Jocking Jameson: Face-Off Legacy #4 Page 8

  And then there’s Drake. He’s impenetrable. I don’t know how he never lets anything get under his skin. The only person who seems to be managing that feat is Taylor. She still won’t give in to him, no matter how hard he tries.

  This girl’s tearing our team apart, destroying our bond with each post.

  “All of you, knock it off,” Trent booms, standing up from the couch. He slides his cell phone back into his pocket and sighs. “There’s no point fighting with each other over something we can’t control. I got enough shit to deal with.” He glares at Tucker, his blue eyes full of hatred, and then he walks out of the living room.

  Preston is next to leave. Irritated, I follow behind him, desperate for some air. I hate when Preston challenges me in front of everyone. He keeps pushing me to call my dad for help as if I’m not good enough to track down The Queen.

  I will find her.

  And when I do, I’ll make her pay for everything she has put us through.

  Chapter Eleven

  Shannon

  I do a double take when a Tesla pulls up out front of the bakery. It’s not often I see expensive cars in this neighborhood. Mrs. Rizzo stops in front of the bay window staring at the man who’s getting out of the electric car. And when he does, my jaw drops.

  Jamie steps inside the bakery, taking my breath away.

  “What’re you doing here?” I ask, somewhat confused.

  He smirks, pressing his palms to the long countertop separating us. “And here I thought you’d be happy to see me.”

  “I am.” My cheeks flush, my skin warming from his proximity. Jamie has this effect on me every time. “I’m just surprised. I wasn’t expecting to see you until tomorrow.”

  “I couldn’t wait.” He stretches his hand across the counter to cover mine, a fire blazing behind his blue eyes. “I’m too impatient when it comes to you. Actually, I was hoping you haven’t eaten yet because… I made reservations for dinner.”

  “How presumptuous of you,” I say, laughing.

  Sucking in a deep breath, he squeezes my hand. “When are you done for the day?”

  I peek over at Mrs. Rizzo, who’s in shock by our new visitor.

  She glances at Jamie and me, a warm smile turning up the corners of her mouth. “Go ahead.” She motions her head toward the front door. “I can close up.”

  “I’m almost finished icing the rest of the cupcakes.”

  “Take your time,” Jamie says. “Pretend like I’m not here.” He moves his hand back from mine. “I don’t mind watching you work.”

  My smile mirrors his. He’s so charming and sweet. And he’s here, at Rizzo’s Bakery, of all places. I’m in complete shock and by the looks of it, Mrs. Rizzo’s equally surprised by his intrusion.

  Jamie looks at the glass cases that span the small shop. He licks his lips when his eyes land on the chocolate chip cannoli. They’re my favorite too.

  “Do you make beignets?” Jamie asks.

  “No, this is an Italian bakery,” I say, staring down at the cupcake I’m icing. “We have zeppole, they’re similar to beignets and pretty popular right now with Christmas around the corner.” I point at the case with the Italian donuts.

  Jamie nods. “Did you make them?”

  “Yeah.”

  His eyes sparkle when they meet mine. “I’ll take a box of everything you baked.”

  I narrow my eyes at him. “Seriously? I baked a lot of the pastries in the cases.”

  “All of them,” he says, his voice level and serious. “I have a lot of teammates to feed. If I come back with one box, it’ll be gone before I get to try any.”

  Mrs. Rizzo interrupts our staring contest and slides behind the counter next to me. “I can get this, Shannon.” Then she looks up at Jamie, smiling. “What can I get you?”

  Jamie literally orders at least half of the store, keeping Mrs. Rizzo occupied as she stacks over a dozen boxes on the counter in front of Jamie. He ordered everything from zeppole, cannoli, pizzicato, and anisette cookies, and even Italian rum cake. After feeding his teammates, I have no doubt they’ll devour all of it. But still, he didn’t have to do this.

  I finish off the last cupcake on the table in front of me and box them up. A woman who lives around the corner ordered five-dozen cupcakes for her daughter’s fourteenth birthday party. For the last two hours, I’ve been working nonstop to ensure the pretty, pink cupcakes had enough glitz and glam to make a teenage girl happy.

  Abby had me bake similar cupcakes in the past for sorority events. I’m usually the go-to person when it comes to cooking or baking. There’s nothing I love more than working in a kitchen, but I enjoy the comforts of the bakery far more.

  Mrs. Rizzo rings up Jamie’s order, and I gasp when he hands over four hundred dollars in cash. The only time I’ve ever seen anyone buy that many pastries was for a large party. With the holidays around the corner, we’ve had more requests for Christmas-themed pastries and cakes in much larger volumes. This week alone, I’ve worked almost double my regular hours to help Mrs. Rizzo fulfill all of the orders.

  “Need help carrying those out to your car?” I ask Jamie, who has half a dozen piled so high in his arms that I can’t see his face.

  He angles his body to look at me. “Nah, I got it.”

  “I’m done,” I inform him. “How about I grab a few and meet you at your car?”

  Jamie angles his body to wink at me, and then he disappears through the door Mrs. Rizzo’s holding open for him.

  She rushes back to the counter, lowering her voice to a whisper even though Jamie can’t hear her from inside the store. “I like him. How come I haven’t heard about him?”

  “You did. Remember the guy I told you about? His name is Jamie,” I say, unhooking my apron. “We’ve been friends for a few years. But now, we’re kind of dating.”

  She chuckles, her pale cheeks reddening. “You can’t kind of date someone.”

  “We haven’t had a discussion about our relationship yet. I guess he’s my boyfriend.”

  I don’t even notice Jamie walk back into the bakery until I hear his deep, manly voice. “You guess?” He pushes his hands to his hips, drawing my attention to his thick chest and broad shoulders.

  “Umm… I mean, I don’t want to assume.”

  I step out from behind the counter, and he extends his hand to me. Slipping my fingers between his, he says, “You’re my girl, Shan. I thought that was obvious. Maybe I need to step up my game.”

  I laugh at his comment and pat his muscular arm. “You’re game doesn’t need any work.”

  “I hope you’re hungry.”

  I shrug. “I can eat.”

  We say our goodbyes to Mrs. Rizzo, and he leads me out to his car. The wind ripping through the city sends a chill down my spine. Cars fly down the street, dangerously close to the dark blue car.

  “Of course you own a Tesla.” I smirk. “How very Tony Stark of you.”

  “Tony Stark drives an Audi R8 in the movies,” he counters. “But he does have a Tesla Roadster in his workshop.”

  “You know what I mean, Jamie.” I snort at his correctness.

  “Tony’s kind of a dick,” he adds. “I like to think I’m more of a young Elon Musk, you know because he owns Tesla.”

  “I know who he is.” I roll my eyes as he opens the door for me.

  “Here’s a fun fact. Did you know the Tesla Roadster they showed in the movie wasn’t even available to the public when they released Iron Man?”

  “No, I didn’t.”

  Jamie slips behind the wheel, hitting a bunch of buttons as the car comes to life. He continues the conversation about Iron Man, Tesla, and other Marvel movies as he navigates through South Philly.

  “My boyfriend is such a nerd,” I confess.

  We come to a stoplight, and he looks over at me, a cute smile tugging at his mouth. “Didn’t you know nerds are cool now?”

  “Because of Iron Man,” I joke.

  He nods. “Probably. Ever since the first m
ovie came out, women seem to like nerds a lot more than they used to.”

  “That’s because they know how to make money, and a lot of women want to be taken care of.”

  He hits the gas hard when the light turns green, and the sheer force of the electric motor has me pinned against the chair. “But you’re not one of them,” he says. “That’s one of the things I like about you, Shan. You want to do something with your life. Not many people know what they want to do after college.”

  “You do,” I challenge.

  He shakes his head, making a right turn toward Center City. “I still have no clue. I’d love to play pro hockey, but I also love video games. I wish I didn’t have to make a choice.”

  “Why can’t you do both?”

  “I guess I could. But I’d rather put one hundred percent of my time into one thing. If I ever want to code a game of the same caliber as my dad’s Universe, I have to give it everything I’ve got. I can’t do that if I’m traveling for hockey all the time. Hockey takes up too much of my life right now. I can’t even imagine what it’ll be like to play for a pro team.”

  “When the time comes, you’ll choose whatever career feels right.”

  “You always know the right thing to say, Shan.” He reaches over to place his hand on my knee and gives it a quick squeeze. “What are you doing for the Christmas break?”

  “The usual family stuff. Make cookies with my mom. Hang stockings and decorate the tree with my dad. We visit my grandmother in Washington D.C. for a few days during the week of Christmas. Nothing special. What about you?”

  “Our holidays are usually centered around hockey and video games. I’m going to the 10X Games convention with my family. My dad is giving a keynote speech this year.”

  “I’ve never been to a video game conference. Is it like Comic-Con?”

  “Yeah, sort of. Have you been to Comic-Con?”

  I shake my head. “No, but I’ve seen videos online. Looks pretty intense.”

  “I guess.” He rolls his shoulders. “I’m used to it after all these years. Some people dress as the characters from my dad’s games and try to mimic their voice and actions. You get the weird ones, but there’re also a ton of legit gamers who come to the events. You should come? If you can…”

  “When is it?”

  “Two days after Christmas. This year it’s in Baltimore, so we can drive there together.”

  “I wish I could,” I admit. “The week of Christmas is pretty hectic at my house. Plus, we have to visit my grandmother that week. But count me in for the next one.”

  “I’ll hold you to it.” I see him smile in the darkness as he whips around another turn, headed toward the restaurant.

  * * *

  After dinner, Jamie parks in front of my house. My hands shake from the nerves rocking through me. Jamie’s rich, like mega-wealthy, and here we are out front of the rowhouse in Northeast Philly where I live with my parents. The house where I grew up. I still have posters on my bedroom walls from when I was in middle school. I even have the same bedding and furniture.

  I smack a kiss on his cheek. “Thanks for everything.”

  He cups the side of my face in his big hand and brings my mouth to his. A soft kiss causes my heart to flutter, his touch so delicate and sensual it causes tiny bumps to dot my skin.

  “Let me walk you in,” Jamie offers.

  “No,” I say against his lips. “You don’t have to do that.”

  He laughs. “Why? Are you embarrassed by me?”

  “No, of course not. But I have to get my brother ready for bed.”

  “You mean you have to play Mage Wars with him,” he says, tipping up my chin with his finger until our eyes meet. “Who better to play with him than me?”

  I stare into his eyes, unsure how to respond. “Really? You’d do that?”

  “We’re not that different, Shan.”

  He’s right. But no matter how much I like Jamie, it’s hard not to see his real life. To see the money and everything that comes with it. I’m sitting in a sports car that probably costs more than my parents’ house. This fact isn’t lost on me.

  I nod in agreement, and he smiles. “If you don’t mind playing against a loud-mouthed ten-year-old, then let’s go.” I push open the door, glancing over my shoulder at Jamie. “I’m not responsible for anything my parents or brother say. And if my mom offers to show you old pictures, please say no. She likes to embarrass me in front of guests since we don’t have them often.”

  He chuckles. “Oh, hell no. I’m saying yes to that. Actually, now that you mention it, I might insist I see your baby pics.”

  I roll my eyes and get out of the car. Jamie’s at my side in seconds, hooking his arm through mine to lead me up the stairs to my house. A wave of heat smacks me in the face when we step inside. It’s a welcome relief from the chill that was causing my teeth to chatter.

  My dad is in the recliner in the corner. His head is tilted to the side to watch the television. Mom has her head down, eyes focused on the paperback book in her hand.

  “I’m home,” I say to get their attention. When my parents glance in my direction, I point at Jamie. “This is Jamie, my boyfriend.”

  My dad’s eyebrows rise in confusion as they should. I never told my parents about Jamie. In fact, I don’t offer much of my life outside of the mundane conversation about work and school.

  “Boyfriend?” Dad’s tone indicates a question.

  “Yeah.” I tug on Jamie’s hand for him to follow behind me over to the recliner.

  Jamie stretches out his hand to my father.

  “I’m Jamie O’Connor, sir. Nice to meet you.”

  “You know the game I play every night with Cameron,” I say to my dad. “The one you’re kind of addicted to now.”

  “Mage… ugh, what’s it called again? The one with the swords and magic spells.”

  “Mage Wars,” I finish for him with a nod. “Jamie’s dad created it.”

  My dad narrows his eyes at me before refocusing his gaze on Jamie. “Is that so? Then, I guess you’re the one I should blame for frying my son’s brain.” He chuckles and then gets up from the recliner to shake Jamie’s hand again. “You need to show me how to get the Elixir of Life before you leave.”

  “Dad,” I groan.

  He shrugs. “You’re not here all the time with Cam. He can’t advance to the next level without it.”

  “I know but—”

  “I don’t mind,” Jamie interrupts. “I have time.”

  My dad taps Jamie on the back leading him upstairs to Cameron’s bedroom. Jamie looks over his shoulder as we descend the stairs and winks at me.

  I already know without him saying that my dad thinks Jamie’s a keeper. And that’s what scares me most about our relationship. Because I fear losing him. I’m terrified of what my life will be like without him in it.

  Where does the fear even come from? My past, I suppose. A man like Jamie is almost too good to be true. And somehow, I’ve managed to get him all to myself.

  Chapter Twelve

  Jamie

  The convention center is packed, full of gamers and super fans. I spot several women dressed as Leto, the wife of Magnus, the Grand Mage from my father’s Universe. Thin fabric drapes over their shoulders barely covering their breasts. They look like the Greek goddess my dad named her after. Their robes are black and gold with slits running up each side of their togas.

  The few female characters in The Fallen Universe are hot. All of them have long hair, big tits, and curves for days, never dressed in more than what could pass for shredded rags. At every event, at least one of the girlfriends or wives of a gamer is dressed as Magnus’ counterpart.

  Helping my older brother get ready for the demonstration, I sit behind one of the long tables in our raised booth and finish the audio and video preparations. Mike is a control freak. He’s been up my ass since the minute we were escorted to our large section of the 10X Gaming Con.

  Kevin Carmichael, Cece’s fath
er and owner of 10X Games, runs the convention. Even though he’s our competition, every video game company worth a damn has a booth at the event. We have to play the game. It’s all part of the show.

  My family has to pretend to like the Carmichaels, despite what Cece has done to me. My dad can’t stand her dad, but he says it’s better to befriend the enemy. He’s a better man than me. I never hide my hatred for Cece and her family, not when she tried to ruin my life.

  Kevin asked my dad to give the keynote speech on the future of role-playing games. Of course, he said yes. And now my entire family is stuck pretending we’re happy to be here. It’s considered an honor to attend the 10X Games Con because who wouldn’t want to be a 10Xer?

  “All set,” I say to Mike.

  He steals his gaze away from the large projection screen spanning one wall of our booth to look at me. “Did you check the video feed?”

  I roll my eyes, hating the fact he always treats me like a child. “Yes. I did that first.”

  He shoves his hands into the pockets of his dark slacks and sighs. “How does the audio sound?”

  I hold up my hand and give him a thumbs up with a mocking expression on my face.

  Mike leans forward, pressing his palms to the table, his gaze intense. We have the same blue eyes, same brown hair, except his is longer on the sides. He looks more like my dad than me, though I have the same pitch to my voice as my dad, where Mike’s is much deeper. So much so that he’s the voice of one of the characters in Mage Wars.

  “Don’t act like a dick,” Mike growls. “This is a big day for Dad, and he has a lot riding on this going well. The live stream needs to be perfect.”

  “It is,” I assure him. “I tested it five times.”

  Lately, my dad and brother have been under a lot of stress. Even my sister, Grace, looks nervous. She’s at the corner of our booth talking to my mom, chewing on her fingernails. I haven’t seen her do that in years. Whatever’s going on with my siblings must be bigger than I know. My dad hasn’t said anything to me, but he has stressed the importance of this event several times over the last month.