Page 9 of The Player (Close Quarters 5)

Cheeks flaming, I roll my eyes and yank my door open, slamming it a little stronger than necessary right in his face.

I need to get my shit together. GameCon is this weekend and I am nowhere near ready for the live playtesting we have planned. I can’t get distracted—not by Eric’s sensitive ego and not by Rowan’s sexy but irritating smile. I’m a woman on a mission, and no man gets to stand in my way.

CHAPTER FOUR

Rowan

“ICAN’TBELIEVEI let you talk me into this.” On the list of situations I’d previously anticipated might occur in my life, walking around a crowded exhibition centre dressed as Gotham’s finest wasnotone of them.

“Ican’t believe you decided to go as Batman,” Dom quips. “That’s like the basic bitch of costumes.”

“Well, technically Harley Quinn is the basic bitch of all costumes. I guess Batman is the basicbro.” Glen chuckles to himself and reaches for Dom’s hand. “Although there are zero complaints here. I doubt you even need the extra muscle definition of that stomach plate.”

Dom shoots his boyfriend a look. “No perving on my brother.”

“Sorry not sorry.” Glen holds up his hands and I can’t help but laugh. These two guys are goofy and adorable and totally perfect for one another. They’re dressed in near-identical costumes as Sub-Zero and Scorpion fromMortal Kombat, which was our favourite video game when we were kids.

Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Glen looking up at my brother with nothing but pure, unadulterated love in his eyes. For a brief second, I get a twinge of jealousy in my gut that’s so faint I could easily cast it aside as a figment of my imagination. But I don’t. Iknowit’s there.

Iamjealous of my brother.

He’s found someone who makes him feel whole. Who makes him feel like he’s on top of the world every day of the week. When Dom came out, I was shocked. He’d hidden his sexuality so well that I hadn’t seen it coming. Obviously, I love him regardless of who he chooses to be with, and really I only care that they treat him right.

It was Glen who gave Dom the courage to be himself. To be out in the world unapologetically and authentically. I’ve never seen my brother so changed. So happy. In some ways, it highlights how far he’s come...and how little I have.

You don’t want anyone to change you. Things are fine as they are.

I brush aside the uncomfortable thought. I’m a good sport and I promised Dom I’d try to keep an open mind about the whole game convention thing. Therefore, I’m not going to get up in my own head and ruin the day’s activities.

“So,” Glen says, clapping his hands together. “The convention is divided up into three major sections—video games, board games and trading card games. Any idea which one you want to try first?”

The two men look at me and I blink like a deer in headlights. “Uh...board games?”

“Gee, you sound so confident,” Dom says with a laugh.

“Hey, I said I would come along and be a good sport. I didnotsay I would do any preparation whatsoever. I know nothing about any of this.” I shrug.

“Whatdoyou do in your spare time?” Glen asks, cocking his head.

“Spare time?” Dom snorts. “May I introduce you to my brother, Rowan, the workaholic.”

“Hey.” I narrow my eyes. “I have a life.”

“Tell me what you’ve done in the last week that wasn’t work-related?” Dom folds his arms across his bulky chest. He’s wearing these faux-metal wrist plates that make the gesture look even more serious.

“I...” My mind spins. Okay, so it’s been a busy week. Tuesday night I was at a club, wooing a potential buyer. Then I had dinner out on Wednesday and Thursday with industry folks. “Yesterday, remember? I went home early.”

“Oh, yeah, and what did you do?”

I totally spent the entire evening brainstorming ideas and researching potential artists for the show we’re supposed to be putting together for Mum’s anniversary.Shit.But I did have the footy on in the background.

“I watched the football, if you must know.”

“Who played?” Dom’s eyes narrow.

“Carlton and...” I’m totally screwed. “Collingwood?”

“You asking or telling?” Dom and Glen exchange a look.

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