Page 19 of Game Over

“So you cyber-stalked me, huh? Maybe Em was right, and we do have a potential issue.” My tone was light as I teased back because I liked seeing him a little flustered.

“You’re gonna stand there and tell me that you two didn’t do the same thing to me once you knew mine?” He shot right back at me. I didn’t say anything because damn it, he was right. We looked over any socials he had for anything we could find, which wasn’t much. Seems he was more successful in his research. “That’s what I thought. Now, why don’t you stop being a smart ass and take the coffee, hmm?” I didn’t know what to do with someone who could take the sass I dealt and dish it back to me. Rolling my eyes, I reached out to take the coffee from his outstretched hand. As I grabbed the cup, the tips of our fingers brushed against one another, causing a shiver to skate down my spine, and goosebumps to break out along my arm.

“Thank you for the coffee. I was just thinking how I wish I had some from Brewed Stories. I don’t go out often for coffee, but they’re my favorite.” I took a huge sip and almost let out a very unlady like moan. Damn, that was good.

Dolly stopped barking fairly quickly and was currently trying to roll around his feet to get attention. I took another long swig of the sweet iced coffee and watched him with my best girl. Liking dogs was always going to be a non-negotiable for me with finding a partner. Men came and went, but Dolly would be forever. She was my baby, and I loved getting to do everything I could with her. Eventually, I wanted to get a second dog too.

“Oh, there’s my favorite girl, come here,” he crooned to Dolly and started giving her belly rubs and scratching behind her ears when she sat up. Why was I suddenly jealous of my own dog?

“I know it’s still early in the afternoon, so I figured maybe we could watch some TV together and chat? I guess I didn’t think this through before I asked you over.” Impulsive decisions weren’t something I made a habit of ever doing. Everything needed to be carefully thought out and planned. Times narrowed down, locations picked, all t’s crossed, and i’s dotted ahead of time. So I’m not sure what possessed me when my mouth moved faster than my brain and asked him to come over. At this point, I was convinced Emma had a voodoo doll of me, and she was the one controlling these reckless decisions.

“That sounds good to me, whatever you wanna do, I’m down.” He stood up and stepped closer to me, reaching with his free hand to my face and cupping my cheek. He slowly leaned in, giving me time to pull away or say no. Those ocean eyes searched mine as he did.

I should pull away and say no. I shouldn’t let him kiss me again, but I couldn’t find it in me to be responsible right now. When I didn’t, he kissed me gently and rubbed his thumb against my cheek. He smiled against my lips and pulled back to look into my eyes, still wearing the biggest grin. God, he was so cute.

I led him into the living room and let him get settled while I grabbed the remotes from the mantel. Dolly had already gotten on the couch in her usual spot and was curled up into her croissant form. I set my coffee down on the table and was trying to figure out if I should sit next to him, or if I should sit further away. My heart raced, and my fingers tingled.

Finally deciding to sit between him and Dolly, I folded a leg under me and started to get comfy. Except I was too anxious and couldn’t find a comfortable way to place my long limbs. I stood up to try another position, and I must’ve been cursed in a past life because my foot got stuck in the couch, which in turn sent me tumbling sideways. It slipped free as I tipped over, further throwing off my balance, and next thing I knew, I was grabbing the back of the couch so I didn’t fall completely on my ass and make a damn fool of myself.

Closing my eyes and taking several deep breaths, the couch shifted underneath me. Only it wasn’t the couch shifting. It was Spencer, and I was basically straddling him.

“Oh my god, I am so sorry. Am I hurting you?” Squirming, I tried to get up without grinding on the poor man.

“Sweetheart, you’re not going to hurt me, not even a little bit, but if you keep moving like that, I’m going to need some ice for other reasons.” He reached up, gently cradling my face in his hands.

I searched his face for any signs of him lying or saying what he was to make me feel better, but either he was a damn good liar with a damn good poker face, or he truly meant what he said. His eyes seemed so open, so sincere, that no part of me doubted him. I had never been made to feel like I could be held or lifted in any way, so this was new ground for me. I swallowed twice, my throat dry, before I could speak.

“I’m sorry, I’m really nervous. You make me really nervous,” I sheepishly admitted and looked away from him.

“It’s okay, so am I.” I couldn’t help but giggle because I couldn’t think of a single time I had this effect on anyone. I leaned down again, closer to him, and rolled my hips back slightly. He let out a strangled sound and closed his eyes. “I’m trying to be a gentleman here, Allie, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t want to rip these off you.”

“Okay, okay, I’ll stop torturing you. Let me get up.” I scooted back to try to stand, but he made this garbled growl and gripped my legs tighter.

“This is doing the opposite and only making it worse.” His eyes fluttered open and were dark as he looked at me like he wanted to devour me. I swallowed before trying to stand again, being mindful of not accidentally grinding on him or tripping and falling again.

Slow. I wanted to go slow too. Get a grip here, Allie.

I can’t believe I just did that. Jesus Christ. Honestly, yes, I could, because I had the worst luck, I swear. Play it cool, we’re adults after all. He’s already sitting there normally with his hands in his lap.

Once I was up, I moved to sit a cushion over from him so he didn’t feel overwhelmed. He wasn't even in my home for thirty minutes, and I literally fell on his lap. I was burning up inside and out from embarrassment and want. Clearing my throat, I reached for my coffee and took a deep sip to cool myself off. It gave me something to focus on and kept my hands busy, so I didn’t pick at them or furiously rub them together.

I went to grab the cover and tuck my feet under me, but he grabbed me and pulled me into him and tucked me into his side. “That's better. I could feel you overthinking from over here.”

I rolled my eyes at him and flicked the TV on. “Anything sound good to watch? I’m usually not big on TV personally, but I have a few shows I like.”

“Nah, anything is fine, I promise.”

“Hmm, let’s see, how about Criminal Minds?” I asked.

“Oh yeah, I haven’t watched this in a long time, but I remember loving it. I think there are a few seasons I haven’t seen either.”

“That was the correct answer, although we’ll need to change the fact you haven’t seen all the episodes.”

We sat together and watched till it was time for me to start dinner. Occasionally, we’d chime in about the unsubs or the cases. Spencer absentmindedly traced random patterns on my skin wherever he could touch. Even the times we lulled into silence weren’t uncomfortable, quite the opposite, actually.

Grabbing my phone from the table, I checked the time and noticed I needed to hop up and get to cooking. I decided to bring my speaker into the kitchen and set it on the island to play some music while I cooked.

The soft sounds of old school country and pops and sizzles from the stove filled the space as I set to work. Spencer sat perched on a barstool, watching me as I moved around the kitchen, singing to myself as I did. The savory scents of meat and fresh spices filled the air as I worked and mixed everything together, carefully layering the cooked pasta, sauce, and then cheeses together in the old blue speckled Pyrex dish.