Page 128 of Don't Look Down

“Call of Duty?” he asks.

The question is so unexpected, a laugh escapes me. “What?”

His eyebrows bob. “Wanna play with me, baby?”

A curl of heat shoots through my veins, reminding me we haven’t had sex in almost two weeks. “Yes, I’d love to play with you.”

“Do you have the mobile app? We can play on there since I obviously don’t have my console.” He looks over his shoulder at his hotel room.

I don’t have the app, but that’s very quickly solved.

Once we’re both logged in and ready to go, we disconnect FaceTime and talk to each other through the game chat.

We decide to play a round of Deathmatch. We’re matched and the game begins. The routine and habit of strategizing to take out the enemy melts some of the tension in my body. The longer we play, the more my shoulders loosen, and the knot in my gut dissolves.

“Bro, these dudes are campers!” The shout from one of our fallen teammates is loud and echoes in the room.

“Where were you killed? We’ll take ’em out,” Landon says.

And that’s just what we do. Moving through the map together, killing enemy after enemy.

We play another round of Deathmatch, then switch to Search and Destroy, until Landon’s exhaustion becomes too obvious to ignore. We exit the game, and say our goodnights on FaceTime.

“Get some rest, babe,” I tell him when another yawn threatens to crack his jaw.

“You too.” That tone is back. It’s my favorite.

“I will.” I meet his eyes. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Anytime. Goodnight, Sky.”

“‘Night, Landon.” For the first time in days, there’s a lightness, I’m able to smile.

Landon knew just what I needed to draw me out of the darkness. At least for this moment.

50

Skylar

Ahand on my thigh shuts me up and draws my attention to the fact I’m jiggling my legs like an antsy toddler.

What the fuck? His hand is higher than appropriate.

“Excited, huh?” he asks with an odd huskiness in his tone, his eyes meeting mine.

“You bet. I can’t sit still. I feel like I could run laps right now.”

He laughs and leans back a little, releasing my leg. “You and me both. I’ll never get tired of this feeling. We’re alike in that way. It’s nice to have someone who understands.”

There’s a flash and I’m holding my phone out to Andrew. “Can you take some pictures of me real quick? Before we jump.”

“Now, make sure you get my good side.” I place my hand on my cheek and smile while fluttering my eyes at him. Instant regret.

“You know you don’t have a bad side.” He leans in close and snaps a selfie of us. Pause. That tone is back. “Now smile forthe camera,” he orders, snapping another picture. The flash is blinding.

When my vision returns, Andrew is still watching me. “All systems go, boss?” I ask.

“Yeah, Sky, all systems go.”Ew.

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