Gaming for Love
Book #1 of The Griffin Brothers
by Crystal Perkins
Copyright © 2014 by Crystal Perkins
Cover Design by Helen Williams
http://www.allbookedout.com/
Ebook formatting by Jesse Gordon
All trademarks are owned by their respective companies and are denoted by the use of proper capitalization of the company and/or brand.
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book. This contemporary erotic romance is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners. This ebook is licensed for your personal use only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with, especially if you enjoy sexy, emotional, romance novels with alpha males. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.
Table of Contents
About Gaming for Love
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Epilogue
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Sneak Peek of Building Our Love
About Gaming for Love
A young woman carrying the
weight of her world on her shoulders.
A man struggling with a devastating betrayal.
Love is a game they’re determined to win…
Yasmin just wants to keep her family’s Las Vegas bookstore afloat. She doesn’t have time for anything other than trying to figure out how to pay the bills. When an incredibly hot guy with tattoos and piercings walks into her store, she’s relieved to discover what a jerk he is once he opens his mouth. His bad behavior makes it easier to try and ignore the way her body responds to him. Trying is all she can do once he sets his sights on her, determined to win her over.
Computer genius Scott Griffin thought he was in love once, until he found out that it was all a lie. The crazy, pen loving bookworm he encounters sets him on fire like no one else ever has. When she stands up to him, he realizes that it’s more than just her body that he’s intrigued by. But, he can’t have her, can’t have anyone after what happened in Chicago. Or, can he? When she challenges him to woo her, he pulls out all the stops.
They embark on a romance filled with sweet gestures and steamy nights. Until a shocking revelation causes Scott to feel the sting of betrayal again while Yasmin loses everything, including the man she loves. A loving family and a loyal group of friends will try to help them find a way back to each other, but will it be too late to save them both?
For Niquey and Gabi…
The best daughters a mother could
ever hope for. I love you!
Chapter 1
Yasmin
The pile of bills in front of me is not getting any smaller. Especially with the new ones that arrived today. I’m not sure how I’m going to make this work. The money just isn’t there. When my parents died 2 years ago, I was so caught up in my grief that I didn’t think about how hard it would be to keep a bookstore open in this economy. Yes, I had the life insurance settlement and the loyal customers who had been shopping at I Heart Books for years, but soon it won’t be enough. We can maybe stay open another six months if things don’t change. As for me, I am not at the point where ramen is my only meal, but I am afraid that I will be soon.
Samantha, Danny and Erika have been there for me when I needed to cry or yell or just throw some books around. They listen to me, offer ideas and when all else fails, get me drunk. No one could ask for better employees or friends. I don’t want to let anyone go but I am afraid it will come to that soon. I am also afraid that I won’t be able to go back to college for my junior year. School starts in a couple of months, but can I really afford it? I have scholarships and I know that my parents wanted me to go, but I need to be here to keep their dream, this store, alive.
It gets to be too much to think about sometimes. Most 20 year olds are just thinking about their classes or what guy they want to get with. Wouldn’t that be nice? To have nothing to worry about except living my life? A guy would be nice, too. I have been on a few dates in the last two years, but no one who I felt a special connection to. I want special. I deserve special.
Lost in my thoughts, I almost don’t hear the door open. I look up into a pair of the most beautiful green eyes that I have ever seen. They are lighter than emerald but just as intense. As I tear my eyes away, I notice that there are actually three people in front of me. Mr. Green Eyes, an older woman in her late forties or early fifties and a teenage girl who looks around 16. The woman speaks first.
“Hello. We are new to Las Vegas and heard that your store is the place to go for books. My granddaughter loves to read and needs something new,” the woman says with a friendly smile. She is petite with brown hair streaked with gray and welcoming blue eyes.
“Welcome to town. I’m Yasmin. I would love to introduce you to some new books and authors,” I tell the girl. She looks up at me from where she was staring at the ground. I notice that she has the same green eyes as the man, but hers are tinged with sadness. A sadness that I recognize in myself. She is taller than her grandmother with long brown hair and a thin but curvy body. Even with the sadness in her eyes, she is breathtakingly beautiful.
“Can we move this along? I need to get back to work.” The husky male voice belongs to Mr. Green Eyes and it makes my stomach flip.
I look up and am again momentarily captivated by those eyes. When I blink to clear my head, I take in the rest of him and nearly lose my mind at what I see. He is over six feet tall with jet black hair styled in a faux hawk. Both of his ears, his right eyebrow and his lip are pierced. His jaw is chiseled and currently hard set with a hint of stubble. And sweet Jesus, that mouth. Lush, sexy lips that seem set in a permanent smirk meant to drive a woman wild. Just thinking about what he could do with that mouth causes me to lick my own lips. As I run my eyes further down, I see his light blue t-shirt straining against the lean muscles of his biceps and chest. He isn’t over muscled, just perfectly formed…at least from what I can see. He also has sleeves of colorful tattoos down both arms. Jeans and combat boots complete the bad boy look. I know I will embarrass myself if I don’t stop looking, but I am not sure if I can make myself stop. Thankfully the girl save
s me.
“You didn’t have to come with us, Uncle Scott. I know how important your work is.”
He reaches forward and cups her cheek, “Baby Girl, nothing is more important to me than you and the rest of our family. Never forget that.”
There is a moment of uncomfortable silence while the three of them take each other in. It passes when the woman - his mother - speaks again.
“I can’t wait to see what you suggest for Alex. I have to admit that I sometimes read her books!” she says with a sly smile. ”Oh and I have somehow forgotten my manners. I’m Maggie and I think you have already heard that this is Alex and Scott.” She reaches out her hand, nodding to her son and the sad, beautiful girl. I shake it, feeling a sense of calm and somehow knowing that I will like this woman already.
“It’s great to meet all of you. What kind of books do you like to read, Alex? Our YA section is the largest in the store and I read many of them myself so I am pretty sure I can find something for you.” I smile at her and wait for her answer.
Before she can respond, Mr. Green Eyes – Scott - says with a smirk, “You read those books? Trying to relive your own high school years, huh?”
“YA books are some of the most well written books around. Your mother just said she read them, yet you are making fun of me? And you don’t look much older than me!” I spit out through clenched teeth.
“Scott Nathaniel Griffin, you apologize right now!” his mother says with fury in her eyes.
“I’m sorry,” he mumbles. “I’m heading to the café next door for a coffee while you two shop.”
I watch him walk out the door and notice how well he fills out those jeans. “Let’s get started,” I tell Maggie and Alex, walking toward the YA section of my store.
* * *
Scott
I had to get out of that store. I know I promised Alex and my mom that I would spend the morning with them. And I really wanted to see Alex happy, like she always is with a new book. Her smile has been hard to find since her parents, my sister and brother-in-law, were murdered in a robbery gone wrong. My parents and my brothers have been holding it together for her, but it is hard for me. If it wasn’t for me, they would still be alive. Everyone says that they don’t blame me. That I was tricked and a victim in the whole thing too, but I blame myself.
I also had to get out of the store because that woman, Yasmin, was making me feel something that was more intense than I have ever felt for anyone. When we walked into the shop, I noticed the funky, cool vibe of the store first. Handwritten signs, book posters, literary t-shirts and some cool pieces of art lined the walls. I was thinking my niece would love this place, when I looked over and our eyes met. Warm brown eyes met mine and sent an immediate shock to my system. What the fuck? I don’t make connections anymore, I just don’t.
So, I did what I had to do and acted like an ass. I noticed her checking me out which both turned me on and scared the shit out of me. I had checked her out already when my mom was talking to her and I don’t think my body has ever reacted so fast in my twenty one years of life. Rich, dark brown hair that was almost black, was pulled back into a tight ponytail that reached past her shoulder blades, making me want to wind my hands around it. Those beautiful eyes, a pert nose and strong cheekbones, just daring me to caress them, met my eyes next. Then her mouth, damn what a mouth. Not too full but still luscious lips smeared with some kind of dark pink gloss were tempting me. I wanted to be on that mouth, I wanted that mouth on me. All over me. I don’t know how I managed to tear my eyes away and look any further, but I did.
A graceful neck led to a positively sinful body. She wasn’t super thin with fake tits like the society girls I had been fucking for years - or like my ex, Amber. No, lush breasts strained against a t-shirt that said something about reading irresponsibly. A trim waist and full hips, the kind you want to hold onto when thrusting in hard, led to a great ass and legs that went on for miles ending in a pair of black glittery Toms. She—Yasmin—was easily around five seven and with heels would be just the perfect height.
That’s why I had to get out of there. I was ready to blow like a thirteen year old just looking at her. And when she fired back at me after my stupid comment, I wanted her in more than a physical way. What the hell is wrong with me? Let me get this iced coffee and think of my eighty year old high school math teacher so I can go back in there. I need to get my shit together and be there for Alex and Mom.
* * *
Yasmin
I really like Alex. After her initial shyness, she told me that dystopian books are her favorites. I took her to the section, but noticed her gaze kept straying across the aisle to contemporary fiction. I met Maggie’s eyes and she shook her head, giving Alex a look filled with sadness and love. I started telling them about some of my favorite dystopian books. Alex had read a few but was excited that I could recommend some more to her. Before we left the section, I pulled my favorite funny contemporary off the shelf and asked her to try that one too, for me. Her smile wavered but then got a little brighter - just for a moment - as she nodded.
As I am walking them up to the register, Scott comes back into the store. He has sunglasses on and a swagger to his walk. I try to ignore my body’s immediate reaction to him as I step behind the counter. I ring up the books - minus the contemporary one. I can’t really afford to give it away, but I want to. I feel a connection to Alex in some unknown way and I want to help her. I give the total and Scott throws an AMEX Black card on the counter before Maggie can even get her wallet out.
“You don’t have to pay, honey,” Maggie says to him with a frown.
He looks at her, an intense look on his face. “Yeah, I do. Please let me.”
She nods and I swipe his card. I hand him a pen and the slip to sign. After he signs, he sticks the pen behind his ear with another of those infuriating smirks.
“Excuse me, but are you really going to steal my pen?” I ask, irritated.
“Yeah. I think you can afford one less Bic pen.”
“First of all, you don’t know anything about me and what I can or can’t afford. And second, I happen to love pens, any pen and nothing pisses me off more than some ignorant asshole taking whatever he wants because he thinks he’s God’s gift to the earth. Now give it back,” I practically scream the words at him.
A moment of silence passes where I realize that I had just yelled at and insulted a customer. One I desperately need. I open my mouth to apologize when Maggie bursts out laughing. “I like you Yasmin. Expect us to become regulars here.” She smiles at me. “Give the pen back, Scott.”
“Crazy pen loving bookworm,” he mumbles while slamming down the pen and storming out of the door.
“I like you, too,” Alex says. “Can I call you when I read the books to talk about them? Or come in?”
“Of course! I love talking about books! You can call or come in anytime.”
* * *
Scott
“Yasmin seems like a wonderful young woman,” my mother says with a smile when we get back to her house. My parents bought this large rambling mini mansion when they decided to relocate the company headquarters. My mom has made it warm and welcoming despite the size, just like our Chicago home. My brothers got condos in City Center on The Strip but I chose to remodel the guest house and stay on property. I will never leave my loved ones unprotected again.
“She’s an uptight bitch. I mean, who gets upset over a 10 cent pen?”
“She is most definitely not a bitch. She was great with Alex and actually made her smile. And how upset did you get with Luke for taking that free flash drive you got at CES last year?”
“She made Alex smile? Really?” Shit. Why couldn’t she be a cold bitch? I need her to be a cold bitch. Then, she won’t be of interest to me anymore. Yeah right. I couldn’t forget her, even if I tried. And I want to try. At least I can manage not to see her again. But, do I really want to not see her again? Fuck, fuck, fuck! What is happening to me? I can’t do this, I can’
t. I need to get to my place and work on the new software I am designing.
My mom looks at me intently, like she is reading me from the inside out. She probably is - she always seems to know what we are all thinking before we can even say it. I love her so much and I can’t disappoint her and my dad again. They have never come out and said that I have disappointed them but I know that I have. The tats, the piercings, nothing shook their love or faith in me. But what happened with Amber, yeah, that is unforgivable. I know it even if they have never said it.
“Yes, she made Alex smile. And she gave her a contemporary book to read. You know she hasn’t wanted to read anything based on real life since…” She stops there, a look of such intense sadness in her eyes.
“Since I fucked up all of our lives and got her parents killed,” I say through a haze of hurt and loathing.
“No. No, Scott. Do not say that. How many times do we have to tell you that it is not your fault?” She seems so sincere. But I know that she can’t be. I destroyed this family.
“I can blame myself.” I practically run out the back door without even saying goodbye. I had to get out of there. I will finish this software project and add to my family’s wealth. God knows we don’t need it-we have more money than we could all spend in ten lifetimes. But this is all I can contribute to my family, all I can give them. So I will. Even if I have to work day and night, I will. They deserve better, but this is all I have to give.
Chapter 2
Yasmin
“We really need to get an online presence. I know you wanted to stay small and just have the store. But, online could save us,” Erika tells me and I know she is right.
“I know. My parents would have done it already. I don’t even know where to start though,” I tell her honestly. Give me a book and I am good. Technology, along with math and science, are foreign concepts to me. I mean I can use what I need to on my phone and computer, but don’t ask me to do anything beyond basic.
“My friend, Sean, knows how to build websites. I bet he could help us get started for cheap. What would really help would be this new program that I have been reading about. It was previewed at CES and is still being worked on, I think. It’s software for both computers and phones, through an app, that lets you put in a description, sentence or characters from a book and find matches to choose from. Amazon and Barnes and Noble are salivating over the thought of it.”
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