Mia smiled. ‘Funny.’ Then her face sobered, and as she placed a hand on his cheek, his heart bounced against his ribs. ‘You’re a really good guy, Luke Doyle.’
He wanted to wallow in her kind words, to lap them up like flowers drink in the sun. Yet it wasn’t true, was it? He wasn’t all good. He only had to ask any of the long list of women in his phone. Good would be the last word they’d use to describe him. Funny, hot, sexy, maybe. But some would probably say he was hard, unfeeling and selfish, too. Shame rolled through him. He’d thought what he was doing was harmless fun, that he wasn’t hurting anyone, yet now he saw it all through Mia’s eyes and wondered if that had ever really been the case.
Her hand was still on his face though, her expression soft, as if she really liked what she saw. Not just on the outside, but on the inside. Probably that would change the more she got to know him, but for now he was selfish enough to grab what she offered with both hands. ‘Thank you.’ He paused while he got his emotions back in check. ‘It’s only fair to warn you that while the jury is still out on whether I’m a good guy, what is undisputed is that I’m a flaming awesome gamer.’
Mia fell back against the sofa, laughing so hard it upset Pickles, who twitched her nose and scampered off.
Good, he thought as he slid closer to Mia, so close he could feel the press of her thigh against his. He didn’t want a bucktoothed chaperone.
They argued for a few minutes over which game to play, in the end settling for Rocket League as, in Mia’s words, it had less guts and gore than Call of Duty.
‘I’m not sure if I should admit this,’ he said as they waited for the game to load. ‘But knowing you play CoD actually turns me on.’
Her eyes grew like saucers and then she started to cough, more of a splutter really, like the shock had caused her to inhale her own saliva.
‘I’m thinking, by your reaction, I shouldn’t have admitted it?’
She swallowed a few times. ‘God, I don’t know what to do with that information.’ Then she pointed to the screen. ‘Luckily I don’t need to do anything right now, because I’m about to kick your arse.’
He didn’t have a chance to reply, because the game started and soon he needed all his focus to stop her from annihilating him.
God, the speed of her thumbs over that controller. It was flaming awesome. As she cursed, yelled and generally behaved like every guy gamer he’d ever played with, Luke took a moment just to appreciate her. It was like having a best mate over, but one he also wanted to make out with. Something he could say, with absolute certainty, he’d never wanted to do with Jim, Tony or Gary.
‘You’re going down, you sucker!’
At Mia’s gleeful exclamation, Luke snapped his attention back to the screen, but it was too late. The game was over. ‘Damn it, I never lose.’
‘Because you only play in the minor leagues.’
He took in her flushed face, the gleam in her eye, the gloating expression. And felt his heart cartwheel. Shit, hearts didn’t do that because you liked someone. They did it when you were falling for them.
He pushed aside the thought, desperate to find firmer footing. ‘No way am I minor league. I’m a pro. You just distracted me with all your shouting and swearing.’ She started to shake her head dismissively so he added, ‘And with your warm thigh pressed against mine.’
That shut her up. Immediately she glanced down, and though he knew he was right – hell, he’d been hyper aware of her all through the game – it was disappointing to see she hadn’t realised, until now.
Then again, she also hadn’t moved away. Instead her lips parted, and her breathing became faster.
‘Name your prize,’ he said huskily, staring into blue eyes that looked as turbulent as he felt.
She licked her lips. Consciously or unconsciously? ‘What are the choices?’
‘I can kiss you for a minute. Kiss you for two minutes. Or kiss you until you tell me to stop.’
The breath from her laugh fluttered across his face. ‘That’s quite a narrow choice.’
‘What can I say? Loser gets to pick the prize for the winner. House rules.’
A shadow crossed her face. ‘Do you always give away kisses?’
He swore under his breath. ‘It was a joke. I don’t invite women here, Mia. I don’t game with them either. Only friends.’ He reached to touch her lips. ‘And you are most definitely the only friend I’ve ever wanted to kiss.’
A hint of a smile returned to her face. ‘Tony and Gary don’t do it for you, huh?’
His lips returned the smile, but his eyes, his focus, remained on her. He couldn’t explain why the moment felt so significant, why his heart was racing, his stomach a mess of twisted knots. All because of the woman sitting next to him, her mouth only inches from his. ‘You’re the only one I want, Mia.’ Because he knew she wasn’t ready yet, didn’t trust him enough, he lightened the mood. ‘So, which prize is it to be? A, B or C?’
‘C.’ Her voice came out in a whisper.
Luke felt his lips tingle, his groin harden. ‘Excellent choice.’
Chapter Twenty-Two
Mia stared into Luke’s eyes and felt her whole body shudder. God, she was drowning in him. Unable to move away, unable to even untangle her gaze from the intense green of his.
Why had she chosen be kissed until she told him to stop? It might sound the most sensible, giving her the control, but if it was anything like the last kiss she couldn’t see herself ever asking him to stop.
‘Are you ready?’
Good God, he was sexy. The most gorgeous, most attractive man she’d ever met, never mind kissed. All those average guys she’d dated, the likes of Pete and Danny… Elle was right, she’d settled.
Yet was Luke, a ridiculously hot, decidedly un-average charmer, any better for her?
‘Mia?’ A small crease appeared between his dark brows.
‘Sorry.’ Stuff the doubts, she was only going to kiss him. ‘I’m ready.’
His mouth grazed hers, the mere hint of a touch, and her body trembled. ‘I never thought Smurfs would be this sexy.’
She huffed out a laugh, feeling a slow sizzle in her stomach. She’d forgotten to add insanely funny to his list of attributes. ‘I never thought I’d have to wait so long for my prize.’
It was all the push he needed. Immediately his lips found hers, and this time there was no slow build-up. This time his tongue plundered, his mouth almost feverish against hers. It was like he was trying to inhale her, to drink her in, and the evidence of his hunger, his need, gave her a sharp thrill. Before long he was leaning them both back along the sofa, his powerful body stretched out over hers, the long, hard length of him evident as it pressed against her thigh, creating bursts of heat across her skin.
Still his mouth tortured and teased, but now his hand had moved to her breast, cupping it lightly over her dress. ‘Is this okay?’
‘Yes,’ she croaked. It felt more than okay. It felt like he was searing her skin, even through the material. Her nipples were hard peaks, her core a molten heat. But if they went further, surely the route back to friends would be blocked and God, she did not want to lose this man from her life.