Page 61 of Counter Bet

They bicker back and forth as Princess takes the offered controller from April.

I scoot over and pat the seat next to me.

She takes a seat, glancing at me briefly before selecting her character on the screen. Her perfume is soft and floral, and her bare thigh presses against mine.

I push back.

“Are we doing this then?” she asks. Her long hair teases my arm when she leans over me to speak to Steph.

Ben hands her a shot. “A little something to warm you up first.” He winks.

I roll my eyes. Heislaying it on thick tonight.

Emily breathes a soft thank you and gets herself comfortable on the floor in front of our feet. Her eyes don’t stray far from Ben when he lies down next to her.

I don’t have to look to know that she’s discreetly eyeing the sliver of tanned skin and the dark happy trail on his stomach where his grey t-shirt has ridden up.

I smile. This is going to be fun.

Emily necks the shot, grimacing. “Shit, you guys don’t mess around with your alcohol, do you?”

Ben smirks. “Can’t handle it, princess? What do the footballers make you drink? Cocktails?” His baritone voice is smooth and laced with honey.

April laughs. She reaches up behind her and pulls Matt down for a kiss, moaning into his mouth.

Emily ignores them, staring at Ben with fire in her eyes. “Oh, I can handle it!”

My throat goes dry at the dark promise in her voice.

“If you’re going to fuck, do it someplace else!” Ben yells at Matt and April as he gets to his feet. He looks outraged.

April breaks away from Matt, grinning. “When has that ever stopped you? Or are you changing your tune because of tonight’s fine company?”

Ben stares her down before striding off to the kitchen in a huff.

Emily gets up, then walks over to the coffee table and pours herself another shot. She swigs it, then refills the shot glass. “What are we waiting for? Let’s play, Steph.”

Steph throws me a smug look and leans back against the couch. “Let’s do this.”

The game starts up, and it’s not long before we’re staring in disbelief. Emily knows how to play.

Josh groans, palming himself. “You make me hard, princess.” He gestures to Steph impatiently. “Give me that. You’ve hogged her long enough. It’s the boys’ turn to play.”

Ben smacks him on the back of the head as he walks past.

Steph shakes with laughter and hands Josh the remote.

The game starts up. Emily and Josh play in intense silence, both focused on the game.

Josh fares no better against Emily.

Steph puts her arm around my shoulder. “Hey, Em,” she calls out, winking at me.

I glare at her. I know that look in her eyes, and it’s never good.

“Hmm?” Emily jumps up, frantically pushing the buttons on the controller. “Ha!” she shouts, grinning at Josh.

“Shit!” he curses, throwing the controller down on the floor.

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