Licked (Lick It! #1)

Chapter One

Alfie

The cloying smell of stale sweat and Lynx body spray filled the leisure centre sports hall as I carefully lined up my miniatures on the edge of the table, my eyes roaming over the battlemap I’d been assigned for my first game of the day.

The terrain was largely grass with a few copses of trees and some ruins of a castle dotted around for cover—something that would hinder my cavalry but potentially help the small unit of archers I’d managed to sneak into the line-up.

It’d been a while since I’d had a spare weekend to take part in a Sword & Flame tournament, especially with uprooting my entire life from Sheffield to Heather Bay and giving up my steady career to dive into Darcy’s completely mad artisan ice cream venture.

But, since this was my last free weekend before Lick It! opened its doors, I’d decided to take some time for myself and do something fun. And for me that meant pushing fantasy miniatures across a battlemap in a sports hall on the outskirts of Leeds with a hundred other super nerds.

At least it would distract me from my near-constant worry that I’d thrown my life away in the pursuit of potential happiness.

“Good morning,” said a soft, smooth voice from beside me, startling me out of my plans.

I glanced up, trying to pretend I hadn’t nearly jumped out of my skin, and forced myself to blink and swallow as I looked at the man in front of me, who could only be my first opponent given the large army travel case slung over his shoulder.

He was dressed in a black shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbow, overlaid with a simple dark leather chest harness with silver rings and buckles, and a pair of figure-hugging pinstripe trousers with a chain hanging between a couple of belt loops, the silver buckle on his belt glinting in the harsh overhead lighting.

Even from this distance I could see the skulls pressed into the metal and I had to tear my eyes away before he thought I was staring at his crotch.

He had dark hair that fell softly around his shoulders and, as he brushed a few strands out of his face, I saw hints of more silver jewellery in his ears.

His grey eyes were softly lined, with perfectly blended eyeshadow accentuating their shape and adding a touch of glamour to his appearance.

Although maybe that accolade should have gone to whatever lipstick he was wearing, which was a rich deep red colour, almost like dried blood.

I knew I was staring and that I looked rude as hell, but I’d never seen anyone this hot at a Sword & Flame tournament. It was usually just wargaming nerds in old T-shirts and hoodies, and I was counting myself among their number.

“Hey, er, hi,” I said, putting down the coffee I’d been sipping and reaching out to shake his hand, trying not to focus on how firm his grip was, or how his gaze seemed to penetrate my soul. “Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too,” he said. “I’m Jonathan Bell, I’m your opponent this morning.”

“Alfie.” I gestured at the table where half my army were lined up, ready to be positioned. “Are you okay if I take this end? Do you have a preference?”

“No, the other end is fine.”

He walked to the other end of the table, heeled leather boots clicking on the floor, and put his case down. I glanced back at my own case and lifted the final few minis out of their foam slots to line up alongside their fellows, silently wishing I’d had more time to finish painting them.

They weren’t bad, but they could have been better.

At least they all had more than a primer on but there was a supreme lack of detail on any of them, and all the cavalry horses were block colours instead of having properly painted manes, tails, and markings.

There was no shading on anything either, and the banners some of the figures were carrying were just a single shade of deep blue.

I hadn’t even had time to add crests or coats of arms.

In fact, the more I looked at them, the more I found to be unhappy about.

Especially when I saw the shadow-elf minis Jonathan was carefully unpacking at the other end of the table. Even from this distance they were beautifully painted with a level of detail I could only imagine, and I found my feet carrying me closer before I’d thought it through.

“Those are incredible,” I said, shooting him a half-smile and a quick glance before my gaze was drawn back to his army.

I leant closer, bending over the table with my hands barely touching the edge.

I didn’t want to knock anything, and it would be rude of me to pick any of the models up and examine them without permission. “The detail is amazing.”

“You’re welcome to pick them up,” Jonathan said as he placed a skeletal horse onto the battlemap, the ragged, windswept cloak of its ghostly rider almost looking like it was glowing.

Now he’d spoken a little more, I realised he had a familiar North Yorkshire accent and the sound warmed something in my chest. “Unless you’re going to start throwing them around, in which case please keep your hands to yourself. ”

I chuckled and carefully reached for one of the elven soldiers on a demonic mount. “I’d ask if people really do that but I expect you’re speaking from experience.”

“Sadly, yes. Although it was back in high school.”

“Well, it’s always fun to hold a grudge or two. Dreams of petty vengeance are a good way to pass the time.”

His lips twitched in a smile and I returned it before looking back at the model.

The level of detail was unbelievable and I wanted to spend hours poring over it to work out exactly what he’d done and how.

I’d seen photos of miniatures like this on Instagram and Reddit, but seeing one up close emphasised the level of skill and dedication some of these painters had.

I was totally in awe, and it made my heart sink when I thought about my own efforts.

“Seriously, they’re incredible,” I said as I carefully put the model back down. “Sorry, mine look shit in comparison.”

“Why are you apologising?” Jonathan asked with a raised eyebrow, as if my apology had totally baffled him. “I just happen to have a lot of free time outside of work, no other hobbies, and no social life.”

I tried not to laugh. I’d never heard someone be quite so blunt or honest, but it did make me feel better.

“I don’t have much of those either, but I did just move house so that’s my excuse for now.”

“And that’s a very good one.” His gaze ran along the table to my army, who I still needed to position.

We were allowed to set up our models within a specific area of the map, so while there were limits to the available space, the unit configuration was totally up to us.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself though, I think you’ve done a good job. ”

“You don’t have to be polite about it, I know they’re pretty basic.”

“And? Why would that matter? You made an effort and that’s the important thing. And cavalry always takes the longest, any mounted unit does, because it’s two figures instead of one.”

“Thanks,” I said, suddenly feeling very awkward because I shouldn’t be dumping my terrible self-esteem on someone I’d only met five minutes ago. It seemed like his appearance had reduced all my social skills to zero, because I’d completely forgotten how to stick to basic small talk.

My only defence was that I wasn’t used to seeing someone so gorgeous at these sorts of events, but it was no excuse. Fawning or leering over him would only make him uncomfortable, and I wanted the Sword & Flame community to be a welcoming one.

“I’ll finish setting up and we can get started,” I said as I glanced at my watch, realising we only had five minutes until the tournament’s official kick-off.

We only had three hours for each match, and while it wasn’t enough to complete a game, there were various ways to score points and the winner would be the one with the highest total at the end of the three hours.

Then there’d be a quick break and on to the next battle, with all of us playing three matches today against different opponents, and the highest total points scorers moving on to day two.

I doubted I’d get through to the second day, but that was fine with me.

It meant I’d be able to have a lie-in and raid the hotel’s breakfast buffet before hopping in the car and driving the two hours back to Heather Bay.

And then Monday would be back to the chaos of getting Lick It! ready for its grand opening on Friday.

“Sounds good,” Jonathan said, and I noticed he’d almost finished setting up. “I’m sure they’ll be round to start our time clock or they’ll make an announcement, so everyone starts at the same time.”

“Probably the second,” I said as I strode back to my end. “I was sure I saw someone with a microphone.” Jonathan’s face pinched and I bit back a laugh. “My sentiments exactly.”

He chuckled softly, the sound so warm and rich it caught me off guard.

My hand hovered in mid-air for a moment, like I’d been frozen to the spot.

It was only the harsh, grating sound of someone tapping on a microphone that snapped me out of it, sending a shudder running through me, as if someone had run nails down an old chalkboard.

I quickly began placing the minis onto the map, the jarring sound of the microphone giving me enough brain power to remember where I’d wanted to put things.

One of the organisers took over and began their welcome spiel, giving us a quick rundown of how the day would work.

I was grateful for the extra couple of minutes to finish setting up, and by the time they rang the bell for the first round to begin, my brain had come fully back online and was running through tactics like an ancient general preparing for war.

Jonathan’s expression was similar and I could already tell he was going to give me a good run for my money.