Drake shakes his head, entertained by Preston’s proposal.
Trent holds out his hand to silence Drake. “I’m hungry. Would you two stop measuring dicks until after we eat?”
“You guys are crazy.” Shannon laughs, filling a plate of pasta for each of us. “I hope you all brought your appetite because I made tons of food. Jamie said you can eat an army under the table, so I kind of overdid it. There’s enough left over for the rest of your teammates if you want to invite them.”
“Nah,” I say. “They can fend for themselves. I’m saving the leftovers for us.”
I only invited Preston, Drake, Tucker, and Trent. Killian came home with Preston, but he left ten minutes later to meet a girl from one of his classes.
Shannon stands up to pass plates of pasta and garlic bread around the table, and I can’t resist smacking her perfect ass.
She squeals and then slaps my hand away. “Knock it off, Jamie.”
“Are you planning to make this a regular thing?” Tucker asks Shannon, shoveling a forkful of pasta in his mouth. “Because I could definitely get used to this.”
“Me, too,” the rest of us mutter in unison.
I could get used to Shannon spending more time at the house. My friends seem to like her, and she doesn’t push me to define our relationship or any of the stupid shit girls normally do that irritates me. I never had that problem with Cece. She was so selfish and self-centered that she played nothing but games. One day I would feel on top of the world, and the next day she was ripping the rug out from under me forcing me back to reality.
“Wanna play Mage Wars after we eat?” Preston asks me with a mouth full of food. “I’m finally out of level twenty-five. That one was such a bitch.”
“Oh, I love that game,” Shannon says.
Shocked, everyone at the table stares at her for an explanation. It’s not often men hear women say they love any video game other than old school shit like Super Mario Bros. or Sonic the Hedgehog. I texted Shannon a few cheat codes for Mage Wars a few days ago. She’s sworn to secrecy, so I hope she doesn’t let it slip and share our secret. I want Preston to figure out the game on his own. Any advantage I can save for myself only gives me more of an edge over him.
“My younger brother is obsessed with it,” she elaborates. “I still live at home with my parents. At least for now. My brother makes me play with him. It’s the only way I can get him to go to bed on time. We play Mage Wars for an hour and then bedtime. Seems to work.”
Shannon has no clue how I acquired the codes. I don’t like to talk about my dad that often because it feels like bragging when I do. She knows he owns a tech company, so I guess it’s time to share my secret.
“My dad created The Fallen Universe. Mage Wars is based on one of his earlier games,” I tell her.
Surprised, her eyes grow as wide as her grin. “Are you kidding me? That’s so cool.”
“R.E.G.A.N., the artificial intelligence in the game, is named after my mom,” I add.
She holds her hand over her heart and sighs. “Really? That’s so cute. Your dad sounds like a keeper.”
“My mom thinks so,” I joke.
“Jamie’s a genius,” Preston tells Shannon, and her smile widens. “A total nerd.”
Preston tears into me all the time about being a nerd. That’s part of our brotherly bond, and that connection also helps us when we’re on the ice. We’re both defensemen, paired together, creating a different dynamic for our team. Coach Bryant says our familial relationships strengthen our ability to win and create advantages over our competitors. I agree with him one hundred percent.
“I like nerds.” Shannon scoots her chair closer to mine, our elbows touching on the table. “Especially hot ones that can shoot a puck.”
Shannon’s hand drops to my thigh under the table, my cock now hard again from the sensation of her fingers rubbing dangerously close combined with the sexy look in her eyes.
Hooking my arm around her back, I pull her into my chest. Her eyes burn a hole through me, sparking something inside me. Without thinking, I plant a kiss on her lips that turns into her slipping her tongue in my mouth.
Not until Tucker asks Preston if he’s ready for our game this weekend do I snap out of it and peel my lips from Shannon’s. Needing to get her alone, I lift her up from the chair and throw her over my shoulder. She yelps when I smack her ass as we exit the kitchen. My friends are usually the ones who do shit like this, and I probably should’ve stopped myself.