Spellbinding His Ranger: A Sci-Fi Gamer Friends-to-Lovers Romance (Looking For Group Book 1)

by Shannon Pemrick

  She glanced over at him, a playful smile on her lips. “Though, not the reason Narissa hoped I’d have sleep issues.”

  “The disappointment is going to all be on her. I’m here to hang out and spend time with you. Not for just a Netflix and chill.” Takashi held up his hands as he spoke, trying to keep himself from entertaining the idea of throwing her on that bed and seeing how little sleep either of them would get.

  Mercedes laughed. It was an old phrase, one that rarely was used anymore, but he knew she’d enjoy his choice to use it.

  A grin spread across those tempting lips of her when she calmed herself. “So that’s not your end game?”

  “Well, if you’re offering it to be, I wouldn’t exactly say no.”

  Her cheeks flushed a shade. For a moment, he worried his boldness had pushed that line too quickly, but when she laughed and went about pulling food out of the bag, he calmed his nerves.

  Takashi watched her, aware he still carried the other dinner bag. He liked watching her, even if she was doing something mundane such as this.

  He caught her favoring her real arm, and her face would twitch any time she used the cybernetic. “Is your mod still active? You’re favoring your left side, and physically reacting when you use your right.”

  Mercedes nodded. “Yep. After my much-needed nap, testing continued, and Narissa determined I wasn’t adapting as well to the neuro change as she’d hoped. She wants me to do a full day without turning the mod off, to see if that will help with adjusting.”

  Takashi approached, his brow furrowed. “That’s a bit soon to push, don’t you think? This is only the second day of testing.”

  She looked up at him. “It makes it hard to get normal things done, but I agree with her choice. It’s the only way we’ll know for sure whether turning the mod off hinders or helps the transition. And it’ll help us figure out whether these artificial nerves really are working right or not.”

  He frowned. “I don’t like the idea of you struggling through the night because of this.”

  “This is what I signed up for, Takashi. I’m willing to try whatever test I need to.”

  Takashi sighed and entered the kitchen, setting the last bag of food down on the counter. What else could he do? He didn’t have any power in all this, and even if he did, Mercedes’ stubbornness outmatched his. It was a trait he loved to hate.

  “So what movie did you pick out for us?” He figured it best to change the subject. It wouldn’t do either of them any good to focus on anything negative tonight.

  “Bros and Beasties.”

  His face contorted as he looked at her. “Bros and what?”

  Her brow rose. “You’ve never heard of it?” She laughed when his expression didn’t change. “Man, I’m glad I picked it, then. My mom and I used to watch it all the time when I was little. It’s an over the top, cheesy, b-rated fantasy comedy made way back in 2015 that takes all the typical fantasy tropes and ramps them up to an absurd amount, making a ridiculous number of satirical references to some old classic fantasies including Lord of the Rings and Dungeons and Dragons.” She laughed some more. “It’s super bad, but oh so entertaining.”

  Takashi started to pile some food on a plate. “I’ll have to see for myself. Do you want anything in particular, or just free-for-all this food?”

  The two had settled for Chinese. Mercedes said it’d be a good pick while they sat on the couch, and she was having a craving.

  Mercedes snatched up the box with the crab rangoons, a wide grin on her face. “This is all I need.”

  “Oh, no you don’t!” He dropped his plate on the counter and reached out for her as she tried to run off with the treat. She squealed when he wrapped both his arms around her waist and pulled her into him. “You have to share those.”

  “No, they’re mine!”

  Takashi laughed as he wrestled with her and she began laughing as well. She tried to struggle away from him, but try as she might, he proved stronger. Mercedes huffed and pouted when she realized she wasn’t going to win. Takashi inwardly groaned. She made it hard to resist. “You’re not going to win that way.”

  “Yes I can.”

  She’s right, but only if she’s the only one to play dirty. He grinned, getting her brow to twist, and then leaned closer. Her face reddened and before she could say anything, his lips met hers. The kiss didn’t last long, the aim to get her to cooperate and not to drink in her taste, as tempting as it was.

  When he pulled away, Mercedes’ eyes fluttered, her cheeks flushed darker than before. A good sign for him. It was a bold move from him, considering how she’d been acting these past two days, but he had to try.

  Takashi pulled the box of rangoons from her hands without any resistance from her, and opened the box as he turned away. “I win.”

  Mercedes shook herself and narrowed her eyes. “Not fair.”

  He gave her a sidelong glance, a grin on his face. “And pouting is?”

  She reached for the box. “Give it back!”

  Takashi tried to keep it out of her reach, but in the process, bumped her prosthetic. Mercedes gasped and her eyes dilated. He jumped back, panic flooding over him. “Did I hurt you?”

  She took a deep breath. “No, it was just startling.”

  Curiosity took hold and he approached, reaching out for her arm. “May I?”

  She swallowed and then nodded. Takashi lightly touched her arm, but she didn’t react. He remembered she said light touches wouldn’t trigger the sensors yet, so he put a little pressure on her arm. Mercedes gasped, but didn’t pull away this time. Her eyes remained wide and dilated, so Takashi knew she was trying to adjust.

  He then let go so she could stabilize her mind. “Is that what you do all day when testing?”

  She shook her head and took another deep breath. “We do more rigorous stuff. But now I’m wondering if we should tone it back.”

  Takashi tilted his head. “What do you mean?”

  His lovely mechanic pushed past him and grabbed the container of lo mein. “When you did that, it was startling, but far easier for me to comprehend. I thought going at this full force was the key to make it work, and Narissa thought so, too, due to her statistics, but I think we were wrong. Smaller steps would be better.”

  Takashi came up behind her, the sweet smell of her perfume teasing his senses. “Do you have any ideas as to how to go about doing that?”

  She put her food down and faced him, undeterred by their closeness. “Well, I’m hoping you could help me. Maybe fifteen minutes to an hour, not more. I want to give it a try before telling Narissa anything.”

  Takashi’s lips pressed into a thin line. “I don’t know. I don’t want to cause you an unnecessary stress, especially after the grueling day you had today.”

  She placed her real hand on his arm, looking up at him with big blue eyes. “Please.”

  He wanted to say no. He wanted to look at this logically and find a way to convince her to give this a rest and test the new theory tomorrow. But those eyes made him say, “Okay. Just a few minutes, though.”

  She smiled wide and went up on her toes, pecking him on the cheek and sending a rush of elation through him. “Thank you. We can set up on the balcony, and eat and work at the same time. The ocean is really pretty, especially with the sun setting soon.”

  Watch the sun set with her? Cheesy romantic kind of situation, but he wasn’t going to say no. Takashi nodded. “Deal.”

  The two piled food onto their plates, Takashi noting how she still favored her real side, and she led them outside. The warm ocean stained air slammed them the moment they opened the sliding door, sticking on the lungs.

  Mercedes sat down on one of the chairs and Takashi pulled up the other, right beside her. He watched her lick her lips, teasing him just a bit more, before taking a deep
breath and nodding to him.

  Takashi smiled. “Eat a bit first.”

  “It would be better to give this a shot for a few minutes and then for me to eat,” she advised. “I’d be more likely to throw up if I ate first.”

  Takashi didn’t want that, so he agreed to hold off eating as well so as not to be rude. He first reached out for her real hand, holding it with his. He wanted to get her used to his touch so she knew what to expect. It also allowed him to hold her hand without him pushing too many more boundaries that would go too far for the night. He was pressing his luck as it was. She smiled at him, appreciative of the gesture.

  When he determined she had enough time, and was satisfied with the length of time he’d gotten to hold her hand unchallenged, he reached for her cybernetic. “If it gets to be too much, tell me immediately. If you can’t put it into words, squeeze my hand.”

  She nodded to acknowledge, and took a deep breath to prepare herself. Takashi wrapped his hand around her artificial arm and applied a generous amount of pressure. He didn’t want to harm her, but knew he couldn’t keep the pressure light.

  Mercedes gasped, her eyes going wide and dilating. Her breath labored, even though he hadn’t increased the pressure, and it concerned him. Just when he thought she may pass out, she squeezed his hand and he reacted, pulling away as quickly as possible.

  She took several breaths and her eyes focused after a moment. “Okay, try again.”

  Takashi did as she asked, and she reacted in the same way as before. After a few moments, she asked him to ease up so she could take a break. This repeated five more times before the two took a break and ate dinner. He wasn’t sure how much this was helping her, and he didn’t particularly enjoy causing her discomfort, but Mercedes said it was helping, so he had to take her word for it.

  While the pair ate, they chatted, joked, and laughed. He told her of his day at the seminar, what he’d learned from other attendees on marketing and auction house strategies. Some were great, while others were so embarrassingly bad he couldn’t see how someone could think they were smart choices. As a businesswoman herself, Mercedes gave input of her own, some points he hadn’t thought of.

  After dinner and chatting, and letting her rest a bit to ensure she didn’t lose her stomach, the pair went back to testing. Mercedes had the same reactions as before, but as each test passed, Takashi noticed she was able to handle the touch longer. Maybe she was right about this.

  Thirty minutes passed before the two agreed to call it for the night. Their hanging out tonight wasn’t supposed to be just testing her arm.

  Mercedes went into the hotel room to message Narissa about their unofficial testing, and the conclusion they came to. Shock. Her body’s reaction to the changes was shock.

  Takashi went about cleaning up their meal. It didn’t take him long, and by the time he finished, Mercedes stood out on the balcony again, looking out at the ocean and setting sun. He came up behind her, slipping his arms around and pulling her into him. Her breath hitched, but she didn’t protest. He was pushing his luck again, but he couldn’t help it.

  He pressed his face into her hair, inhaling her intoxicating perfume. “Is this okay?”

  Mercedes leaned back into him, much to his delight. “Yeah.”

  The two of them stood like this, watching the sun set, though Takashi’s mind only centered on Mercedes. Her scent—her body pressed up against him—it all overwhelmed him, driving him crazy.

  He wanted to explore—hear all the wonderful sounds he could make her create. A throbbing need pulsed in his groin. But as much as he wanted it, he had to wait a little longer. He couldn’t screw this up. Even with her acting okay with his actions today, he needed to stay focused, make sure he was pushing the right boundaries and then talk to her. But he also knew he couldn’t wait too long. I’ll get through tonight and then come up with a plan for tomorrow.

  When the sun became a mere sliver on the horizon, and he was sure he’d struggled to keep himself in check anymore, he spoke quietly to her. “So, how about that movie?”

  She sighed. “I guess we could go watch it now.”

  “We don’t have to. We could stay here, or do something else.”

  She turned to face him, a twinkle in her eye. “No, you need to see the cheesiness of this movie.”

  Mercedes grabbed him by the hand and pulled him into the hotel room. He willingly followed, admittedly enjoying the view. She had him sit down on the couch while she set up the movie.

  She had to hook up an old laptop to the TV system, and did so with ease, impressing him. She must do it a lot to get it done without any sort of hassle. Though, as he thought about it, it made sense. Mercedes prided herself on her knowledge of old tech. It went right alongside of her pride in old car knowledge.

  She plopped down next to him when she finished her setup and started the movie.

  The credits rolled, and Takashi wasn’t sure what he had just watched. Mercedes told him it’d be stupid and over the top, but that really didn’t cut it in his mind. Mercedes, of course, laughed through most of the movie. He wasn’t sure if it was because she found the cheesiness funny, or his reaction to it all funny. Knowing her, both.

  Takashi looked down at her as she rested her head on his shoulder. Mercedes showed to be feeling the effects of her day halfway into the movie, but pushed through.

  “Mercy, I should get going so you can sleep.” He desperately wished to stay with her, but knew it would be best to head back to his hotel.

  “Do you have to go?” she mumbled.

  His mind buzzed, but he pushed it away. “Well, no. If you want me to stay, I’ll stay.”

  She remained quiet for a moment, and then sucked in a tight breath as she sat up. “No, I should let you go.”

  He couldn’t deny he was disappointed, but if she didn’t want him to stay, he wasn’t going to push it. Takashi helped her off the couch, her weariness now far more apparent, and offered to bring her to bed, but she insisted seeing his off, at least to the door.

  He now stood in the doorway, reluctant to leave her. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

  She smiled. “I hope so.”

  He understood. This testing took more out of her than she originally thought it would. He didn’t want her to push herself in order to fit both testing and spending time with him into her scheduling.

  Takashi looked out into the hall and turned back to face her, only for his lips to meet hers. The warmth of her lips flooded warmth through him.

  She pulled away and gave him a demure smile. “Goodnight, Takashi.”

  He couldn’t tell if she’d done it on purpose, or on accident and ran with it, but he didn’t care. He wanted another. Two in one night made him crave her all that much more. Knowing he’d be pushing his luck, he backed away, a grin on his lips. “Goodnight, Mercy.”

  Her eyes lingered on his for a moment longer, and then she shut the door. He continued to back away down the hall before spinning on his heels, a new energy to his steps. He hoped tomorrow would be just as promising.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Text flew across the phone screen as Mercedes finished up her conversation with her father while she sat in a chair in Narissa’s office. The discussion and testing she’d done with Takashi last night had been a complete game changer. Narissa wanted all the details of their unofficial testing, and details on her night as a whole—no surprise there—and determined they’d have to tackle their testing differently. Narissa wasn’t sure if this was going to be the way for everyone who went this route with the upgrade, but the more she tested with volunteers, the more data she’d have to be sure.

  This change did mean there’d be a possibility Mercedes would have to extend her stay in L.A. Her father understood and supported her, and she knew things would be okay there with them, even with the ongoing investigati
on. It was Takashi she had to factor in. Mercedes knew he was only down for a few weeks, and planned to go back to San Francisco to be with family during that time back. Even though she’d yet to make a decision where she stood, she did want to spend time with him. It’d be difficult to get that in if he went back to San Francisco and she stayed here. It wasn’t like she could ask him to stay. I need to sort things out and give him a real answer. But how was she supposed to figure it all out?

  The memory of him kissing her in the kitchen, and then her kissing him goodbye last night came to her. His taste—the feel of his evening stubble scraping her skin—his strong smell. Her body warmed and she tried to bury it. The first was him just messing with her. The second… had been an accident. She’d only intended to kiss him on the cheek, like he’d done to her after lunch the prior afternoon. But he turned back to face her, and…

  “Mercedes,” Narissa’s voice slipped into her head. “Your face is getting red.”

  Mercedes snapped out her trance and looked at her tech-savvy friend sitting at her desk going over notes. Mercedes hadn’t told Narissa much about her dinner date. Not even about him holding her on the balcony. She really didn’t want any teasing. All of this was hard for her to deal with as it was. She still struggled to wrap her head around some guy actually wanting her, cybernetics and all.

  A wide grin spread across Narissa’s lips. “What are you thinking about?”

  She tried to play everything off. “My dad made me think of something embarrassing that happened when I was a teen.”

  Narissa’s brow rose. “Uh huh, right. The last text you received was over five minutes ago. That’s one heck of a delayed response time.”

  Shit. Narissa’s intelligence far exceeded hers. She couldn’t think up well-crafted lies on the fly that would outfox that brain. Her friend pulled herself up from the chair and made her way over to Mercedes, her movements fluid as always. Sexy with brains and a personality—Ajax really knew how to pick a woman to follow around like a puppy.