Her Perfect Game Read Online Free PDF Page B

don’t trust—me or you? I already gave my word.”
    He laughed and stretched his legs out in front of him. The light from the hall cast him in shadows. Between his dark hair and black T-shirt and jeans, he blended into the dark.
    She tucked her hands under her head as she lay on her side to watch him talk. “Tell me about the people you work with.”
    Jonah accommodated her again and spoke in quiet tones until she became sleepy and struggled to keep her eyes open. He stood, leaned over, and kissed her head.
    â€œHey, Best?”
    â€œYeah?”
    â€œI’d never regret you.”
    Another heavy sigh came from him, but she didn’t know how to interpret it. Then she heard the door close with a quiet thunk.

Chapter 4
    T he following morning, Charlie woke with a slight headache and case of cotton mouth. Her gloom from the night before had lifted, and after brushing her teeth, she felt human again. She’d had a good time with Jonah. The anxiety she’d expected to feel around him never surfaced. It was like the last three years were erased, and they were just Best and Castle again. Without the sex.
    That part bothered her. She hadn’t been drunk. Maybe a little more than buzzed, but she was in control of her faculties and she remembered telling him to come in. And he hadn’t shied away from kissing her. But then he’d kept his distance. It was probably for the best. He’d left her so she shouldn’t want him. Damn hormones.
    But he made everything easy. After the way he’d left, it shouldn’t be so easy.
    She made herself a barely decent cup of coffee in her room and stared at her costume. Last night, she’d had a fellow player, a teammate, rip it from her body. She questioned whether she wanted to don the real thing. No one on the con floor would tear her clothes off, but it would be a reminder, wouldn’t it? She shook her head. She was overthinking again.
    Tying her hair back in pigtails, she began her transformation into Laura Nim. Long hair would get in the way of shooting her arrows accurately. Then she took her time spreading the teal body paint on. Unlike many others, her outfit wasn’t skimpy. Because of this, she only had to paint her arms, the top of her chest, her neck, and face.
    Once the paint was set, she shimmied into the faux leather pants and eased on her vest. She added her pointy ears that would signify her elven nature. With her costume in place, she studied herself in the mirror. The only thing that would really finish it would be the amulet that Win had given her in game. It was the only treasure that she’d kept for herself. Mostly because it had been a gift from Win.
    But she wasn’t creative enough to make jewelry in the real world. She wasn’t even a costume person. Her clothes came right off the rack, so she wouldn’t be winning any contests today, but that wasn’t really the point, at least not for her. She dressed up so that for a little while, she could escape reality. Before having to cover up and enter a den of dudes for the hackfest later tonight, she could be a sexy archer elf. She’d run into a few Resskaar players, and they’d have some drinks and talk about their love for the game.
    That’s what this week was really about. Being with like-minded people. The hackfest competition and the hope of networking to find a job were bonuses.
    She grabbed her bow and quiver of arrows to complete her ensemble. Then she headed downstairs for a day of panels and discussions and fun. She was determined to have some fun this week. Regardless of how Sylvie had ended her life, she would’ve wanted Charlie to enjoy herself.
    In the main hall, vendors filled the space, calling out to attendees, hoping to make sales. She stared at the crowd. The first panel she wanted to see didn’t start for another half hour, so she had time to wander.
    From behind her, she heard, “Hey, gorgeous.”
    Win.