Page 13 of Pro Gamer's Aim

Unless he's into sexy bunnies? That might be fun.

His shoulder brushes mine as he leans in, voice dropping to a husky whisper. "Relax, Sammi. I'm teasing."

The nickname rolls off his tongue like honey. My heart stutters against my ribs. I fix my gaze on the character selection screen, but his nearness scrambles my thoughts.

"So, um, your tag. What's it mean?"

"Ah, that." Asher rubs the back of his neck. "It's silly. An acronym I used back in my pro days. Stood for 'Harnessing Excellence, Leveraging Intuition Over Skill.' Pretentious as hell."

"I like it. Sounds badass." I nudge him with my elbow, surprised at my own boldness. "Suits you."

His eyes meet mine, stormy blue and intense. "Oh yeah? How so?"

"Well, you did heroically burst through my door to save me. That is officially labeled under 'badass'."

"Hmm, true. Though you nearly brained me with a controller for my troubles."

"Hey! It was dark and I thought you were a serial killer!"

"Do many serial killers ask 'Are you okay?' after breaking in?"

I can't help but laugh. "Okay, point taken. I may have overreacted. A little."

"A little?" Asher arches an eyebrow.

"Fine, a lot. Happy now?"

"Delighted." His knee knocks against mine, sending a jolt of electricity through me. "Now, are you ready for your first lesson?"

"Wait, wait. You need to see my skill level first." I'm determined to show him I can hold my own.

He watches as I choose my avatar, a cute girl with pigtails, wearing pink and blue. He chooses some guy in all black.

As the match loads, I sneak another glance at Asher. He catches me looking and winks, a knowing glint in his eye that makes my insides melt.

God, what is wrong with me? Oh, right. My neighbor. My much older, ridiculously attractive neighbor.

"Show me what you've got, little bunny."

In the first round, I die three times, twice within the first five minutes. Asher comes around in a heroic rescue each time.

By the end of the match, we've won. First place. He has thirty-five kills out of a possible ninety-eight.

I have zero.

"Bunnies were the right choice," Asher says with a laugh. "They aren't very fierce and hop around a lot."

"Shut up," I groan, smacking his arm. "I'm not usually this bad. Just wait. I'll show you."

But the next match isn't much better.

Or the one after that.

Asher's shoulder bumps mine as he laughs. The sound vibrates through my body, heat spreading under my skin. I force my attention back to the screen as we load into another match.

"At least I'm winning." I huff, selecting my character.

"Only because I'm carrying you, bunny."

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