Fireworks: A Holiday Bad Boy Romance (44 page)

"Your
suite?" I asked.

Owen unhooked
Anya's arm. "It’s kind of a tradition. Anya springs for a big suite and
all our gamer buddies stay there. Not the most sophisticated way to travel.
It’s more like a big sleepover, but it gives us time to practice."

"Don't
worry," Anya said, "I'll let my security guy know who you are. You
can visit anytime."

I stopped and
looked back at the crowded registration counter. There was a slim chance I
would get a room in the same hotel.

"Sorry, Anya.
This is Quinn's first tournament and I promised I would show her the
ropes," Owen said. "We'll check in and meet you."

"Nonsense.
There's room enough for strays in the suite too. If that's what you want,
Owen," Anya said.

Owen smiled and
picked up our suitcases.

The suite turned
out to be an exclusive two-bedroom villa. The main room featured a fireplace
flanked by two couches. The dining area had an eight-foot table and full bar.
There were two bathrooms and every luxury imaginable.

"I've got the
master suite. Artemis and Alan have one bed. Tony and Milan have the other.
Scottie called one couch, but I saw him reuniting with Alison in the lobby, so
you might be able to snag that. Oh, you know how it works, Owen. You're welcome
anywhere," Anya said. She smiled at him and strolled to the door of her
room. "Get dressed. We're going to dinner."

I had the distinct
feeling she was not talking to me, but after I met the small crowd of friendly
gamers, it did not matter anymore. Luckily, Darla had thought to pack a little
black dress because Anya was not kidding when she said dress up. She reappeared
in a shimmering sequin dress that caught the light like fireworks.

"You look
wonderful," Owen said.

I was surprised he
was talking to me. The black dress fit like a second skin and the neckline was
lower than I was comfortable with. I had layered a few beaded necklaces on in
order to make it feel more decent.

Owen, on the other
hand, looked stunning in his fitted black suit. He wore a black shirt
underneath with no tie and had left the top few buttons opened. I was about to
tell him how handsome he looked when Anya whisked him away. I was left to
follow with the rest of the rag tag gamers.

I stopped at the
elevator, sure that I would have to wait for the second one, but Owen reached
for my hand and pulled me in. I bumped against his chest in surprise. My eyes
were riveted to his chest revealed by the open buttons. He smelled like
sandalwood and leather.

I was just coming
around to feeling foolish when Owen slipped a hand around my waist and tucked
me close to his side. "I'm glad you're here," he said and dropped a
kiss on top of my head.

He had done the
same thing for years, a quick squeeze and a light kiss on my head, but now
there was heat. I felt more than warm all along where his arm encompassed me.
His hand flexed against my waist, testing the curving of my hip.

I knew I was not
imagining things because I caught an angry flash from Anya's dark eyes.

"Me,
too," I agreed and slipped my arm around his back. "How about this
time drinks are on me?"

Owen smiled,
thinking of the last time we had drank together. The elevator doors opened and
we went out together, despite Anya stepping between us. She had made
reservations at Mizumi, the Wynn Hotel's four star Japanese restaurant.

She was obviously
about to tell me I did not have a place at the table when Owen said. "Good
thing Scottie went off with Alison. We won't have to ask them to set an extra
place."

Anya smiled at
him, but her eyes blazed when they flicked over me. It was obvious Anya had
planned more than fun and games for the tournament and I was definitely in her
way. She moved deftly between the red and white chairs and somehow insinuated
herself between Owen and I. When he pulled out a chair and smiled at me, she
slipped into it and thanked him. His lips quirked in a quick frown and he moved
to the other side of the table.

"Who wants to
order some fugu?" Owen asked.

"No, no
thanks," I said. "I've read medical studies on eating blowfish."

"Damn. And
here I thought you'd be a sushi virgin," he squeezed my knee.

The sushi was
ocean-fresh and the saki warm. Owen was telling stories punctuated by his
friends, and I could not stop smiling. Finally, I excused myself to use the
restroom and smiled all the way there. Until I realized Anya had followed me.

She slipped in
while I was washing my hands and caught my eyes in the mirror. Anya smiled
sympathetically. "It is so nice of Owen to bring you here, get your mind
off everything. I know he feels like Sienna's death was his fault. You must be
the best way for him to assuage his guilt."

She led the way
back to the table, knowing full well she had poisoned my evening more assuredly
than a plate full of fugu.

CHAPTER
NINE

Quinn

I
had assumed the gamers were night owls, but when we were still playing and it
was 3am, I was barely staying conscious. Owen was going full force, but he
noticed and pulled me against him. I fell asleep on his shoulder as the party
continued around me.

When I woke up in
the morning, I was curled up on the couch under a blanket. Owen was stretched
out on the floor beneath me, his arms tucked behind his head as he slept. I
looked down and let myself have a long, leisurely study of him. Years of stolen
glances wer not enough.

Owen's blond hair
was thick and he had it cut short enough to be effortless. Whatever happened,
it was mussed perfectly. I was surprised by the sculpted contours of his arms.
In between playing, he must work out. Then again, Owen had always looked like a
quarterback, lean and hard. While he slept, his wide mouth was curled in a
small smile, but his square jaw made him look like a warrior. I half expected
him to fly awake and draw his sword.

I squeezed my eyes
shut. It was too easy to mix reality with
Dark
Flag
. Especially after spending hours in the game and falling asleep still
within its world. I had to remind myself this was the real world, albeit in
Vegas, and here, things were different.

There was one
similarity, though. In both worlds, I was still an outsider. Owen's friends had
spent hours showing me their best moves and giving me all the insider knowledge
I needed to navigate
Dark Flag
, but I
was still a newbie. Half of the night, Anya had targeted me and I died
countless times. She called it training but it was obvious she was trying to
get me away from Owen.

I slipped out of
my covers and climbed over the back of the couch so as not to disturb Owen. The
truth was I had come to Vegas to be close to Owen, but the more I saw of the
gaming world, the more I knew it was the place for me. In a way, Anya was right
– if I wanted to be there, I could not slip in on Owen's good will. I had to
earn my place.

I grabbed my bag
and changed from the wrinkled black dress into a pair of dark jeans and a black
tank top. I threw the layers of beaded necklaces on again because the low-cut
tank top was revealing, but it was also my only other piece of black clothing
besides my black sandals. Once I was dressed, I headed downstairs to the
registration desk.

The smile I got
from the young desk clerk was encouraging. "Good morning," he said.

"It is,"
I smiled. "Good morning to you too. Is there any way there is a room
available?"

He typed furiously
on his computer, but I had the feeling it was all for show. "Actually, it
looks like one just came available. We had a few cancellations last night.
Single?"

"Yes," I
said.

He grinned again
and took my driver's license and credit card to fill in the information.
"Is there anything else I can do for you? Anything at all, Ms.
Thomas?"

"You can call
me Quinn for starters," I said, thinking Sienna would be proud of my easy
flirting. "Actually, there is. Do you have the registration forms for the
Dark Flag
tournament?"

His jaw dropped
open in a wider smile. "You play? I play! I mean, I'm just a newbie, my
avatar has barely evolved, but I love it. There's actually a side event for
newbies this afternoon. You should totally sign up for it."

"Is it that
easy to see that I'm a newbie?"

"No, not at
all. It's just the pros have all signed up online. Speaking of the
professionals, I saw you with Light Slayer last night. Oh my God, I think they
must have used some of his DNA when they made the game. Either that or he has a
mind meld with it, am I right?" the desk clerk asked.

"Yeah, he is
pretty amazing." I collected the room key he gave me.

The desk clerk
turned his monitor towards me and handed me his keyboard. Within a minute I was
signed up for the event. He gave me a map of the Wynn and marked the location.
On the back, he wrote his name and phone number.

"Thanks,
Dave," I said.

"Are you
going to hear Light Slayer talk? He's on in the LaTour Ballroom in ten
minutes," Dave said. "Take notes for me, please. I need all the help
I can get."

I promised I would
text him any gems I heard and headed for the LaTour Ballroom. I had just enough
time to load up a plate with fruit salad and a bagel and grab a coffee when the
tournament organizers began to introduce the weekend's events.

"Welcome,
Flaggers! We are so glad to welcome you to the first in a series of
Dark Flag
tournaments. This weekend is
all about fun and games. We want to get to know you and to see you get to know
the game better. Some events are qualifying rounds, but mostly, this is just a
meet and greet. So we encourage you to mingle and have fun. That said, we know
many of you are hungry to know more about how to conquer the world of
Dark Flag
and we could think of no one
better to speak to that than Light Slayer himself!"

Owen had not
shaved, but he had changed into a dove gray suit and white shirt. I felt a
sizzle in my stomach as I saw the top buttons still undone and the hint of dark
chest hair in the opening. Even from across the ballroom, his presence was like
a fire.

I was not the only
one to feel that way. The crowd greeted him like a rock star and his wide smile
was crooked, a sure sign he was happy but uncomfortable with the attention. It
only made people love him more. He cleared his throat a few times as the crowd
quieted down and I wondered if he was nervous to speak. Then, his agate-blue
eyes caught mine. He started to talk and it felt like it was just the two of us
in the room.

After he finished
to thunderous applause, Owen made his way around the outskirts of the room and
found me. "Thank God you were here. I forgot to tell you I had to speak
and when I didn't see you this morning, I got nervous."

"Nervous
about what?" I asked. "You did great."

"It was
easier when I spotted you," he said. "Hey, something's different
about you." He grinned down at my name tag.

I smiled.
"Yeah, I decided to join the newbie tournament. You know, after I was
completely annihilated time and time again last night, I figured I can handle
losing."

"You won't
lose. I know you." Owen reached out his hand. "And speaking of that,
there are a bunch of people I want you to meet. Scottie, Alison, this is
Quinn."

"I totally
recognize you from your avatar. Bold move. I thought only the Light Slayer was
brave enough to show his own face," Scottie said.

"He's an
Orcan and Alison is a Nocturne," Owen explained.

Alison shook my
hand. "I've seen lots of newbies pick a human and not make it past the
first week. I'm impressed."

"No wonder
the Light Slayer lets you hang around," Scottie said. He wagged his
eyebrows at Owen and got a slap on the shoulder from Alison.

"They are
part of the Light Clan," Owen said. "We play as a team, but this
tournament is individual skill alone. I'm a little worried Alison might take me
apart in the spells duel."

Scottie beamed
with pride. "She's a killer."

"Isn't that hard?"
I asked. "Playing to defeat your own team members?"

"Not at
all," Owen said. "The clan would be weak if we all tried to help each
other. Winning individual events strengthens the avatars and that strengthens
the clan."

"Spoken like
a true clan leader," Anya said as she came closer. She slipped an arm
through Owen's. "That's also why Owen is here mostly to give pep talks and
sign autographs. And, apparently, help you cheer up too."

"Cheer
up?" Alison asked.

"Yes. Didn't
you know? Quinn is Sienna's baby sister. Owen's taking care of her for a
while," Anya said. "By the way, Owen, you and I have that panel
discussion."

Before Owen could
say anything else, he was led away.

Alison put a hand
on my arm and said. "I'm so sorry to hear about your sister. She wasn't
right for Owen, but that doesn't mean any us of wished her ill."

I shrugged off her
hand and sympathy. It felt exactly as if Anya had cast a Frostbite Spell over
me. The rest of the Light Clan gathered to discuss lunch and it was clear that
Anya had spoken to them all.

"Dear girl,
want to join Tony and I at the spa after lunch? Owen's got a full schedule and
we don't want you to feel lonely," Milan said. He brushed my hair back
over my shoulder.

"Lonely? No,
I'm fine. In fact, I have to go get ready for my tournament," I replied.

"You're going
to play? That's great. Owen tried forever to get your sister interested. I
mean, good luck," Artemis bit her lip at the mention of my sister.

"It’s
okay," I said, facing the group. "My sister and Owen were over before
the rest of it. You can stop treating me like the sad little sister. Owen
doesn't. He and I have known each other for years and our friendship had very
little to do with Sienna. I don't know what Anya told you, but I'm not here to
be taken care of or pitied and that's not why Owen invited me."

They all nodded,
but I could tell by their looks I had more to prove than my playing ability.

I left the
ballroom as fast as I could and was glad the desk clerk Dave had given me a
map. I found the conference room just in time for check-in. Dave had saved me a
seat.

"Quinn, over
here," he said. "Sorry, can I call you Quinn?"

"Do you
really think I'm going to make you call me Ms. Thomas?" I asked. I slipped
in to the chair next to him.

The conference
table was set up with two rows of six computers, one down each side of the
table. There were headphones, controllers, and keyboards for each of us. The
rules were posted on all four walls and
Dark
Flag
was paused until the overseer started the game. We each had the same
quest and points were awarded for speed, dexterity, creativity, and skill.

"What's your
avatar name?" Dave asked. "I'm Davon the Orcan. Though you can't
really tell yet 'cause, like I said, I'm still evolving."

"I'm
human," I said. "My avatar's called Arrowa because the first weapon I
earned was a quiver of poison tips."

"Seriously?"

I looked up from
my monitor and realized half the room had stopped to look at me. "Yeah,
wait, what's wrong?" I asked.

"What's
wrong? You're all over the chat rooms. No one's seen a player evolve as fast as
you. No wonder Light Slayer is trying to recruit you to his clan," Dave
said.

I sat back in my
chair and let the compliment spread through me like honey. Arrowa was fully
evolved before I even ran into Owen's avatar during the game. I had done that
on my own. It felt as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I was not
just here on Owen's good will. Anya was wrong, and I was going to prove it.

#

The
quest was to retrieve a spell from a Green Witch named Ayaan. She turned out to
be very fast and very combative. The strength of Dave's Orcan avatar helped
him, but only for so long. From the corner of my eye, I saw his screen go black
after fifteen minutes. One by one, other competitors leaned back in their
seats. They watched the progress of the tournament on a projected screen at the
far end of the conference room, but I did not dare look at it.

I could not defeat
the Green Witch in combat, though I was able to disarm her long enough to make
her listen. We struck a deal – I gave her one of my poison tipped arrows so she
could create an antidote and in exchange she gave me the quest spell. I was so
engrossed in the deal that I did not hear the applause.

"Congratulations,
Quinn. That was amazing," Dave said. He helped me out of my chair and
raised my hand up in victory.

I was so shocked
that I hugged him. Over Dave's narrow shoulder, I saw Owen in the doorway. His
jaw was tense but when he saw my eyes he smiled.

"This calls
for a celebration," Owen said to the room. "Ayaan the Green Witch
would like to invite you to happy hour." He gave out the number of the
villa and the twelve newbies erupted with excitement.

"Are you
going?" Dave asked.

"Yeah,"
I said. "I've got to pack too. By the way, thanks for getting me that
room."

"No
problem," he said, his head cocked to the side.

I lost Owen in the
rush of excited people. Dave stuck close though, and we made our way together
through the Wynn's opulent lobby to the elevators and up to the villa. It was
already crowded, complete with waiters serving drinks and two bartenders. I was
glad my suitcase had been stashed on Tony and Milan's bed in the second room.

"Whoa, you
were serious," Dave said, following me into the bedroom.