Page 41 of Level Me Up

Chapter Twenty-two

Dex

We just settled in for a two-hour flight back home. One of the reasons I love my job is because of the travel. I love flying. When I was a little boy, I wanted to be a pilot. That dream career was short-lived, though, once I got my hands on a video game controller. Still, I love being in the air, and I always look forward to our next tournament.

For the first time, however, I find myself wondering if I could get Morgan to travel with us. The past few days I haven’t had a lot of time to dwell on the fact that I’ve missed her so much. Now that I know I’ll be home soon, I can’t wait to kiss her. Hell, last night when my head finally hit the pillow all I could see when I closed my eyes was her, laying naked in my bed, primed and ready for me. That text she sent me of her last night was the culprit. I was surprised she sent such a risqué photo to me, but don’t get me wrong, I like it when she surprises me.

Now that we’ve been having sex, it seems like my awareness of her body has kicked into high gear. I honestly don’t know how I survived the first few weeks of our relationship without sex. She's just so damn hot, and sex with Morgan is the best I've ever had.

I was already on the fast track to falling in love with this woman, but damn, when we had sex the first time, it was as if the earth shifted. With Morgan, sex felt like something so much more than justsex. It felt like we connected on a different level, it was more making love instead of just sex. And I liked it. A lot.

"Dude, did you hear me?" Link says from my left.

"Ah. I'm sorry, no," I say, pushing thoughts of a naked Morgan from my mind. Link often travels with us to our tournaments. He live-streams the tournaments on Twitch and then posts highlights on his YouTube. He makes good money doing it, but he is also an honorary member of the team.

"I swear; I always have to repeat myself with you. You never listen to me anymore," Link says in a high, overly dramatic voice.

"Where are your balls, man?" Simon adds shaking his head. "You know he's thinking about Morgan."

I laugh in agreement, "Her face is a lot prettier to think about than your ugly mug. What were you saying?"

"I'm offended. I think I have a pretty face."

Simon rolls his eyes and goes back to reading his book.

"So, how are things with the beautiful Morgan?" Links asks.

"Good. Things are good," I reply.

"I think she’s pretty cool. I like her. It's fun to ruffle her feathers, and she's such a good sport about it. I hope it works out," Link says genuinely.

"Me too, but I'm pretty sure you only want it to work out so you can keep hitting on Ruby. Don't think for one second we don't notice whatever it is going on between the two of you," I say with a smirk.

"You two go round and round, and it’s actually quite entertaining," Simon adds, still focused mostly on his book. I don't know how he can read and participate in our conversation.

"It's only a matter of time before she becomes susceptible to my charm," he says with pure cockiness. He becomes thoughtful for a moment before adding, "I like Ruby. She is challenging, sure, but I legitimately like being around her. Yeah, I'm attracted to her, but I don't think she's ever gonna take me seriously, and I'm ok with that. "

This time, Simon looks up from his book, places his hand on his heart and with an exaggerated gasp, "Holy turn of events, Batman, did Link just admit that he wants to be friends with a…with a girl?"

I start cracking up mostly due to Simon’s comment but also because I’m a little in shock of what Link just admitted. He is a total player and has never been just friends with a girl before. Girls never stick around long, and there seems to be a never-ending line of them waiting to take the last one's place.

The lopsided grin of Link’s face is confirmation enough but in a quiet whisper, "Yeah. But let's keep that between us, though, ladies."

After that, Simon puts his book away and we start discussing the tournament, which is what Link was trying to talk to me about while I was thinking about my girl. It's never too early to talk about what we can do to make sure we beat the teams we compete against. Knowing the team’s strengths and weaknesses matter. The rest of the team is a few rows up on the plane, and I'm sure they are doing the same. We will have a good meeting tomorrow to celebrate our win and talk strategy for the tournament coming up next month.

~~~

We arrive in Chicago well after 10:00 p.m. It’s a Sunday night, so I know Morgan will probably be in bed. I missed her like crazy, so I’ve decided to surprise her with an overnight. Thirty minutes after hailing a cab, I'm typing in the code at the front of her apartment, which she gave me a couple of weeks ago. It's not the same as giving me a key, but I think it's too soon for that.

As I exit the elevator and make my way to Morgan’s door, I contemplate texting her, but I know Gia is a night owl, she’ll be able to let me in. I knock, and a minute later, Gia, opens the door.

She gives an uneasy smile. "She went to bed about thirty minutes ago. I take it she doesn't know you're coming?"

"Nope, I wanted to surprise her. I figured you'd still be awake," I say. She closes the door behind me.

With my bag in tow, I start to head down to Morgan's room. I look over my shoulder to say good night, but the look on Gia’s face makes me come to a halt.

Her lips are pursed, and her brows are furrowed. She is staring at me, but not really at me. She opens her mouth to say something but snaps it shut.

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