Page 2 of Players Love Hard
And now I’m the one who’s grinning like an idiot. Cece made me look like a fool two months ago when I allowed her back into my life. We reconnected in a gaming chat room, leading to private messages and late-night texts and calls. I couldn’t tell my friends I was talking to her again because they all hated her. My family does, too. They have every reason to. Cece is a horrible person. So, why does my heart still pound when I see her? I hate that it does.
She had the audacity to use my vulnerability—more like stupidity—to steal my code and reverse engineer my game. Her dad loved it and added it to his current platform. I have nothing more than a half-formed idea and no proof she stole from me.
Some part of me will always love her, and I hate that I do. We met at a gaming convention like this one when we were ten years old. She schooled every guy on the floor. Hell, she even beat me in one of my father’s games. It was embarrassing, and for me, it was love at first sight.
But I’m done being her doormat.
I can’t allow her to win again.
That’s why I corrupted her father’s system with a virus.
I glance at the 10X Games booth and watch Cece and the technical team scramble to stop the blinking spider web flashing across the screen. Everyone in the room can see my signature, yet only Cece and my dad will know it was me. Embedded inside the web is my screen name—Jamer. My dad called me that when I was a kid. It’s a combination of Jamie and gamer, a nickname that has stuck.
If Cece looks close enough, she’ll see it, though it’s hard right now with how rapidly the web blinks. Cece is no idiot. Her eyes find mine for a split second. She deserves this, and she knows it. For once, I can place a check in the win column. With Cece, it always feels like a loss… no matter how big the victory.
Chapter Two
Shannon
I’ll never fit in. At least it feels that way as I walk through the Delta Sigma Phi chapter house, pushing my way through the crowd. Even after three years of being a Kappa Delta sister, I feel out of place. Everyone on campus comes from money. I only pretend to have it all.
A girl from Zeta Beta, who I can’t remember her name, grabs my arm and yells over the music. “I love your dress. Where did you get it?”
I force a smile. “I can’t remember.”
Jordan Walcott, the vice president of my sorority, takes pity on me and loans her clothes to me for parties and sorority functions.
Shaking the girl off, I move through the crowd, sipping from the red plastic cup. I can’t even afford to shop from the clearance rack at Nordstrom. It isn’t easy attending Strickland University. The prestigious college in Center City, Philadelphia, oozes generations of wealth and success, where the rest of us have to kill ourselves to be part of their world.
I know most of the people in this house. Despite my lack of money, I have fooled the rich kids on Greek Row. But I’ll never be one of them. My friends split into groups, some already paired with a frat bro. Some of their families are so wealthy they own yachts and private jets. And here I am, standing in the middle of the living room turned into a dance floor, pounding the rest of my beer in a borrowed dress and heels.
“You look bored,” a guy whispers into my ear, his breath on my skin sending chills down my arms.
I spin around to face him and smile when I find Jamie O’Connor behind me. He’s one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met. Whenever I see him at a party, he puts me at ease. I never feel out of place around him. Jamie is so laid back that I could talk to him for hours. But he never makes a move. Maybe that’s the reason I like him. He’s unlike the other guys in this house, who all want something from me.
I smile, and his expression quickly mirrors mine. “Yeah, I guess I’m not that into it,” I admit.
“Wanna dance?” Jamie offers his hand to me, which I gladly accept, and then his other hand falls to my hip, pulling me into his chiseled chest.
Jamie is tall and muscular, towering over me, though that’s not too hard to do when you’re only five feet tall. Almost everyone is taller than me. Even my younger brother, still in middle school, has an inch or two on me.
I run my fingers over his thick biceps, loving the feel of our skin touching. Over the years, I’ve witnessed firsthand why girls flock to Jamie, but my mental connection to him has far outweighed my sexual desire. At least, it did until now because being this close to him is killing me.
As he moves his hand from my hip to my back, I suck in a deep breath and peek up at him. His eyes meet mine, and my throat closes as I look into his perfect blue irises. He’s gorgeous with shaggy brown hair, which sweeps over his forehead. Jamie gives me a dreamy look that stirs need and desire inside me.
Does he feel it, too?
I’ve never seen him with a girlfriend. From what I can tell, Jamie doesn’t date. Hockey and school are more important to him.
“Thanks for saving me,” I say.
Jamie smirks. “I like saving damsels in distress.”
“My very own superhero,” I joke, squeezing his biceps. “You found me at just the right moment. I was thinking about leaving.”
“Good thing my spidey sense kicked in before you did.”
From what he’s told me, Jamie loves comic books. He has an obsession with Spider-Man, something he’s mentioned quite a few times. I smile so wide my cheeks hurt. He stares down at me, his lips parted, and my pulse quickens.
