Ensconced in Benji’sgamer cave—what he called his living room—Auggie took one look at her brother and knew he was a lot happier than normal. And for such an upbeat guy, that was saying something. She glanced at Benji, looked at Xavier, and raised a brow. Benji gave a subtle shrug.
She should have known better than to try to get an opinion from the tall nerd, but come on, anyone with a brain could see her brother practically glowing.
Had to be the chick upstairs.
Justine in 3D, who had been invited but backed out of game night at the last minute.
Hmm.
Even without the naughty neighbor, Auggie enjoyed game night at Benji’s, especially because he seemed to finally be thawing in her presence. She didn’t know what she’d done to annoy him, but for the past few months, he seemed to freeze up whenever she came around.
And that was a shame, because she saw a lot of cuteness under that godawful hair.
“Justine canceled because her parents are getting under her skin,” Xavier announced after they’d spent an hour eating pizza and playing a few rounds using all new characters in Benji’s new game-test design.
“I know the feeling,” Auggie muttered, not pleased with her mom lately. “Mom not only had a mediocre date with your guy, but she stood mine up. Although, I guess Mike wasn’t the best with his hit or miss plans. Still, she made no attempt to get together with him after their last cancelation.”
“Huh?” Benji looked confused.
“Our mom is out on the dating scene again, and Xavier and I are helping find her a man.”
“Oh, that’s nice.” He easily defeated an ogre king with nothing more than a poisonous vine.
Auggie leaned toward his big screen monitor, approving his home decor more than she’d thought she would. Though a bachelor, Benji had nice, comfy furniture that he kept organized and clean. Or at least, he’d cleaned up before company arrived.
She liked his style, a mix of contemporary and futuristic accents. A lot of neon against black and white. It was fun—the opposite of what nerd-guy projected. Benji in the wild didn’t fit. He always seemed stressed or unhappy. Here, in his home, he had relaxed and let himself be seen as a fun-loving guy with a surprisingly muscular build.
She’d been subtly eyeing him all night, still surprised to realize that without the bad and baggy clothes, the guy was seriously ripped. He also had pretty, dark-blue eyes. Huh.
“How are you killing everyone with vines?” she asked, annoyed to be losing. “I thought this game was brand new.”
“It is. We’re demoing it.” He shrugged those broad shoulders she wanted to measure. “Hey, can you grab me another slice?” he directed to Xavier.
“That’s like a whole pizza pie,” she grumbled, which had her brother laughing.
“Don’t mind her, Benji. Auggie doesn’t like to lose.” After handing Benji another slice, her brother excused himself for the bathroom, and she fled the couch to corner Benji in his chair.
“Hey.”
“What’s up with Xav and Justine?”
Benji flushed and tried to peer around her at the screen. “No clue.”
“Liar.” She yanked the game controller from his hands and tossed it on the couch behind her.
“Hey.”
“You already said that.” She invaded his personal space by straddling his lap, standing on her knees so that the only place they touched were knees to thighs. To her surprise, even on her knees, she had to look up to meet his gaze.
She’d managed to mute him, and he stared at her in shock, which was an improvement from avoidance or the stammering he normally engaged in.
She nodded. “Now quit stalling, nerd-boy. You know something. Tell me, Benji.”
He remained quiet, his gaze glued to her lips.
A funny flush of heat filled her, one that typically didn’t exist when confronted with hairy, nerdy giants.
“Y-you are really pretty,” he said in a low voice and put his hands on her shoulders.
