. Hugging would suffice.

  “Sorry, I didn’t realize it’d be so loud.” He grinned. “But I heard you get takeout from this Eden place and that you like strawberry French toast.”

  He opened one container, and her eyebrows shot up. “You got delivery from Eden? For breakfast?”

  “Yeah,” he said slowly, as if he wasn’t sure her exclamation was positive or negative.

  “That’s amazing!” She seized the box and darted toward her dining table.

  He laughed, grabbing his to follow her. “I couldn’t figure out your newfangled coffee maker. And I was hoping to bring these back to you on plates. In bed. But you know, things didn’t go according to plan.” He eyed the table with a slight frown for a moment as he sat down. Did he think he recognized it? It’d been in her and Ashley’s apartment forever.

  She grinned as she ripped off a piece with her fingers and stuffed it in her mouth. “This is perfect. I’ll turn on the coffee. Go ahead and eat. What did you get?”

  “Guess.”

  “Lemon pancakes.”

  “You were paying attention.”

  “So were you, clearly. Hazelnut, chocolate, or dark roast?”

  “Dark roast.”

  “I figured.” She hit the button, and the coffee maker hissed to life. “Milk and sugar?”

  “Just milk. These pancakes have enough sugar for the entire day.”

  She made herself a hazelnut and joined him back at the table. She’d scarfed down one of the four pieces before she remembered the text from stupid Ashley. “So…” she said, trying to sound super casual. It was maybe working. “I should probably have asked you this last night, but you are single, right?” She winced at how that came out. Way too judgmental. If he wasn’t, she only had herself to blame for not clarifying—

  His eyes widened. “Why? Wait, let me guess.” He jumped up, headed into the bedroom, and returned with his phone, holding it up with a question in his eyes.

  She blushed. “I wasn’t trying to look at it. It just popped up where I sit my phone sometimes—”

  “It’s fine, you can look at it. Listen, I cut things off with this girl three months ago. She won’t stop texting me.”

  That did sound like Ashley. Hard to shake. Sounded like he hadn’t quite completed the process. “Maybe you should block her,” Penny muttered, and then reeled at her own suggestion. He should probably know Penny knew Ashley before taking any suggestions like that from her.

  “You know, you’re probably right.” He didn’t seem at all fazed by the idea. He read out loud as he typed in a reply. “Stop—texting—me—I—told—you—it’s—over. There. Think that will work?”

  “Probably not.”

  He grinned and took another bite, and then to her surprise, he turned the phone around and showed her that he’d typed what he’d said. “Oh wait, I know.” He snatched it back, and his fingers flying, then turned the phone back around to her.

  An unsent message was waiting in the input field: I’m dating someone else, leave me alone.

  “Would that be fair to say?” He smiled crookedly.

  “Oh, yes, I suppose,” she said, her tone faux casual. Her grin betrayed her. Heat flushed through her again, not from embarrassment this time. For once.

  Dating someone else. Dating her.

  “Sent!” He tossed the phone aside and took another bite of pancake. If he was trying to look done with Ashley, he was sure succeeding. Of course, three months was a long time. He probably really was over her. And those were just the kinds of texts Ashley would send.

  And whatever, who cared about that ancient history? Nick Markov had just told someone he was dating her! Penny Collins! Insanity!

  She needed to text Anka. But it would probably be rude while Nick was still there. Especially because she did not want him to see whatever crazy things Anka would say. Maybe she’d sneak off to the bathroom. Maybe she’d be really wild and not even text her until he left.

  And who knew when that would be!

  “Any word on the snow outside?”

  He frowned, looking out the window. “It’s melting at a rather dramatic clip.”

  “Damn. Now I guess you’ll have to come up with a new excuse to stay over.”

  He grinned like a fool. “I can think of one.”

  “But will I go for it?” She smiled slyly.

  “You went for it twice last night,” he said, laughing. “I’m optimistic about my chances.”

  “True, tru
e. And now you’ve plied me with French toast.”

  “I hope this coffee doesn’t mean we can’t get back in bed.”

  “Oh, no. It definitely doesn’t. I didn’t even put on pajamas.”

  “I’m counting on that next then.” He took a sip, “Wait—what?” His eyes strayed down her throat and chest, then snapped back up. He gulped.

  “Oh, nothing.” She blushed again. “Do you have anywhere to be soon?” How much longer could this heaven last?

  “I can stay past lunch, if that’s what you’re asking.”

  “Ooh. Brownies. Yes.”

  “But I do have work tonight.”

  “Work?” How did that even work for a photographer?

  “Weddings are primarily in the summer, so I have a part-time gig keeping my friend’s gallery open. There’s a wine walk or something.”

  “Oh, that could be worse. Where is it?”

  “Yeah, it’s not flipping burgers. It’s in Doll Town. So I take over for him at like six. But I guess I should probably run home and shower first.”

  You could shower here, she thought. She stayed silent, not quite able to bring herself to suggest it yet.

  “So we have till maybe four? What about you?”

  “What time even is it?”

  He glanced at his phone. “Ten fifteen.”

  She slapped a palm to her forehead. This was a Thursday, for God’s sake. “I totally forgot. I have class in fifteen minutes.”

  He jumped forward. “You need to go?”

  “No, forget it. I’ll just skip it.”

  “No way, we can—”

  She waved it off. “It’s fine. I can blame the snow. I know the material anyway. The buses can’t get me there in time, even if they’re running.”

  “I could drive you—”

  “Next time,” she said, shaking her head.

  He stopped and relaxed back into his seat. “If you’re sure.”

  “This doesn’t happen every day, you know. I think I will survive one missed class.”

  “Do you have others later?”