Chapter 33
33
DYLAN
The controller vibrates in my hands as my character narrowly avoids an enemy attack near a ravine on screen, nearly taken out by a low-level enemy I should’ve dodged with ease. My focus is so scattered the video game is barely holding my attention. I glance at the clock on the wall—6.37p.m. Hunter should be home soon.
Today has been a surprisingly great Sunday. Volunteering at the soup kitchen this morning filled me with a sense of accomplishment. And spending an entire day without relationship drama and looming break-ups has been a welcome change of pace. And the evening should be even more promising. I’m equal parts nervous and excited to see Hunter.
No, I’m not planning to hit on her mere hours after ending things with Olivia. The last thing I want is for Hunter to assume I’m some kind of player, bouncing from one woman to the next faster than a New York minute. No, tonight is about having our first real, unburdened interaction as roommates and friends. No worrying about other people, crossed boundaries, or hurt feelings.
It’ll be nice to relax and joke around with Hunter without having to walk on eggshells. I can be myself. Maybe even flirt a little, see how she reacts.
My lips twitch into a grin. Yeah, that should be interesting.
The metallic jangle of a key turning in the lock yanks my attention to the front door. A quiet urgency unfurls within me, simmering, waiting. I twist around on the couch as Hunter drags her weekend bag across the threshold.
I’m speechless. Her dark hair is swept up in a messy bun, exposing the graceful curve of her neck. A few stray wisps frame her face, gifting her a careless kind of beauty. She’s wearing the same shorts from our drive out to the Hamptons yesterday, revealing a criminal amount of smooth, tanned legs.
I nearly drop my game controller. Damn, she’s a vision. The most gorgeous woman I’ve ever laid eyes on. I have to mentally stuff my fist in my mouth to keep from blurting that out.
Hunter looks up, catching me staring. A shy smile plays on her full lips. “Hey.”
“Hey yourself,” I manage, hoping I sound casual despite my thundering heart. “How was the drive back?”
She kicks the door shut with a groan. “Awful. We should’ve left early like Adrian and Rowena. But a day at the beach was too tempting.” She drops her bag with a thud. “Then we hit rush-hour traffic. Took forever to get home.”
“Well, I’m glad you made it back.”
A pretty blush colors her cheeks. “Me too. It’s good to be home.” She toes off her sandals. “How was volunteering?”
“Rewarding.” I grin. “Puts things in perspective, you know?”
Hunter nods, mirroring my smile. Then she grabs her bag and heads down the hall. “I’m gonna go change. Be right back.”
As she disappears around the corner, I sink back into the couch cushions and blow my cheeks. I blink at the paused video game, the controller forgotten in my hands. The screen blurs into a hazy image while I wait until the quick snap of her bedroom door startles me back to clarity.
I shake my head like a dog after a bath, as if unruly feelings could fly off like droplets of water.
The effort proves useless when she reappears. Hunter has changed into an oversized T-shirt that slips off one shoulder, revealing a tantalizing expanse of smooth, olive skin. The shirt skims her thighs, and I can’t tell if she’s not wearing shorts underneath or only a tiny, tiny pair. Her legs are bare to mid-calf where her rolled-up white crew socks hit. She’s walked straight out of my daydreams—effortlessly sexy in the most casual, domestic way.
I swallow as she pads over to the couch, trying to keep my eyes from roving over her body.
“What are you playing?” she asks, settling down beside me.
“ Shadowlands ,” I manage, my voice miraculously steady.
Hunter tilts her head, intrigued. “Cool name. Is it fun?”
“Yeah?”
She scrunches her face in the cutest way. “That didn’t sound convincing.”
“No, no. It’s a fun game, I promise.”
Hunter smiles, making me sweat despite the cold temperature. Should I invest in a stronger deodorant? “Think you could teach me how to play?”
If she’s into gaming, I’m toast.
“Yeah, sure.”
We shift on the couch, getting comfortable. I hand Hunter the spare controller and will myself to focus. “ Shadowlands is a story-based game, a quest. The first thing you have to do is choose your character class. That’s gonna determine your abilities, your fighting style, magical powers, and weaknesses.”
“Like in the new Jumanji movie?”
“Yeah, like that.”
“If there’s a character who can’t eat cake, I don’t want that one.”
My lips twitch. “Noted.”
We sift through the various avatars and Hunter settles on a sexy warrior elf. Of course. If she had pointy ears to go with those legs, I wouldn’t be sitting on the couch; I’d be passed out on the floor.
As I walk her through the basics, and let her familiarize with the commands, I’m hyper-tuned into her presence beside me. The heat of her body, the scent of her, the way her knee bumps against mine as she attempts a complicated move on the screen. I’m talking and explaining, but my mind is short-circuiting.
The oversized T-shirt she’s wearing is making me unhinged. It keeps slipping, baring more and more of her shoulder.
When I have to adjust her grip on the controller, sparks dance across my skin. I do my best to ignore the sensation, to stay cool, but everything sharpens into focus, the room closing in and opening up at the same time.
I’m sitting on the couch doing nothing but my pulse is racing faster than it ever did on the basketball court, even in the final seconds of my senior championship game.
We finish the practice drills and I ask Hunter if she has questions. She looks up at me from under those long, dark lashes and shakes her head, a small smile playing on her lips. My stomach bottoms out.
We start the game. Hunter’s tongue pokes out the corner of her mouth as she concentrates, and it’s so freaking adorable I can barely focus on my half of the screen. She giggles and I glance over to see her character stuck in a dead end, running endlessly against a wall.
Without thinking, I reach over and place my hand on hers, guiding her through the sequence to free her avatar. My fingers linger on her skin for a beat too long. We both freeze. The world is holding its breath alongside me. I clear my throat awkwardly and pull back to refocus on the game.
As the sun drops out the windows, the living room remains lit only by the faint glow of the TV, but I’m not moving from this couch, not even to turn on the lights. I can’t remember the last time I felt this at ease with anyone besides Tristan. It surprises me, how easy it is to be with Hunter.
She navigates through a tricky puzzle in an ancient ruin and a hidden door swings open. My jaw drops. “Hey, I’ve been trying to get through that secret passage for ages.” I’m in awe of how smart she is.
Hunter grins at me, eyes sparkling. “Need me to show you how to pass the next part too?”
I bump her shoulder playfully. “Beginner’s luck,” I tease, but the touch sends another jolt through me.
Hunter’s smile fades as she looks at me, her dark eyes wide and luminous in the half-light. My gaze drops to her mouth. She notices and those beautiful lips part in a gasp—the sound sets a fire to the base of my spine.
Gosh, it’d be so easy to toss the controller aside, to pull her to me and taste those lips…
But it’s too soon. She doesn’t even know about Olivia. Or does she? Is she aware we broke up? I have to tell her. The words fly out of my mouth. “Olivia and I broke up.”
Hunter makes a face I can’t decipher and pulls away. Uncertainty flickers across her features. I mentally chide myself, way to kill the mood, dude.
She gives me a small smile. “Tristan mentioned it at breakfast.” She hesitates before asking, “Are you okay?”
“More than okay. I’m relieved.”
Again, Hunter makes a cryptic face, but if I had to interpret, I’d say she doesn’t seem too displeased by the notion. “Why relieved? I thought you two were happy together.”
I rake a hand through my hair. “Nah, I realized almost right away that Olivia wasn’t the right person for me. I wanted to break up with her, but then she had that funeral and it didn’t seem like an appropriate time, you know?”
Hunter nods, a glimmer of understanding in her eyes.
I launch into the story of my failed attempts at breaking it off, down to the gory details of grief socks.
Hunter tries not to laugh at the mention of Step Into Healing and Toe-tally Here For You .
She purses her lips. “Those are hardcore motivational quotes.” Then she turns somber. “What made you finally do it last night?”
I grin. “It was Olivia who dumped me. Apparently, I didn’t display the proper amount of support for her grief over the loss of Theo… wait for it…” I pause for dramatic effect. “The dog.”
Hunter’s eyes widen. “Wait, Theo was a dog ?”
I nod, and we both burst into laughter, unrestrained this time, the kind that makes your stomach hurt and eyes water. As our laughter settles, I turn to her with a curious smile. “You’re not a dog person, are you?”
Hunter shrugs, eyes still watery but twinkling. “I like dogs, but I wouldn’t give out grief socks for a Fido funeral.” She claps a hand over her mouth. “Oh gosh, are we horrible people for laughing about this?”
I reach out and gently pull her hand away. “If we are, then you’re my kind of horrible person.”
“Said the dog hater.”
We burst out laughing again.
When the chuckles fade, they leave a comfortable silence between us. Hunter leans back against the couch, her fingers still loosely gripping the controller, her eyes shining from the afterglow of our shared amusement. The glow of the TV casts gentle shadows across her face, highlighting the curve of her smile. I want to kiss her so fiercely, but it’s too soon, and for now, having her next to me is enough.
Hunter glances down at the controller in her hands, then over at me, a playful glint lighting up her expression again. She asks, “What’s next? Want me to beat another puzzle for you?”
I grin, leaning in enough to make her breath hitch, our knees brushing again. “Alright, Brolin,” I tell her, “but this time, I’m not going easy on you. If you get stuck against a wall, I’m going to let the dragon eat you.”
Hunter sputters mock-indignantly, “That’s not very chivalrous of you.”
I smirk again, reminding her, “We established we’re horrible people. As the villain, I can let the dragon eat the damsel.”
She straightens up. “I’m not a damsel but a badass elf warrior. We’ll see who the dragon eats.”
I nod. “Game on, Brolin.”
I push play on the console, the stakes of the challenge seeming much higher than a simple video game.