The Love Game (The Game #1)(11)
Author: Emma Hart

She snatches them back and passes me another pair. Sevens.

“Thank you.” I give her another sweet smile and follow Braden to the seats opposite to change our shoes.

“Feisty,” he whispers when we sit down.

“She gave me the wrong size.” I put my socks on from my purse. “Plus I’m pretty sure she’s jealous.”

“Oh, this again?” He winks at me. I roll my eyes and hand him my sandals as we stand.

“Try not to get sucked in by her chest when you hand them back.”

“Why, Maddie.” He steps closer to me, hooking a finger under my chin and tilting it upwards. “Are you jealous?”

I bat my eyelashes twice. “Would you be annoyed if I said yes?”

He laughs loudly and runs his thumb across my jaw. “No, Angel, I wouldn’t be annoyed. In fact, I’m pretty sure I’d like it if you were jealous. That, and I can see you and jealousy being crazy sexy. We’d probably have to leave if you were.”

He hands the shoes to Boobs and comes back to me, sliding his arm round my waist.

“That would be unfortunate,” I whisper, biting my lip to stop myself laughing.

“Not from where I’m standing,” he says into my ear in a husky voice.

Play. The. Game.

“Then I might just be jealous.”

“You are?” He raises his eyebrows.

“Yes, but there’s a bowling ball over there with my name on it and a guy standing next to me whose ass I have to kick. So yes, leaving would be unfortunate.” I spin from his hold and walk backwards, grinning. His lips curl up in an amused smile, his eyes sparkling.

“Then let’s make a deal. If you kick my ass, I get to touch yours.”

Here we go. Round one, ding ding.

“Braden, you don’t lose then,” I say innocently, my hand on the blue ball I always use.

“I know.” He stops in front of me, and I bite my top lip. He looks down at my mouth. “I don’t like to lose.”

I release my lip and my heart pounds. Is that a challenge, or a promise? “Neither do I,” I whisper. “So prepare to get your ass kicked.”

I haul the ball from the stand and turn to our lane. I feel him tug my hair as he comes up behind me.

“I’m going to enjoy touching your ass, Maddie.”

“I’m going to enjoy kicking your ass, Braden.”

“Feisty,” he repeats, grinning again.

I smirk at him and step up to take the first bowl. In a roundabout way, this is actually kinda fun.

Chapter Ten – Braden

Maddie reaches up and tugs her hair from its holder. Her fiery red curls fan out around her shoulders, settling with one last bounce down her back. The end of her hair is inches from her ass – the ass I got to touch earlier, per winning conditions.

She won, but I did get to touch that pert little butt, so I’d call that a win-win situation.

“So,” I begin as we walk across the sand. “You never answered my question earlier.”

“What question?” She looks at me with those big green eyes of hers.

“Do you speak to your family much?”

“My dad and I talk about once a week, usually on Sunday. It’s become kind of a habit. My brother? Not so much.” She shrugs a shoulder.

“Aren’t you close?”

She snorts, shaking her head. “About as close as two opposite poles.”

“What about your mom? Do you ever speak?”

She stops by the edge of the water, drawing a line in the sand with her toe. Her eyes mist over a little, and I move next to her. She looks up, and there’s pure, raw pain in her eyes. Pain I can’t even begin to understand.

“My mom died three years ago,” she whispers softly, dropping her eyes again. “She was a victim of a drive-by shooting.”

Shit. “I’m sorry,” I say lamely. What the f**k do you say to that?

“Don’t be.” Maddie looks at me. “Did you shoot her? No. It’s not your fault. Don’t apologize for what someone else did.”

I reach up and tuck her hair behind her ear. What is it about her hair?

“I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

Her eyes are startlingly clear as she takes in my words. She doesn’t flinch, doesn’t cry, and doesn’t break. Is her heart made of stone?

“So am I,” she finally replies. “But it’s done. There’s no point in dwelling on what could have, should have, or would have been, because that doesn’t make it any better for anyone. In fact, it probably makes it worse. She’s gone. I can’t change that, I can only live with it. And I do,” she continues, quieter. “I live with it every day, and I’m always gonna miss her, but just because she’s gone doesn’t mean I can’t be the person I’m meant to be.”

Shit, that’s insightful. What do you say to that? How is this little girl able to render me speechless? I have an answer for everything.

Granted, it’s usually a swear word or sex-related, but it’s still an answer.

I slide my hand from her shoulder down her arm. I slip my fingers between hers and squeeze gently. “You’re really strong, you know that?”

“No. I’m just me.”

“Doesn’t change it. You are strong.”

“What about you?” she says suddenly, the mist clearing from her eyes. That’s all I’ll get out of her today. But if she opens up, she trusts me, right? That is what it means? And trust leads to love. Where is Megan when I need her?

Shit. I’m a prize dick for thinking about that shit when she’s just bared her soul to me.

“Not much to tell.” We start walking again, our clasped hands swinging slightly between us. “Grew up in Palm Springs with Megan, lived the good, easy life, then spread my wings and came to college.”

“With Megan.”

“Yeah. We made a pact we’d go to college together. I’m only two months older than her, and we saw each other every day as we grew up. She’s like my sister.”

Maddie nods, and I can tell she understands. It’s a relief because it’ll make the whole “dating” thing easier, but not even the guys get why I’m so protective over her. Touch her and you die kinda protective.

“I think it’s nice you’re so close,” she says. “I miss having that closeness with someone. Maybe I’ll find it again one day.”

“I’m sure you will. Who knows? We might be that close one day.” God, I really am laying it on thick today.

She turns up to me, a smirk on her lips and her eyebrows quirked. “Presumptuous.”

“I prefer hopeful.” I grin. She laughs and shakes her head. “Seriously.”

“Okay, Braden.” She’s still shaking her head. “It’ll be a miracle if this….” She motions between us. “….lasts beyond tonight.”