Page 25 of Fake Game

“It’s not fine. Do they know who called it in?”

She averts her gaze to my chest.

“Deer.”

“No,” she hisses through clenched teeth. “They still haven’t tracked them down. Something about cell tower pinging and stuff.”

I sidestep her, making my way into her bedroom. My eyes dart around before landing on the pink suitcase that is still haphazardly full of the random clothes and shoes Lee threw into it two weeks ago. As if I needed another sign Deer isn’t doingfine.

I throw the lid closed and zip it up before rolling it out of the room.

“What are you doing?”

“You can’t stay here.”

I move into her streaming room, picking up her laptop and Switch, tossing them into a backpack she has perched next to her desk before grabbing the rest of her gaming accessories.

“Stop!” Her hands close around mine, attempting to pull her headphones from my grasp. It sends a spark across my skin.

What the hell?

I shake it off, tossing her backpack over one shoulder, and level her with a glare. “You have two choices. Either you walk out of here with me, or I carry you.”

She’s not staying in this apartment for another night. Over my dead body am I letting that happen.

Deer lets out a huff of disbelief, the corners of her mouth ticking up in a fake grin. “You can’t be serious.”

“You have sixty seconds. If you need anything else, grab it now.”

“Stop,” she grits through that strained smile still on her face.

“Sixty, fifty-nine, fifty-eight—”

“Stop.” All humor leaves her voice.

“Fifty-five. Fifty-four.”

Her brows furrow and her gaze narrows, causing her nose to scrunch up. She lets out an exaggerated sigh but doesn’t make a move. So, I continue to count down, keeping my eyes locked on her the entire time. It’s not hard, Deer is stunning. She has this soft beauty about her, one that is undeniable even with exhaustion written all over her face.

But I don’t let it sway me.

The number “one” passes my lips, and her shoulders tense. When I take a step forward, I see a glimmer of nerves dance across her features, the first sign all night that whatever is going on is affecting her more than she lets on.

“Don’t you dare, Shield.”

It’s a warning.

One that I do not heed.

It only takes three long strides to reach her, and I stoop down to curve my arm around her waist and lift her up. She screeches, trying to reel back from me with a slew of incomprehensible words, but it makes no difference as I haul her over my shoulder. My hand rests on the back of her bare thigh, and the contact has my cock twitching.

“Oh my Gods, stop. Stop! I’m sorry, okay? Put me down. Put me down!” She squirms in my arms, her legs kicking up as her feet threaten to clock me in the head. “I’ll come willingly, just put me down. Please.”

“You promise?”

“I promise, you insufferable giant. Fucking hell.” Her accent cuts through again.

I drop her back to the ground and she glares up at me, her face flushed a bright pink to match her hair. It brings an inexplicable smile to my face.

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