Page 6 of Don't Game Me
“In your room? How about we talk in the dining room? Or I’m sure there’s a private lobby or bar. It’s just… I shouldn’t be in your room.”
“This is important. Please?”
With a deep frown, he nodded. He handed the keys to the valet. “You can keep her out here. Somewhere safe. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
She checked in. Her heart pounded as they silently rode the elevator up. She stared at him in the mirrored walls. He avoided her gaze.Ask him to be your date.Hell if she knew how to broach the topic. She’d never had enough nerve to ask a guy out before. Most men in computer engineering or game design were too busy being jealous of her skills than being into her as a woman. She and her ex had never actually gone on a date before they considered themselves an item. They worked on a few projects, shared a few kisses, and boom, they were together. That was how college worked, unlike the real world.
The shadows beneath Jake’s eyes suggested strain, perhaps lack of sleep, and probably too much work. She worried his workaholic nature pushed him to overdo it again. Last New Year’s Eve, he’d conked out on her parents’ sofa way before the ball dropped. Uncharacteristic. Noah wouldn’t let anyone disturb him, explaining Jake had been working nonstop for weeks on the holiday promos for some of the new computer games their company was launching. She’d wondered why he was alone on New Year’s.
“So, how’s work?” she asked.
“Busy.” His shoulders lifted and dropped.
“You guys are always busy. Areyoudoing okay?”
He rubbed his forehead and then his eyes. “Sure. Lots going on. Lots on the line.”
She wanted to hug him, but his stiff stance made her hesitate. Instead, she touched his arm. “I worry about you overdoing it. Noah too. It’s okay to slow down once in a while. Take a break. Take care of yourself. NJ Legacy will go on without you if you take a vacation.”
His eyes sparkled with emotion she couldn’t interpret. “We can’t slow down. We have momentum right now. If we don’t run with it, everything might crash. We might lose opportunities.”
“If you lose yourself in the process, how’s that a win?” She dropped her hand from his arm.
“How’s school?”
After aso-soheadshake and grimace, she stared at the floor numbers as they increased.
“Problems? Is that what you wanted to talk about?” Relief washed over his face.
“No.”
Tension crept back into his expression.
“I took a job that turned out not to be what I expected.” That sounded reasonable.
“A work-study sort of thing? They do that in grad school?”
“It’s intense.”
“Why do it? You’ve only got another few months, right? Finish your master’s degree and then on to a real job. With your talent, you’ll land a job anywhere you want.”
She blushed at the compliment, quite something coming from him, CEO of one of the world’s top three gaming companies.If I were graduating. If I were actually still in grad school.
“Quit if you feel it’s too much. Do only what you want.”
“That’s your sage advice for me? Do what I want? It sounds like a sneakers ad slogan.” She bit back a giggle.
“Forget it. Go with your gut or whatever. Got a next step planned?”
“Working on it. Nothing certain yet.” She ducked her gaze away from his.
“Noah offered you a job with us last year. That offer still stands.”
“I appreciate it, but I’m not sure gaming is where I want to end up. I also want to make it on my own, not because my brother gave me a pity job.”
“I can respect that.”
Silence descended again, uncomfortable. She chanced a glance at the angles of his face and then his lips in the elevator mirrored walls, wondering who he’d been kissing recently. “You seeing anyone?”
