Fireworks: A Holiday Bad Boy Romance (53 page)

"So maybe it
wasn't our best day," I said. "Some good came out of it." I
wanted to tell him about the rush I felt helping people at the accident scene.
I want to confess my idea of becoming an EMT. He could help me sign up for
tournaments that paid cash prizes and I would be able to fund the training and
certification myself.

Instead, I hugged
him and stayed quiet. Owen's mind was too bogged down in his own problems to
hear what I had to say. Sienna used to get like that, distant and absorbed in
her own world. I remembered the best way to pull her out was to compliment her.
Making her remember all her good traits turned her thoughts around.

"For one
thing, I had the brilliant idea for you to start a new publicity campaign.
Changing the stereotypes of gamers is just the sort of thing you would be the
perfect poster boy for," I said. "Handsome, fit, living above ground,
and not a single pimple to be seen."

"You'd be
better," Owen said. "Young, female, well-educated, well-adjusted, and
gorgeous. I know you want to break into the business side of it. Maybe that's
just the thing to get you noticed."

"I'm not sure
I need to be noticed by anyone besides you."

A slow smile
curved his lips. "So, you're not mad at me anymore?"

I traced a teasing
circle around his smiling mouth. "Oh, no, I am. But maybe you can think of
some way to make it up to me."

He kissed my
fingers and the sensation shot up my arm and tingled down my spine. Owen
noticed my shiver of delight and caught my hand. He licked his lips and
delivered a light yet sizzling kiss to the tip of each finger in turn.

Then, he opened
the palm of my hand and dropped a warm, lingering kiss in the middle. I felt
his tongue swirl a tight circle and the heat of it unfurled something deep in
my core.

"That's all
you've got?" I whispered.

Owen smiled as his
blue eyes met mine. I felt the magnetized pull of him, but tried to hold back.
The anticipation was like tiny fireworks all along my skin, and I wanted to
feel more.

He brushed my
sleeve back and straightened my bare arm. His warm lips traced a light,
skimming path up to the crease of my elbow. There, he let his breath and tongue
tickle me until I tried to wriggle free. I did not try so hard that he let go
though.

Instead, he reached
for the loose neckline of my shirt and pulled it aside. His lips seared the
sensitive skin at the side of my neck. I dropped my head to one side, brushing
back my hair and baring more for him to devour. Owen took his time tasting my
skin, lingering to breathe tingling breaths over the warmth his kisses left
behind.

My knees felt weak
and my whole body cried out to press against him, but I still held back. The
quiet seduction was mesmerizing and I wanted to reciprocate.

I traced a hand up
his other arm, following it from my waist to his shoulder. There, I flexed my
fingers against the taut muscles of his neck. His blue eyes softened at the
massage, and he paused in his slow administrations to let me knead away his
stress.

I was still mad at
him. Infuriated that no matter what, it was his opinion that mattered most to
me. Angry that even as I needed my space, I found myself running to him, pulled
so close our breath mingled in gasping anticipation.

I did not need
Owen Redd, I wanted him, and it occurred to me that was the harder habit to
break. As if testing my theory, I singed his lips with a kiss full of explosive
passion. He was the last thing I needed, but the one thing I wanted most. As my
body sang out on every chord, he picked me up and carried me to the couch.

We were past need
or want or the ability to hold back. We undressed each other in a fury to be
closer. His warm skin against mine caused a throb of pleasure that almost
pushed me over the edge. Desire took over and our bodies clasped together in
perfect accordance. Owen pressed into me, his lips catching my cries of
pleasure until I could no longer think, only give. He surged forward to claim
me, calling my name, and I let go with a blinding starburst of release.

PART 4

CHAPTER
EIGHTEEN

Owen

I
woke up in my bed and wondered why I was surprised. It felt new and more
comfortable than ever before. After the police had tossed the place again, I
would have thought it would feel alien. Fresh, clean sheets had not covered the
violation the first time. That morning, though, I felt more at home in my room
than I had in a very long time. It was strange, but I wanted to hold the
sensation as long as possible.

Then, I rolled
over and saw Quinn. Her long chestnut hair poured over her pillow. I lifted my
arm and felt the silken waves slip over my skin. Her petal-soft lips smiled in
sleep and she snuggled deeper into bed. Her serene expression, the comfortable
curl of her body, and the honey-hued expanse of her bare shoulder warmed me.

I was torn. The
morning sun crept towards Quinn's face. Part of me wanted to see her wake with
the warm kiss. Part of me wanted to pull the curtains and keep the quiet spell
intact. Instead, her chocolate brown eyes fluttered open and focused on me.

Quinn gave a
sleepy smile. "Good morning."

"It is. Maybe
that's why it feels so strange," I said.

Her long, sinuous
stretch tugged at me deep inside. I could not help but pull her in my arms and
hold her tight. Her chestnut hair fanned across my chest. Quinn chuckled
against my shoulder, and I wondered how loud my heart pounded in her ear.

"So you slept
alright?" I asked.

"No dreams,
no wake ups, it was so peaceful," Quinn said. She ran her hand up my side.
"How about you?"

"Like a
miracle. I even forgot about the whole police search thing for a while."

Quinn groaned.
"Oh, now you've brought it up. The least you could have done was wait
until we had coffee."

I let her crawl
out of bed and check her phone. Her lips did not form the nervous pucker they
normally did. Her calm expression seemed immune to her parents' messages.

I pulled on a pair
of jeans and headed to the kitchen to make coffee. Quinn dressed and joined me,
an easy smile playing around her lips.

"I'm glad to
see you're not letting your parents get to you," I told her.

"I don't
think they've noticed I'm gone yet," she said. "I've got running
clothes in the car. I'll change before I go home."

I shook my head.
"I don't want you to have to sneak around. That doesn't feel right."

"I won't.
Just this morning. I've got a new plan, but like my mother pointed out, it
needs to be fully formed before I present it."

"Is that why
you're so relaxed?" I asked. "And here I thought it was me. So,
what's the new plan? Want to bounce some ideas off me?"

Her smile was
radiant. I spilled coffee grounds on the counter. As I swept them to the floor
with my hand, she settled onto a stool at the kitchen island.

"I've found
something I'm good at, something I can do all on my own. I'm done letting my
parents hold my college classes over my head," Quinn said. "This is
something I can do just for myself and it will make me independent."

"No
clues?" I asked. "It’s no fair to make that kind of declaration and
leave it a mystery. At least tell me where the idea came from?"

"No,"
Quinn said. "You'll get jealous, and it’s just not a good look on
you."

I narrowed my
eyes. "Alright, I'm already jealous, so now you have to tell me."

Quinn tossed her
hair and laughed. "Maybe. Let me just enjoy this for a little bit."

I faked a scowl at
her and reached for my ringing phone. "Sorry, I have to grab this. It’s my
manager. Don't worry, I fully intend to interrogate you after this call."

"I'm glad
you're awake, Owen. We need to talk," my manager said.

"So, talk,
Tanner. What's up?" I turned on the coffee maker and walked over to the
windows.

"It’s all
over the chatrooms – there were cops at your place. People are saying you got
busted for drugs and this was not the first time," Tanner said. "What
do you need to tell me?"

"Someone is
after me, or messing with me. The cops showed up with a search warrant, but
they left empty-handed. I'm clean, so I don't know what is going on."

"You're
clean? You're telling the truth?" Tanner asked.

"Yes. You
know me. Now, what I need to know is who started the rumor," I said.

"I don't have
time for you to go all hacker all over the chatrooms," he objected.
"You've got to go in for a voluntary drug test. And I mean today. Like
now. We've got to do damage control."

"Really?"
I pinched the bridge of my nose.

"Yes, really.
Your sponsors don't want any drug use tied to them or their products. And you
risk losing your spot in the big
Dark
Flag
tournament," Tanner said. "The whole industry fights hard to
get distance from the pot-smoking player images."

"Me too. I'm
the one being harassed by the police for that very reason," I said.
"Listen, what if I start speaking out about it? Like interviews and blog
articles?"

"Not bad, not
bad. But it’s time to take a drug test and get a lawyer. No more cops at your
place. Find out where it’s coming from," Tanner said.

He hung up and I
went back to the kitchen. Quinn handed me a full mug of coffee.

"Is
everything alright?" she asked.

"Oh, sure,
yeah. I might lose my sponsors and my spot in the
Dark Flag
tournament. And I have to go and take a drug test
today."

Quinn put a hand
on my cheek. "What can I do?"

"Let me see
you in those little running shorts?" I asked.

She patted my
cheek and went to change.

After Quinn had
gone home, I checked the chatrooms. Tanner had banned me from posting anything
even in my own defense. It was hard to see all the speculation, lies, and
judgments. I had to leave my computer after only five minutes. It was hard to
catch my breath I was so angry.

"Whoa,
somebody lose an elf duel or something?" Jasper asked. He strolled through
the front door and tossed his keys on the coffee table.

"More like
fighting off trolls," I said.

"Comment
trolls or game trolls?"

"Chatroom,"
I said.

He nodded
sympathetically. "They're the worst. What are they saying? You know you
can't take any of that to heart, right?"

"How about a
second police search? Can I take that to heart?" I asked. "Can I be
angry that my entire home was picked apart again? Or how about that someone is
casually ruining my career? Can I be upset about that?"

"Seriously,
man. You need to calm down. Yeah, you can be upset, but don't lose it
completely," Jasper said. He stalked off towards his room.

I cut him off
before the hallway. "How about we have a little chat, roommate? Because as
far as I can see, this is not just a me problem. The cops are searching your
apartment too, or have you forgotten that you live here?"

"I'm clean,
man, it’s got nothing to do with me," Jasper said.

I stepped forward
and sent Jasper back towards the kitchen. "So we're both clean, but the
cops keep thinking they are going to find drugs here. Something's off and I
would think you'd be more interested in straightening it out."

"I guess, but
what am I supposed to do?" Jasper asked. "Do you know who's making
the complaints?"

"Do
you?" I asked.

Jasper headed
around the kitchen island to get some distance between us. "I don't like
your line of questioning. I mean, I get it. You've got cops on the brain, but
why do I feel like I'm the one getting interrogated?"

"Because from
where I'm standing, drug-free and innocent, there's really only one direction
to look."

"I could say
the same thing back to you, man." Jasper threw his hands up in the air.
"I'm clean, so I'm looking right back at you."

"So, if we're
both innocent, then why don't you care at all if the cops have been here or
not?" I asked.

"I don't
know, man. If they are not finding anything, then what's the big deal?"
Jasper asked. "Besides, I've got other stuff on my mind. Remember?"

"Your dream
job?" I asked. "What's the name of the company again?"

"You wouldn't
know it. It’s a big time competitor, but a small firm. Anyway, I've got my
contract and everything is good to go. I know I'm leaving you before my lease
is up, but I'll pay the fee or whatever it was in the rental agreement. We
cool?"

"Why are you
so anxious to move on now?" I asked.

Jasper opened the
cupboards, frowning as he realized how the cops had rearranged. He finally
found a cereal bowl and spoon but could not find the cereal.

"Under the
sink." I said. "So, why the big move right now, right away?"

"Now's the
time. I've got the job and I've got to go for it. I'm sorry if you feel like
I'm leaving you in the lurch, but, man, you've got to sort out your own
life."

"And what's
wrong with my life?" I asked.

"You just
seem stuck. Like I get the trajectory from Beta Tester to sponsored player, but
most people keep moving up to game creator or producer, you know? Instead,
you're just sitting around playing video games like you've always done. Don't
you want to keep moving?"

"Keep
moving?" I asked. "That reminds me. You've moved around a lot,
haven't you? Why are you having trouble staying in one place?"

Jasper took a huge
bite of cereal and chewed slowly. "Military childhood, moved all the time.
Just feels natural to me. I'm just worried that you don't have any ambition.
That girlfriend of yours used to push you all the time. She went AWOL because
you lacked ambition. That doesn't bother you?"

"I don't
think jumping from one thing to another counts as ambition. And Sienna was only
interested in appearances and money. I want something more than that," I
said.

"Look, all
I'm saying, man, is that the whole sitting around playing video games is not
helping your cause. No wonder the cops think you're dealing drugs," Jasper
said.

I crossed my arms
over my chest. "The funny thing is that the cops haven't accused me of
anything. They are searching the apartment. Where we both live. So it makes me
think that I'm not the only one the cops are looking at."

"You think
the cops believe I'm dealing drugs?" Jasper asked. He snorted into his
cereal bowl and took another huge bite. "Look at me. I'm a businessman, an
entrepreneur. I'm so busy landing new clients and new work that I don't have
time to take drugs, much less sell them."

"Yeah, you
know, you always told me you'd show me some of your work. How about now?"
I asked. "I'd love to see the work that landed you your dream job. Maybe
it'll inspire me, give me some ambition."

Jasper shook his
head and checked his watch. "I'd love to, but I've got to go. I really
just came home to grab something to eat and change. Sorry about the whole
search thing. That sucks. How about I bring home some beers and we come up with
a defense plan later. Alright?"

My roommate
slapped me on the shoulder and was out the door again in fifteen minutes. He
came and went so fast, it was no surprise he left a vacuum of suspicion behind.

#

Ten
minutes later, I heard a knock on the door. I gritted my teeth, prepared for a
fight if it was the police again. Instead, it was a young man with a business
card.

"Tanner
Olson, your manager, sent me. I'm a local blogger covering the
Dark Flag
tournaments," he said.

"Okay,"
I said. I did not open the door any wider or invite him in.

"Check your
messages. Your manager asked me to interview you. He said we should talk about
the upcoming tournaments but also your career and your fight against gamer
stereotypes."

I left the door
cracked open and grabbed my phone. The young man waited politely in the hallway
while I checked my messages.

"Sorry. I've
just been under fire this morning in all the chatrooms. I didn't want to let
some troll in. No offense," I said.

"None taken.
I'm a blogger, trust me, I know all about trolls," the young man said.

I tried to relax.
Tanner had obviously liked Quinn's idea about positive publicity. If I came out
strong against the stereotypes of the drug-using gamer, then maybe I could
defend myself against whatever came next. I grabbed my laptop and brought up
the young man's blog. It was a well-recognized blog, and he had also authored
many articles in the same magazines that featured me.