Page 43 of Sunflower Persona
I’m not sure where the boldness came from. It probably has something to do with spending my afternoon being forced out of my comfort zone. Gage snorts, and his playful friend shoots me a mischievous grin and a wink. As he moves closer, those playful features disappear, and his eyes make a quick pass over my body in the same assessing way Gage’s did this morning. Whatever he finds must be satisfactory, because he lets out a deep breath and his smile returns, softer than before.
“I’m really glad you could make it,” he says as he pulls me into a one-armed hug.
I stiffen under the unexpected contact, but it doesn’t last long. His arm is jerked away from me, and Gage is there, glaring at his friend.
“Hands off,” he growls.
“Sorry. My bad. Don’t need to go all caveman on me, man.”
“I’m not super big on touch,” I tell him with a grimace.
“Noted. Won’t happen again. Sentiment stands, though. It’s good to see you again.”
I give him an awkward smile and inch closer to Gage. How do you even respond to something like that? Say thank you? You too? Is this one of those drive-thru situations where the cashier says “Enjoy your meal” and then I say “Thanks, you too,” and then we both look at each other awkwardly until I drive away? Because that’s what it feels like. Thankfully, Evelyn, being the saint she is, cuts in before I make a fool of myself.
“What are we playing tonight?” she asks in a soft voice.
“I won back at Cutter’s, so technically, it’s my pick, but I think Kori should get to choose,” James says.
“Pick Risk,” Nathan says with a smirk.
A pillow flies across the room and smacks into his face as he turns back toward the couch. James lets out an excited cackle as the weapon finds its mark. Morgan shakes his head, but there’s nothing but pure adoration on his face.
She turns her attention to me and, with a syrupy-sweet southern draw, says, “Pick anythingbutRisk.”
“Or Scrabble,” Karis adds in.
“Ignore them.” Gage’s voice rumbles in my ear.
Fuck me, I didn’t realize how close he had gotten. It’s insane how quietly a man his size can move.
His hand drops to hover against my back, not quite touching but close enough that my skin tingles with awareness, and he guides me over to a bookcase filled with games.
“Pick from this shelf.” He points to the one with the least number of boxes.
“What’s wrong with those?” I gesture to the shelf below it that’s overflowing.
“Those are either broken or banned.”
“Banned? Why?”
“Between James, Karis, and Nathan, things can get…intense.”
“But Twister?” I ask.
“Morgan pulled a muscle.”
“Monopoly?”
“Karis and James held us hostage until well after 2 a.m. while they battled it out.”
“That weird Arkham game?”
“Too many rules. We never even played that one.”
“Okay, that all makes sense, but what about Hungry Hungry Hippos?”
That one brings a visible cringe to Gage’s stony face.
