Good Game (The System, #1) (65)

“You bolted.” Sydney stares at him in disbelief. “Are you serious?”

“Of course! And then the crazy chick ran after me, right through the party in her damn heels. All but threw herself into the car.”

“Crazy isn’t a nice word to use, English.”

We all whip our heads around to stare at the tall brunette leaning against the wall in the the hallway.

“And I didn’t throw myself into the car, I dove, gracefully.”

“If a stone is graceful,” Parker scoffs.

She ignores us, padding into the kitchen, dress swishing as it drags around her. We watch as she begins to open random cupboards until she locates a glass and fills it up with water from the fridge dispenser. She takes a sip, eying me over the rim. Normally, she bleeds her emotions, but right now, I can’t read a thing.

She is stone cold.

“I can’t believe you just told her who you were,” Sydney groans.

“Actually, Parker never verbally admitted he was English. Just ran like his ass was on fire.” She sits on one of the stools at the island. Everyone is twisted on the couch to watch her. “I highly suggest you never try to rob a bank or anything, you’d be god-awful.”

“Alright, so if he never told you…then why the hell did you bring her here?”

“Because she knew,” Parker whines. “She was in the car, and she knew. I figured, what the hell, why not just bring her back and let us deal with it together.”

We collectively groan.

“Alright, I’m giving our lawyers a call, getting an NDA drawn up. Then I’m going to make sure no cameras caught your little escapade.” Sydney arches around, “you have no issue signing an NDA, Stevie, do you?”

“Depends on the terms,” Stevie shrugs.

“Fair.” Syd swipes open her phone, grabbing her tablet from the coffee table and heading onto the balcony to make the call.

The four of us stare at each other. The room is silent save for the slight murmur of the TV from whatever show Jackson was watching.

I stand up and start to make my way to Stevie, cautiously. She’s like a panther on the loose, lazily prowling, and I’m a hunter, trying not to scare her off.

“Are you feeling okay?”

She just shrugs again.

“Since we’re all fully stuck in this situation, I suppose we should reintroduce ourselves.” Jackson pushes off the couch and strolls over, sticking his hand out for her. “Jackson Lau, also known as Shield3d, the green mask of The System. I’m a Sagittarius, I enjoy working out, and I would do anything for my younger siblings.”

His hand rests in the air for a few seconds after he finishes, long enough that I begin to doubt she is going to shake it. Just when I see Jackson twitch, Stevie’s hand glides forward and gives him a small shake.

She’s still silent. Watching.

Parker jogs over. He has too much energy for someone who was just on the chopping block. But then again, that’s Parker for you.

“Parker Covington, also beloved by the name EnglishCoffee. Acclaimed speedrunner, British billionaire, and vehicle enthusiast. I hate coffee, but I love champagne.”

Stevie’s mask starts to slip, the corner of her mouth twitching up. I feel a pang of jealousy toward my best friend. When she puts her hand in his, he bends down and drops a kiss on it. “Enchanté, mademoiselle.”

Her mask fully drops then, a snort tumbling out of her.

“You’re a loser, Parker.”

“A rich and attractive loser,” he winks.

I take a small step forward, and her eyes whip to mine. The laughter fading.

My throat is dry, but I power forward, putting my hand out to her.

“Aleksander Knight, also known as NightBlade32.” I scratch the back of my neck, stalling. “I like gaming, bikes, and anything chocolate. I hate events, and I hate that I made you hate me.”

She drops my gaze, but I keep my hand straight. I’ll keep my hand hovering here for as long as it takes. Hell, I’ll drop to my knees if I need to.

Stevie slips off the stool, gold material pooling around her feet. Her lithe hand caresses mine.

“Stephanie Andwell.” She looks into my eyes, burning into my soul. “I love art, action movies, and anything maple-syrup flavored. I hate pink roses and that I’m still trapped in this dress, but I don’t hate you.”

My body relaxes, hope blooming.

“Want to change into one of my shirts?”

She eyes me warily for a second, nibbling on her lower lip. My heart pauses as it waits.

“Sure.”

One word, and my heart starts beating again. She hasn’t released my hand, so I hold it tighter, bringing her to my room. I rifle through my closet, grabbing an old gaming tournament T-shirt and a pair of basketball shorts she can tie up. She takes them from me, tossing them on my bed. Then, she turns her back to me, swiping her hair to the side, revealing a smooth triangle of skin.

I watch as she reaches up and unzips the top of her dress, the gold fabric splitting away, revealing her tan back in tantalizing segments. I’m mesmerized by her movements.

She reaches the base of her back, then shrugs each of her arms out of the dress. The fabric collects at her waist, and I stare at her state of undress, my cock twitching.

She leans forward, tugging at the fabric on her hips, shimmying out of it. Once it’s over her hips, her ass sits on display for me. She’s leaning far enough forward that I can see the outline of her pussy. Fuck, she’s not wearing any underwear.