Chapter 16
MAV
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
I’m up way too early, especially after going to bed late, but Cam wanted to surf before the water got too crowded. I go to the boat house and grab my board.
Cam, Shelby, and Luke are waiting for me when I walk down the path.
“Good morning, Knight.” Cam sounds way too alert for this ungodly hour.
“If you say so. How can you be so chipper after only a few hours of sleep?” I yawn.
“Genetics. Are you ready to do some surfing?” Cam pokes me in the side.
“Yep. I’m excited to see our girl out there,” I say, more alert.
“Well, time’s a wastin’.” Luke chuckles.
We race into the water and wait around for the right wave. One’s coming, and I motion to Shelby to take it. She paddles and jumps up, sticking her feet to the board.
“Damn. She’s good and sexy as hell.”
Her hair whips behind her, and her skin glows with a golden tan. Plus, she’s in nothing but her rash guard and bikini bottoms. The absolute joy on her face as her board glides across the wave’s surface excites me about how far she’s come.
I take a few waves, but mostly, I wipe out.
After about an hour, I call it quits. I’m too tired to be doing this. “Hey, Princess. Be ready by one for our date, okay?”
She nods before turning to check out the set coming in.
Seeing me paddling toward shore, Cam asks, “Where are you going?”
“Back to bed.” I wave and head back to my room.
I wake up with enough time to shower and get ready.
When I walk downstairs, I find Shelby talking to the guys.
“Is this all right to wear?” She has shorts and a tank that flows around her midsection and hips. “You didn’t tell me where we are going.”
She could wear a trash bag to a black-tie event and still be gorgeous. “What you have on is perfect. Besides, it’s a surprise. Are you ready?”
“Yes, let’s go.” She bounces on her toes.
We take the car Frank reserved for her since we shared one taxi from the airport.
“How are you feeling today?” I ask.
If she’s too tired, I’ll adjust what I plan for us to do.
“I should’ve napped like you, but doing okay. I’m glad we’re doing this.”
“Me, too.” I pull into a parking lot and park right up front.
“Everything fun.” Shelby reads the sign on the building. “Huh? Are you sure it’s open, Mav?”
“Yep.” I run around and open the door for her.
A sign on the door says it’s closed today for a private party.
“Oh, Mav, I’m sorry, but it says closed.”
I knock on the door. “We’re the private party.”
She gasps and covers her mouth. “You didn’t.”
“I did. I didn’t want you to be uncomfortable.” Shelby’s mouth pops open, and right as I’m about to ask if she’s okay, again, the door opens. “Hi, I’m Mav Knight.”
“Oh, yes, Mr. Knight. Please come in,” the older gentleman says.
I hold the door for Shelby. This place is bigger than I remember. Shelby heads over to look at a map on the right wall near the entrance. “The place is yours, like we discussed. We also have one waitress on duty for you. Here are the two cards with unlimited play. We’ll open back up at six but, until then, enjoy!”
I thank him and head back over to where Shelby waits.
“Holy shit, Mav! This place has everything. Trampolines, arcade, indoor racetrack, laser tag!” She points at the various areas, speeding up with each new area she reads.
“I know.” I chuckle. “What would you like to do first?”
A challenge glimmers in her eyes. “I want to beat you at some video games.”
We walk past the seats and the bar to the arcade section. I forgot how loud a place like this is with the music and the games going off.
Even with no little kids running around screaming, I’ll have a headache after this.
We play a few shooter games, then she runs to a space, one with two seats in a box.
When the curtain behind us closes, it gets dark. I take a seat, and she takes the other.
I bump against her. “Ready to lose?”
She glances over at me. “Who says I’m going to lose?”
“Want to make a bet.”
“Okay, if I win, you have to do everything I say for one day.”
“And if I win…” I tap my chin, thinking. “You have to tell the rest of the guys I’m the best boyfriend.”
She throws her head back and laughs.
“You’re on.” She turns toward the screen in front of us.
We’re in a spaceship and have to shoot down boulders and pirates. When the game ends, I think I did well until I see her score.
My mouth falls open. “How did you double my points?”
“Flying the spaceship is just like driving.” She smirks. “You need to have hand-eye coordination.”
“I do have hand-eye coordination. I play games all the time. Best out of three?”
“Okay.”
I win the next game by a hair. “Yes! I beat you.”
“Tiebreaker.” She hits the button to start the game.
Her score is ahead of me. I reach over and pull her steering wheel, and it makes her plane go off course.
“Ahh, Mav, that’s cheating.” She chuckles.
Our time is almost up, and once again, she’s beating me. I yawn and put my left hand out, pushing her in her arm and making her fly off course again.
At the end, I glance at her score, then mine, then throw my arms up. “I win!”
“You cheated, Maverick Knight.” She tries to keep a straight face but cracks a smile.
“I didn’t cheat. I yawned. It’s not my fault that the seats are so close together.”
She rolls her eyes and climbs out of the game chair.
We play a few other games, but something nags at me.
“Hey, Shelby. Something’s missing.” I glance down at her standing beside me, the same look on her face that I have on mine.
“Our friends,” she says.
“So, you think so, too?”
She smiles and nods.
I kiss her forehead and call Nick.
He tells me he’ll round up everyone and be here in less than an hour.
“They’re on their way. I’ll tell the manager. Why don’t you order an appetizer and some drinks for us, and when I come back, we’ll wait for them?”
She nods, already heading toward the bar area. “Sounds great.”
After talking to the manager, I find Shelby at a large table. She ordered potato skins and loaded nachos with drinks.
Forty-five minutes later, the rest of our group shows up.
“Heard you missed us.” Cam walks up and brushes a kiss on Shelby’s temple.
“Didn’t seem right to have this place all to ourselves,” I say.
“This place is nuts.” Cin’s head whips around as she takes it all in.
Dom sits beside Shelby, and Luke sits with Cam and me. They finish up our food.
“Ahem.” I stare at her.
“What?” I glare at him.
“You know what,” I say.
“No, you cheated.” She crosses her arms.
The rest track our discussion, not holding back their laughter.
“Doesn’t matter, I still won.”
“Fine.” She clears her throat. “Attention, please. I want to say Maverick Knight is the best boyfriend in the world. Even though he cheated and is making me say this.” She chuckles at the end.
I reach over the table and tickle her. “That’s not what I said to say.”
“I don’t want to know what that was. Let’s go play some games,” Luke says.
We play the arcade games, then move to the trampolines. The guys and I have a contest to discover who could do the most flips, which isn’t too smart after eating. Tears fill Shelby’s eyes from laughing so hard.
Next, we do the go-carts.
“All right, devil girl.” I use the name I called her racing ego. “You’re going down.”
“You think you can beat me, Knight?” she teases.
“Hell, yeah,” I say, full of false bravado. If Dom couldn’t beat her, I don’t stand a chance, but it’s too much fun to goad her.
Her one eyebrow pops up. “Want to make a bet on that?”
“Sure, if I win, I get to stay with you tonight.” I raise my chin.
“And what happens if I win?” she asks.
“I’ll do the dishes for the rest of our stay,” I say before realizing how many dishes that is. But I keep the smile plastered to my face.
“Deal.” She shakes my hand to seal the deal.
“Hi, I’m Andy. I’ll be your flag person today.” He appears to be our age.
“Let’s say one lap around, then you can wave the green flag. How many laps around?” I ask Shelby.
She taps her chin. “Ten.”
Cam walks up and throws his arm over Shelby’s shoulders. “What happens if one of us wins?”
“We’ll figure it out at the end.” Shelby flaps her hand, dismissing the notion.
Everyone takes a cart, and Andy gives us the go ahead. We take one lap, then line up in two rows. Andy waves the flag, and we take off.
On the first curve, I let Shelby take the lead, not ready to push it yet. Dom comes up behind me and tries to pit me, bumping into the rear end of my cart, trying to make it lose traction before going to zip around me.
Instead, I slam on my brakes, and he wipes out.
“Nice try, brother!” I laugh as I push my cart to go faster.
When Cin bumps Nick, he fishtails, and I have to slow down or risk hitting him. In front of me, Shelby and Paige gang up on Sam. We fool around for the first couple of laps, then Shelby puts on her game face, and we get serious.
With three laps to go, Dom takes the lead, followed by Shelby and me. I refuse to lose this race; I know the perfect place to pass Shelby. I’ve watched her go around this wicked curve, and if I take a risk and go outside, I can pass her.
We come up to the curve, and Shelby moves over and slows down a bit. I make my move, hoping I don’t wreck, and floor it.
White-knuckling the steering wheel, I continue around the curve and shoot past her.
“Yes!” Now, I need to speed past my brother. “I’m coming for you, bro!”
“You can try, but victory is mine!” he yells over his shoulder.
With one lap to go, Dom leads, followed by me, Shelby, and Cam left on the track. The others stop, pulling their carts off the track to watch the fun.
I’m not sure why Cam stayed on. He’s almost a half lap behind us and loses more ground as we go. He has no chance of winning.
Dom laps Cam, then Cam pits him, causing Dom to spin out into the grass.
Holy shit! I zoom past Dom.
“You cheated!” Dom yells.
“No, I didn’t.” I point to Cam. “He did.”
Cam shrugs. “All’s fair in love and war.”
Shelby laughs. “Go, Mav!”
I cross the finish line, and everyone cheers.
Shelby comes over and wraps her arms around my waist. “That was so much fun. Thanks, Mav.”
“I’m glad you’re having fun, princess.” I kiss the top of her head.
Next, we play laser tag and break into two teams. Nick, Cin, Sam, Paige, and Dom are on one team, and Luke, Cam, Shelby, and I are on the other.
As the lights go down, we split up. I’m up against two walls with a round pillar in front of me. Cam and Shelby sneak by. I tap Cam on the shoulder, causing him to stop his forward momentum and look up at me.
He mouths, “What the hell are you doing?”
I don’t find anyone when I scan the area. I pull him up by his collar and kiss him.
“Damn, that’s hot,” Shelby whispers from somewhere nearby.
I let go of Cam, and he melts to the floor. I rearranged myself. “Damn, now I have to play with a boner.”
Shelby chuckles as I slink off.
We lose the game.
“It’s your fault,” I tell Cam. “I couldn’t concentrate after that kiss.”
“You didn’t have to kiss me,” he reminds me.
I glance at my watch. “It’s almost six. The place will be open to the public soon.”
As we head toward the front of the building, Shelby hugs me. “Thank you for one of the best days of my life. I needed this.”
“It’s not over yet.” I puff out my chest. “I want to take you out to dinner at an upscale restaurant. Let’s go home, shower, and change, then we can eat.”
“Sounds lovely.” She loops her arm through mine as we walk to the car.