Page 52 of The Proximity Factor

Lanie smiled as my parted lips hovered just above hers.

“This is just for starters.” I tilted my head to the side, knowing there was no time to remove my glasses before I lowered my mouth over hers, barely moving over her lips. But it was enough to taste how sweet she was.

Lanie knew exactly what she was doing when she skimmed my lips with her tongue. She showed me what I had to look forward to, and did I ever look forward to it. Nothing else at that moment mattered but her.

I pressed my mouth harder against hers, wanting to part her lips and do a thorough job of showing her what she meant to me. But it would have to wait.

She pulled away, breathless, as if I’d already given her the kind of kiss I longed to give her. “Oh. Wow. Did you feel that?”

I knew what she meant, and I did feel it. It scared me in a way nothing ever had. All I could do was nod. Otherwise, there might be another chance of prematurely blurting out things I shouldn’t. Instead, I pulled her to me and wrapped my arms around her from behind, resting my chin on her head.

As if she had always belonged there, she leaned in and cozied herself against me. “This is going to be amazing,” she whispered above the noise of the crowd.

I held on tighter to her, hoping she was right.

The enormous screen split into four squares, one for each player in a band of mercenaries waiting to go on a multiverse campaign. For a moment, the crowd quieted as the game began. Whispers about the stunning graphics bounced around. As the players got louder, it hyped up the crowd. The noise level shot through the roof.

There I watched as my vision played before my eyes and the eyes of the gaming world.

I caught phrases here and there from the crowd. “This game is freaking sick.” “Downloading it now,” several said. Jacie squealed in delight next to us, even though I was sure she knew nothing of the games her boyfriend played, other than that they made him extremely wealthy and famous.

Mostly, I paid attention to Richy. His opinion was the game changer.

I wasn’t the only one paying attention to him. On the outskirts of the crowd stood Stephen and Maren, looking as if they couldn’t believe their eyes. Stephen and I had tried so hard to get Richy to review some of our games. Who knew all it would take was a tenacious cheerleader who knew almost nothing about the industry to get the job done?

Stephen caught my eye. For a moment, the loss of our friendship stung me. This, right here, was our dream. It was supposed to get us out of Ohio and our less-than-ideal home situations. Even though the cards had been stacked against us, we had been determined to become somebodies. Together we were going to do it. Now here we stood at odds with each other, our relationship forever severed. Instead of wanting to gloat, part of me wished we could have a do-over like when we were kids and one of us tossed out a bad pitch or made a stupid move in Monopoly. But life wasn’t a game, and there was no coming back from Stephen’s and Maren’s choices.

Stephen flicked his head at me, telling me he was thinking the same thing.

Maren was holding herself, like she always did when she was upset. Her eyes kept landing on Lanie. Did she wish to be in her place?

I realized then: I didn’t care to know. They were my past, and I literally held the future in my arms. I kissed Lanie’s cheek, no longer interested in how Maren or Stephen saw me, even if this entire thing went to hell.

Minute after minute after minute, the campaign progressed and Richy and his buddies got more animated, as did the crowd.

“He’s loving it,” Lanie exclaimed.

I was pretty sure she was right.

After what seemed like the longest thirty minutes of my life, Richy paused the campaign and jumped up from his gaming chair. He immediately pointed at me as his camera crew zoomed in on him. “Parker, my man, this game is fire. Dude, I can’t even with it. Best new game around, no doubt about it.”

Before I could even process what had just happened, the surrounding crowd exploded, but they all faded into the background when Lanie turned around in my arms with tears brimming in her eyes. “I’m so happy for you.”

No one had ever said those words to me with such meaning. She acted like she had nothing to do with this moment, even though it was all because of her. Never had I ever encountered anyone like her.

“Lanie, I don’t know how to thank you.”

She grabbed my shirt and yanked me to her. “I think you’ll come up with something.” She gently removed my glasses. “Now kiss me like you mean it.”

“Yes, ma’am.” When my lips crashed into hers, the rest was history, as they say. The woman owned me, and I’d never been more frightened in my life.

I WRAPPED MY LEGS TIGHTER around Parker as he held me and walked us up the cobblestone path leading to the cottage. It was nearing midnight. We’d rushed home after the expo and a celebratory dinner with friends, old and new. New being Richy and Jacie. What a day it had been—one of the best of my life. Being in Parker’s arms only made it better.

Parker’s warm lips skimmed my neck. I leaned my head back, driven freaking mad by his touch. “Whatever you’re doing, keep doing it,” I begged breathlessly.

He groaned against my skin. “We’re giving the neighbors a show.”

“Lucky them.” I dug my fingers into his back.

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