“I’m good. I wasn’t nearly as drunk as you thought I was.”
“I know, but I wasn’t taking any chances. When I take you to bed again, Charlie, you will be totally aware.”
The low rumble of his voice tingled her nerves, and she covered with a haughty laugh. “Maybe that was your only shot and you blew it.”
He leaned close and said, “We both know that’s not true.”
She took a sharp turn down the next hall and searched for the right room instead of responding to him. The simple statement should’ve angered her, but he was right. She’d wanted him last night. She’d want him again. This time, though, she would keep it simple. She’d spend time with him and enjoy the week escaping from her reality.
When she entered the conference room, a tall blue-painted man with bulging tattoos waved.
Leaving Jonah near the door, Charlie rushed ahead to say hi to Derek. He was a regular at this con. They’d met when she came the first time two years ago. He scooped her up and swung her in a big hug. “Hey, good to see you.”
Jonah watched as some dude who could easily be a bodyguard picked Charlie up like she was a toy. Her voice held real affection, unlike the overly friendly greeting he’d gotten from her in the lobby yesterday. The fake had worn off, though, and she was his Charlie again.
As she chatted with her friend, and Jonah chose to believe it was nothing more, he grabbed two seats for them near the back of the room. He sat and watched Charlie talk animatedly with the jolly blue giant.
When he’d caught her in the lobby, he hadn’t expected to see her. In truth, he figured she’d be sleeping off her hangover. The words of greeting slipped from his mouth before he could censor them. The look on her face told him that she’d thought he was Win. He should’ve spilled it right there, but he feared that she would leave. That she wouldn’t listen to why he’d been part of her life for more than a year without revealing himself.
It would all sound like bullshit. Even he knew that. Right now, all he wanted was to spend time with her, make sure she really was as okay as she said she was. And maybe see what they could be to each other now. He’d barely slept last night thinking about being with Charlie. She’d said she’d never regret him. He had no idea how much of that was the alcohol talking and how much she really meant, but it was an open door.
That was all he needed.
A guy at the front of the room tapped the microphone to begin. Jonah thought he’d lost Charlie to her friend, but as the moderator introduced the first speaker, Charlie slid into the chair next to him.
“Thanks for saving me a spot,” she whispered.
“Any time.”
They sat side by side as friends during the lecture. They laughed at the same jokes and listened to the criticisms of current games. Jonah listened to know what players wanted so he could improve their gaming experience. He didn’t know why Charlie wanted in on this panel. Was this where she wanted to take her career?
As they wrapped up questions from the floor, Charlie nudged him. “I’m going to head out to grab some food before the next session. See you later?”
Although he wanted to hear the remaining answers, he found himself asking, “Can I join you?”
“Sure.”
When they were back in the main hall, he reached for her hand to fight against the crowd. She didn’t shy away from his touch, so even when the throng of people passed, he continued to hold on, running his thumb along her knuckles.
“Are you flirting with me?”
He stopped and yanked her over near the wall. Doing so made her body collide with his. “Of course I’m flirting with you. I want to kiss you again.”
She tilted her head up. “What’s stopping you, Best?
He lowered himself a little. “Why do you call me that?”
Her eyebrows furrowed. “It’s your name?”
“My name is Jonah, but the only time you ever called me Jonah was in the bedroom.”
She snorted. “It’s a little presumptuous for you to think I should call you Best in the bedroom.”
As much as he wanted a real answer, he couldn’t stop the laugh. He loved her snarky humor, and although he’d heard it while playing Resskaar, nothing beat it in person.
When his laugh slowed, she leaned in and flicked her tongue on his earlobe. “I call you Best because you taught me a lot. Out here, with the games and the computers and the code, you are the best.” Her breath whispered across his skin, making his pulse quicken. “But in the bedroom, it was just you and me. Everything else stripped away.”
Damn, that was a good reason. Her pale blue eyes shone with honesty.
“How hungry are you?” His voice was strangled and it was her turn to laugh.
“Are you offering something better?”
“When’s the next session you want to see?”
“A little over an hour.”
“Let’s go to my room.”
Her smile broadened. “Mine’s closer.”
He yanked her again, plowing through the crowds and lines, shooting straight for the elevator. When the elevator doors closed, they were crammed in with about eight other people. Charlie pressed against his body.
He looked down to the V on her chest. “How far down does the paint go?”
She ground her hips against his. “You’ll have to explore if you want to know.”
Several pairs of eyes looked their way, as if other riders had hoped Jonah would peel away her clothes. Instead, he ran a finger across her waist where her vest met her pants. A simple strip of flesh, smooth against the pad of his finger. “I’m thinking not this far.”
She bumped her hips again, and the bell dinged for her floor. They quietly excused themselves to get through the people and out the door. Their walk to her room was slower than the walk to the elevator had been mostly because Charlie walked backward in front of him, kissing his neck and tripping both of them as they made their way down the hall.
Charlie slid her key card in the slot and they tumbled through the door. The curtains were drawn, and only a sliver of light eked through at the edges. Charlie pulled him deeper into the room. She backed away, and he heard the popping sound of snaps being unfastened.
“Wait,” he said and slid his hand along the wall searching for a light switch. With a quick flick, the bedside lamp glowed, and he saw that Charlie had her vest open.
The blue paint made a wobbly V down the center of her chest. She wasn’t wearing a bra and the sides of the vest clung to her breasts. He flipped the vest aside, and she let it slide down her arms and drop to the floor.
She looked down at her skin. A low chuckled sounded. “Maybe I should shower first.”
“No. I can’t wait, and all the good parts have no paint.” He lowered his mouth to her nipple and sucked. When the peak stiffened, he moved to the other breast and repeated the action. The sway of her hips demanded he move faster. He kissed his way down her torso and opened the pants. He slid them down her legs, pausing to take note of the fact she wasn’t wearing any underwear.
He planted a wet kiss at the top of her trimmed mound, which earned him a groan. Pushing her to sit on the bed, Jonah knelt on the floor and removed her boots and then her pants.
Charlie leaned back on her elbows and watched his every move. “You know, you could speed this up a little. I might still want to have lunch before the next panel.”
“It’s been a long time. I’m in no hurry.” His dick definitely disagreed with his mouth. She looked bizarre with her pointy ears, blue face and arms, and pale white skin everywhere else.
She hopped up on her knees on the bed and yanked his shirt over his head. He toed off his gym shoes and pushed her back onto the bed.
He lowered his face to hers and kissed her. “This paint tastes awful.”
She giggled. “I told you I’d take a shower.”
But then she raised her hips to meet his hand, and he forgot about kissing her and the taste of paint. She was wet and slick, and when his f
ingers rubbed over her clit, she moaned. Jonah picked up the pace of his hand, watching the quick rise and fall of her breasts. He lowered his head and sucked a nipple into his mouth.
Charlie threaded her fingers into his hair and held him as she rode his hand. He couldn’t wait anymore. He hadn’t been in a hurry, but now, seeing Charlie naked, wanting him, he couldn’t wait. He pulled away. Although Charlie didn’t say anything, she shot him a dirty look. He took off his jeans and grabbed the condom from his pocket.
He slid the condom on and then slid into her. Her breath hitched as he pushed deeper, but then she sighed against him. She was hot and slick, and he wanted to enjoy the sensation for a minute, but Charlie started to buck against him and he lost all rational thought. He began pumping into her, and he felt like a teenager not quite in control.
Hadn’t Charlie always made him feel that way?
His balls tightened before he registered the feeling and he stopped. He needed to slow down, let her catch up. He rested his forehead against her shoulder and began to do math equations in his head.
Charlie leaned up and whispered in a husky voice, “Deep and hard, Jonah. Just the way I like it.”
She squeezed around him, and no amount of calculus would save him. He drove into her mindlessly until he exploded. His muscles tensed and then he groaned with release. He lay against Charlie, panting. Moments passed. Sweat ran off his forehead, and he registered that Charlie was breathing heavily.
But she hadn’t come. Fuck, he felt like a shit. He thought he was going to make something right between them, and he got her into bed and just ended up satisfying himself. He was an ass.
He slowly lifted off her, determined to get her off.
As he pulled out of her, she began laughing. Not a satisfied fuck yeah, that was great laugh. Not a you touched me and I’m ticklish laugh. This was a you’re a ridiculous lover laugh.
Jonah braced an elbow next to Charlie’s head. “I know I said I wasn’t in a hurry, but you do things to me, Charlie. I’ll get you there. No need to laugh at me.”
He tried to play it off like it was no big deal, but what man wanted to be laughed at in bed?
She was laughing so hard, tears trickled down her cheeks, and she couldn’t catch her breath. She shook her head and grabbed his wrist.
Great. Now he wouldn’t even have the chance to redeem himself.
“Wait.” The single word appeared to cost her all of her oxygen, but she didn’t stop laughing.
Fuck this. He pushed up and away from her.
She took a slow, steadying breath. “Jonah.”
“I get it, Charlie.” He closed his eyes because he was embarrassed and pissed off. This was not how things were supposed to go.
“No, you don’t.” She rose on her knees again and brushed her fingers over his chest.
It took a minute, but he realized she wasn’t trying to turn him on. She was tracing something on him. He opened his eyes and looked down at her. She used his chest like a damn canvas and finger painted on him. The stupid body paint had rubbed off her and onto him.
“This was why I laughed. It had nothing to do with your performance.”
He wished he could believe that. He pulled off the condom and turned toward the bathroom. When the door clicked closed, he looked in the mirror. He did look pretty ridiculous. Blue-green smudges marked his nose, cheek, and chest. Then he noticed what Charlie had traced. She wrote “Thank you.”
And of course, she’d written it backward so that it appeared the right way in the mirror.
He laughed and grabbed a washcloth to clean up.
Chapter 5
As soon as the bathroom door clicked shut, Charlie got out of bed. She redressed and fixed her body paint. The whole situation would’ve been better had she taken a shower like she’d suggested. But no, the man who wasn’t in a hurry turned out to be in a bigger hurry than she’d been in.
Not that she’d hold it against Jonah. Not much anyway. Their encounter, as brief as it was, had been the best time she’d had in longer than she could remember.
Definitely better than anything she’d shared with her ex, Ethan. The only thing better was her relationship with an imaginary dwarf.
God, her life was sad.
The bathroom door opened and Jonah stepped out. Why his nakedness surprised her she couldn’t say, but she loved looking at him. She allowed her gaze a slow wander up his body, fit but not muscle-bound. When she reached his face, she didn’t like the expression.
“Why are you dressed?”
“Let’s face it. The moment passed. And I’m still hungry for lunch.”
“No fucking way. I deserve the chance to redeem myself.” He stepped closer and pulled her to his body. “You know I’m better than that.”
She laughed again. Hell, yeah, she knew how good he was, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of admitting it. She patted his bare chest. “Everyone’s entitled to an off day.”
“An off moment. I’m not done.”
She sobered. “Really, Jonah. It’s fine. More than fine.”
He studied her face and then pointed to his chest. “Why thank you? I know you didn’t get what I did out of that.”
She sighed. “Even without the earth-shattering orgasm that we both know you’re capable of delivering, you gave me an awesome time. I haven’t had that much fun in forever.” Remembering Sylvie and Kraven, she added, “I needed fun.”
“I can make it even better.” His hand stroked across her back.
“As tempting as that is, I spent more than I can afford to get to this con. I’m not spending the entire time in bed with you.” Although a few more hours would suit her just fine, she couldn’t afford to make any assumptions about what this was between them. “Get dressed and I’ll let you buy me lunch.”
He rolled his eyes, but turned to the bed where his clothes lay scattered. She didn’t move from her position but watched as he bent over. Exceptional view.
She loved the ease of everything with Jonah. No pretense, no pretending to be anything but what she was.
Which was a cold hard reminder that who she was hadn’t been enough for him and he had left. This time, she was prepared. She knew she had a few short days and she’d enjoy them. Having sex with Jonah was always enjoyable. She’d hack and play and learn. Maybe she could even tap him for some networking help to find a real job.
But then she’d have to admit to him that she’d dropped out of school, and she wasn’t ready to do that.
With his jeans tugged back on, Jonah turned to face her with his shirt in hand and just smiled. “You sure you don’t want to skip lunch?”
“If we skip lunch, we’re also going to skip the afternoon sessions. I want to get my money’s worth.” She grabbed her bow and arrows and slung them over her shoulder as he finished getting dressed. If this had happened at any other time or place, she would’ve taken him up on his offer. But this wouldn’t have happened at any other time or place. It was a fluke that they ran into each other here. Jonah hated cons.
They walked out the door together, Charlie feeling pretty damn relaxed and confident. In the hall, Jonah put his arm around her and said, “I don’t know what you’re smiling about. I’m the one who has the reason to be grinning.”
She bumped him with her hip. “I’m getting a free lunch. Plus, I know you well enough to know that you’ll make it up to me. You don’t like owing anyone, and you’ll feel like you owe me.”
“I plan to pay back with interest.”
A shiver of anticipation shot up Charlie’s back. Her week was definitely looking up.
They ate lunch together, and Charlie couldn’t believe the comfort level she’d felt with Jonah. Having lunch with an ex, especially right after having some mediocre sex, should be weird. He managed to make it not weird. As long as she pushed away thoughts about how and why he’d left, she had a good time, like being with an old friend, instead of the guy who had left her.
After finishing off her overprice
d cheeseburger and fries, Charlie stood and patted her stomach. “Thanks for the meal. That made up for skipping breakfast.”
“No problem. I probably owe you dinner too. Are you free later?”
She took the question for what it really was—a fishing expedition. She wasn’t sure how honest she wanted to be with him. Reveal that she had no plans with anyone else? How desperate would that make her sound?
“As you know, I have the hackfest later, but I could probably be available for an early dinner or a late drink.” A sudden thought struck her. “Don’t you think it might cause problems being with me?”
“How so?” He dropped cash on the table for a tip, a generous one at that, and signed the bill to his room.
“Fraternizing with a contestant might be misconstrued as cheating. Especially if I win.”
The smirk on his face said plenty. He didn’t think she had a shot at winning. “I told you before. A third party planned the challenges. I don’t know what they are until we’re all in the room together.”
She bit down the urge to smack him and call him on his lack of faith in her abilities. He wasn’t her boyfriend anymore. She had no reason to expect his support. “But everyone else doesn’t know that.”
“Let me worry about it. Where are you going next?”
She checked her schedule. “There’s a panel about harassment in fandom and then I’m on to a discussion about all things Joss Whedon. After that, I’m not quite sure. How about you?”
They made their way through the restaurant, non-con-goers still looking at Charlie like she was an alien. She would’ve thought they’d be used to the costumes by now.
“At the risk of sounding like I’m stalking you, I planned to attend the harassment panel. It’s a work thing. We’ve had some instances of harassment in the forums and occasionally in game. It bothers me that people who want to play are afraid to.”
She thought of Kraven and what happened last night. “What can you do about it if it’s happening in game? It is what it is. It’s the in-person shit that makes me crazy.”
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