Hot & Nerdy

by Shannyn Schroeder

  Felicity panted, seeking a lungful of air but not finding it. Lucas’s scruffy jaw rubbed hers.

  “Fast enough?” he asked. His deep voice tugged at her and reignited a flutter of desire.

  She chuckled and said, “We’ll have to call you speedy from now on.”

  He pinched her ass and then pulled out. “I don’t think so. I was just following orders.”

  Felicity loved that they were playful together. She’d never had that with a guy. Lucas taught her how to have fun. She also knew he didn’t like to follow orders; he preferred to be in charge.

  As she straightened her clothes, she thought of all the ways he liked to be in charge, and she was getting turned on again. She fixed her hair, and Lucas came up behind her and kissed her neck.

  “I know that look. You’re thinking dirty thoughts.”

  She inhaled slowly. “If you talk real nice to me, I might share some of those thoughts with you later.”

  “How about a hint?”

  With a smile on her face, she turned to him. “They involve . . . you . . . and me . . .” She kissed his neck. “A pair of handcuffs . . . maybe a blindfold . . .” She allowed her breath to flutter into his ear as she spoke.

  He swallowed hard enough for her to hear, and her smile broadened.

  “You better stop there and let my imagination do the rest or you won’t be seeing your friends at all this week.”

  She stepped away from his embrace and watched as he adjusted his dick in his shorts. Yeah, it was too bad her friends were already on their way.

  Although Lucas had met Charlie once back in Chicago, this was his first time meeting Layla. He had no idea that they were both bringing dates. From the look Felicity had on her face, they’d surprised her as well.

  They’d opted to stay at the hotel and eat at one of the restaurants and then hit the casino. He had no idea how long Layla and Phin and Charlie and Jonah had been together, but looking around the table, he saw new love.

  After they’d placed their orders, Felicity asked Layla, “So how did the pool tournament go?”

  Layla’s cheeks grew pink as she shrugged.

  “What does that mean?”

  Phin pulled Layla close and kissed the top of her head.

  “I did really well through the first few rounds.”

  “And then what happened?”

  Judging by the look on her face, Lucas knew Phin had happened.

  Another nervous shrug from Layla. “We opted not to finish. We didn’t want to compete against each other.”

  “Well, shit. I can top that news.”

  All eyes turned to Charlie.

  “I have a job.”

  Felicity squealed.

  The sound was so foreign, Lucas’s gaze left Charlie and turned to Felicity. She actually squealed. In the months they had known each other, she had made plenty of noises, but none even came close to the high-pitched sound coming from her now.

  “That is so fabulous.” Felicity jumped from her seat and ran around the table to give Charlie a hug.

  The whole interaction made Lucas smile. So often Felicity liked to point out that she didn’t know how to act with people, that she didn’t know how to read what they needed, but with Charlie and Layla, he saw a new side to her. A side that proved what he’d been saying all along: She was damn near the perfect woman.

  Felicity came back to her seat and as her hand settled on Lucas’s thigh, she said to Charlie, “Tell us all the details.”

  “I don’t have all the details. Maybe you should ask my boss.” Charlie tilted her head toward Jonah.

  “I like the sound of that. I think you should call me boss all the time.”

  Charlie smacked Jonah’s shoulder; then she leaned forward, elbows on the table. “His boss actually offered me the job.”

  “After I told him to,” Jonah interjected.

  “Anyway, I’ll be working on Best’s team on video games. I’ll be doing security for the games, making sure people can’t hack in, patching holes, stuff like that.”

  Felicity’s eyes widened. “Wait a minute. Where is this job?”

  “California.”

  Felicity’s face fell. “So you’re going to California and Layla’s moving to Maryland.”

  Felicity’s hand gripped Lucas’s. She already knew about Layla’s job, had for months, so he had no idea why this suddenly seemed like a shock.

  “Yeah, pretty exciting, right?”

  “Yeah.” Felicity’s smile was forced and Lucas rubbed his thumb on the back of her hand even though she was nearly cutting off his circulation.

  She was afraid of losing her friends. He could sympathize because he understood how important these two women were to her, but she would be fine. She had to know that.

  Charlie and Jonah began talking about the video game and her move to California as the waitress arrived with their food. Everyone dug in and little conversation continued over the meal. Felicity continued to sit stiffly beside Lucas.

  When the meal was finished, they walked as a group into the casino and looked at the variety of games.

  “So, where to?” Charlie asked.

  “Anything except blackjack,” Felicity answered. She shot a look at Layla.

  “It was only once.”

  Lucas lowered his head to Felicity’s ear. “What was once?”

  “She taught herself to count cards as a freshman. She’ll get us all thrown out of here.”

  “I would not. I’m even better now.”

  “I can attest to that,” Phin said. The guy didn’t talk much, but it seemed like there was a story behind that statement.

  “I want to play the slots,” Felicity said.

  The casino was crowded with a strange mix of people from young to old. Most of the slots nearby were occupied by middle-aged or older ladies. “How about roulette or craps instead?” Lucas suggested. “There’s no skill involved in pressing buttons.”

  Felicity’s eyebrows shot up. “There’s no skill in plopping chips on a guess for a number or rolling dice.”

  “Poker?”

  All three women chimed in, “Yes.”

  Somehow, Lucas didn’t think that response would bode well for him or his male counterparts.

  After two hours of playing poker, the guys were ready to call it quits, and Felicity couldn’t stop laughing. After the first couple of games of seven-card stud, Layla fessed up on behalf of the three of them and admitted that they’d learned to play the game in high school and had, in fact, spent every lunch period their senior year taking money from all their friends.

  It felt good to be with Layla and Charlie again. In some ways, it was even better because now she had Lucas too. She smiled at him as she peeked at her cards. He was in deep concentration, determined to beat her in at least one hand. She almost didn’t have the heart to tell him that he couldn’t. She had a straight flush. Layla and Charlie knew it. They read her body and folded. Their guys followed.

  Smart men.

  Lucas, on the other hand, was competitive. He wanted to win. He placed his last bet and smirked at her. It wasn’t until that moment that she had an inkling that maybe she wouldn’t win. There was something in Lucas’s eyes that sent a tingle up her spine—and not the good kind of tingle.

  Her heart sank as Lucas flipped his cards. He had a royal flush. She couldn’t even speak. What was the likelihood?

  Instead of scooping the chips toward him and gloating, he leaned toward her and held her chin in his hand. “You can close your mouth now.” He gave her a peck on the cheek and began to gather his chips.

  “How?”

  He lifted a shoulder. “I guess I got lucky.”

  She scanned her memory of all the cards played. How had she not seen that as a possibility?

  Then she looked back at Lucas and knew that she’d missed it because he was such a distraction. The best kind of distraction.

  “Congratulations.”

  He made stacks of the chips. “That one hand didn�
��t make up for all the money you took earlier, though. I think I want a rematch.”

  She stood. “Any time. We’ll get some cards and play in the room later. Maybe I’ll even let you win.”

  As a group, they cashed out their chips and went for a walk. They exited the casino and the sun blinded Felicity, especially after leaving the cool dim interior. Lucas shifted so he was beside her and blocked much of the sun. He was always doing things like that, little things to make her life better. She totally lucked out in meeting him.

  She grabbed his hand as they began to walk. Layla and Phin led them down the street. Layla must’ve had a destination in mind and the rest of them followed. Charlie and Jonah were directly in front of Lucas and Felicity, and they jostled and poked each other as they walked.

  “You okay?” Lucas asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “You seemed really upset at lunch when you found out about Charlie’s job.”

  She tried to minimize her cringe. “Did it show?”

  “I don’t think they noticed. What’s the problem?”

  “I’m excited for her. I really am. And I’ve known that all of us finding jobs might mean that we wouldn’t be together anymore, but I guess deep down I didn’t really think about what that meant. Part of me just thought that after college, we’d go back to the way things were when we were in high school. We’d see each other all the time, hang out.” She lifted her shoulder in a lame shrug. Sadness pressed on her.

  “But you’ve been away from each other for the past four years and you’ve managed to stay close. That says a lot. Most people don’t do that. You guys will be fine.”

  “I guess.” Lucas’s words sank in. He was right. They might not have seen each other much during the school year, but they spoke or texted all the time. Plus, both Layla and Charlie had family in Chicago, so surely they’d visit.

  Layla stopped walking and turned around. “The Stratosphere. It’ll be fun, right? We can go up in the tower and see the whole city.”

  Leave it to Layla to have a plan scheduled out. When did she even find the time to know where to go? Felicity smiled and followed her friends in.

  Up on the observation deck, the sight took Felicity’s breath away. It was amazing. She stood near the rail, with Lucas at her back, his arms circling her as they looked out on the city. She couldn’t imagine anything topping this feeling. Lucas lowered his lips to her ear and whispered, “I love you.”

  She held on to his arms at her waist and turned her face to his. “I love you too.”

  Everything felt so right. Being surrounded by her friends, high above the city, in the arms of the man she loved, Felicity was happy. Truly and completely happy.

  She turned in Lucas’s arms, went up on tiptoe and kissed him. Their tongues tangled and his arms banded around her. She loved the feel and the taste of him, as well as how he made her feel safe and secure. She pulled away and stared into his eyes. “Let’s get married.”

  His pupils dilated. “What?”

  She had no idea where the thought or the words had come from, but she felt right saying them. “We love each other. We’re in Vegas. We talked about how neither of us is looking for a huge wedding.”

  “What about our parents?”

  “We’ll call them and tell them to be here for the weekend.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Her heart stuttered. Was this a bad idea? Were they not ready? She felt ready. She could easily commit to this man. She’d never felt more comfortable with anyone. But maybe he wasn’t ready. She released a breath and hoped it would ease the tightness in her chest. “I’m absolutely sure, but if you’re not, no pressure.”

  “Of course I’m sure. I love you.” He scooped her up and swung her around. When he stopped, he lowered her, but kept her close and said, “I love you more than anything, Felicity. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.”

  “What’s all the excitement over here?” Charlie asked.

  Felicity spun to see her friend. “We’re getting married.”

  “Oh, my God,” Layla yelled from the rail where she’d been snuggled up to Phin. She came to Felicity and wrapped her arms around her.

  Charlie joined the hug and the three of them blinked back tears.

  “When?” Layla asked when they separated.

  “I just asked him and we’re going to call our parents and ask them to fly down this weekend.”

  Layla’s eyes widened. “That fast?”

  “What’s the point in waiting?”

  “Looks like it’s time for more celebrating,” Charlie said. Then her eyes lit. “It also means a bachelorette party.”

  Felicity felt her cheeks flame. She wanted no part in whatever Charlie thought should happen at a bachelorette party.

  Charlie turned and thumped Jonah’s shoulder. “You guys will take Lucas out, right?”

  “Sure?”

  Even Felicity could see that it was an odd request. The men had just met hours ago. Shouldn’t Lucas have someone here for him? Like his brother? Or his friend Jake whom Felicity had met on her last trip home? She reached out for Lucas’s hand. “Maybe you should call Jake and ask him too.”

  “I’m fine, Felicity.”

  “But I have the most important people in my life here.”

  He pulled her close for another kiss. “You’re the only person I need.”

  Just when she thought she couldn’t love him more, he said something like that. When his lips brushed hers, it sealed the fact that they were doing the right thing. They belonged together.

  Layla paced the length of the room while Phin lay sprawled on the bed. Her stomach was in knots and her nerves tingled.

  “I don’t see what the problem is,” Phin said.

  “Of course you don’t. You don’t know Felicity. This isn’t like her. If it was Charlie, I’d still be a little worried. I mean, marriage is huge. But Charlie’s always been spontaneous. Felicity isn’t. She’s . . .”

  “More like you?”

  Layla heaved a sigh. “Yeah.”

  “It was spontaneous for you to decide to drive halfway across the country. It was spontaneous for you to play pool with me in the bar that first night. And to come back to my place.” He reached out and pulled her onto the bed. “It was spontaneous for you to talk to me at the tournament. Sometimes you do what feels right, even if it’s not well thought out.”

  She laid her head on his chest. “I don’t know. If they just got engaged, it’d be one thing, but she wants to actually get married right away. They’ve only known each other as long as we have.”

  A knock sounded at the door. Layla sat up. “It’s probably Charlie.”

  She opened the door and Charlie strode in. “So what’s the big emergency?”

  Layla closed the door. “What are we going to do about Felicity?”

  “I was thinking hit a few bars and see if we can find a strip club. I’d love to see her with her hand in some guy’s G-string.”

  “No. Not a party. How can you be okay with her rushing into marriage?”

  Charlie shrugged and plopped next to Phin. “It’s what she wants.”

  Phin got off the bed and kissed Layla’s cheek. “I’m going to wander around a bit. Give me a call when you’re done stressing.”

  “That’ll be never,” Charlie shot.

  “I’ve seen her relaxed.” His hand skated down her back and cupped her ass.

  Layla’s eyes closed as she grabbed a handful of his shirt and brought him in for a real kiss. His tongue touched hers and she calmed. Pulling away, she breathed in the scent of him and calm settled over her. “Don’t get into trouble playing pool.”

  “Who me?” He swatted her ass before walking out the door.

  “Aren’t you all kinds of cute?”

  “You’re one to talk. You and Jonah look made for each other.” Layla sat beside her friend.

  “So do Felicity and Lucas.”

  Layla sighed again. “Yeah, but I’m still worried
. As her friends, shouldn’t we try to get her to listen to reason? Why the need to rush?”

  “Maybe she’s just feeling romantic. Vegas might have that effect on some people.” Charlie didn’t even attempt to keep a straight face for that. “She’s happy. Isn’t that enough?”

  “How happy will she be if it doesn’t work out? Has she talked to her parents yet?”

  Charlie shrugged. “They won’t talk her out of it, if that’s what you’re thinking. They let her do whatever she wants. They trust her to know what’s best for her.”

  “I think we should try to talk her out of it.” Saying it made some of the tension leave Layla’s body. It wasn’t as good as curling up next to Phin, but it eased some of the anxiety.

  “That might be a mistake. She’s counting on us to be there for her, not against her.”

  She knew Charlie was right. Felicity counted on them to have her back. She didn’t want to hurt Felicity, but she also didn’t want her friend to make a colossal mistake. “Let’s at least feel her out and see how she reacts. If she blurted out the idea without thinking about it, she might be having second thoughts and just waiting for someone to help her escape.”

  “Okay. Let’s get her drunk.”

  Layla rolled her eyes.

  “She can’t hide anything when she’s drunk. You know that.”

  Again, Charlie was right. “Okay. But we have to get rid of the guys for it to really work. She can’t think about not marrying a guy when she’s looking right at him. And Lucas is mighty nice to look at.”

  “You have your own guy to look at. Wouldn’t Jonah get mad to find you’re checking out Felicity’s boyfriend?”

  “There’s no harm in looking. Plus, he’s a dude. They spend all day looking at women.” She pushed off the bed. “I’ll go break the news to Jonah now that he’ll be on his own after dinner because we need girl time.”

  Layla huffed out a breath. “I’ll text Phin. I don’t know where he went. You should call Felicity. She’ll know something’s up if I suggest a girls’ night of drinking.”

  Later that night, Charlie had done her job and Felicity was weaving as they walked down the hall to drop her off at her room. They’d talked for hours, and Felicity had done nothing but profess her love for Lucas. She told them how much she loved the fact that he understood her like no other man ever had.