Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 75983 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 380(@200wpm)___ 304(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75983 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 380(@200wpm)___ 304(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
“Go on, load up your plate before we get to the gifts.” Irma shoved a paper plate into my hand. Seeing as how her whoopie pies were a big reason I’d agreed to come, I managed a more genuine smile for her. I did, however, sit right next to Rudy, breathing no small sigh of relief when Chris ended up across the table rather than on Rudy’s other side.
Naturally, for a group of gamers, the gift exchange was not as simple as passing out presents. There were complicated rules, most of which I promptly forgot, including drawing of numbers for turns and the ability to swipe previously opened gifts from each other. Chris ended up going before me, and he selected one of the two gifts Rudy had brought. Coincidence? I didn’t think so, and I couldn’t let his opportunism stand, so I used my turn to swipe the deck of cards for myself.
“What are you going to do with a deck?” Rudy whispered next to me. “Are you planning to start a play group in Seattle?”
“You never know,” I said airily, trying to look for all the world like I wanted nothing more than this ant-colony themed deck.
“You should play-test the deck later.” Chris winked at me. Winked. The audacity.
And that was how I ended up playing an unfamiliar deck with none of my usual big attack mechanics in a foursome with Troy, Chris, and Rudy. I lost the first match rather soundly, so I was quick to agree to another round, plans of getting Rudy alone be damned.
In the next game, I was strategic, building my army of ants slowly, and sending small but annoying amounts of damage at Chris and his collection of friendly-looking frog cards every time I had the opportunity. Undeterred, he grinned at Rudy.
“Fancy an alliance?” He waved a palmful of dice in Rudy’s direction. “I’ll grant you peace for a few turns if you have a way of dealing with Alexander’s fortress of ants.”
“I might.” Rudy glanced over at me. It was entirely possible steam was rising off the top of my head. I shifted in my seat, wanting to be chosen, but not willing to speak up. Luckily, however, Rudy read my expression well. “But if I do that, the ants will turn on me. Can’t have angry ants headed my direction. Sorry.”
“No worries.” Chris proceeded to double down on his efforts to take me down, enlisting Troy’s help. For my part, I rewarded Rudy’s loyalty with all the assistance I could muster, putting him in a position to win. He took out Chris, and I tried not to gloat, even as Troy killed me on his next turn. At least I wasn’t the first to die, and Rudy handily killed Troy to win the round. Victory tasted sweeter than Irma’s pies.
“Good game.” Chris offered handshakes around the table as we cleaned up. “That was fun. Maybe I’ll make it to the January game night as well.”
I grit my teeth because I wouldn’t be here in January, and Rudy would be free to flirt with Chris if he were so inclined. Lord, I hoped he was not so inclined. If I were a nicer guy, I’d encourage Rudy to move on from our fling quickly, point out all the things he and Chris had in common.
I was not nice. I shoved Rudy’s dice box into his bag with enough force to rattle the dice. I might not have a winning play here, but I wasn’t going to help Chris any either. Fetching Rudy’s coat, I draped it over his shoulders with a possessive hand, potential gossip be damned.
“Your coat.”
“Thank you.” He grinned sweetly up at me, eyes as intent as if we were alone in the room. His adoration was heady stuff, and I was going to miss the attention so much.
“You’re cute jealous,” Rudy said quietly as we headed out into the cold and blustery night. “Bloodthirsty. But cute.”
I released a frustrated sound. “I don’t have a right to be jealous.”
“You do for another eight days.” Rudy shifted his bags so he could grab my hand. I let him. It was late and the street was largely deserted, but more importantly, I simply didn’t want to let him go. “And I’m likely turning down Chris’s coffee invite even after the first of the year. I wouldn’t know what to do with all that aggressive good cheer.”
“Are you saying I’ve given you a thing for temperamental dancers?” I couldn’t hide the relief tinging my voice.
“Apparently aloof and cranky does it for me.” Rudy swung my hand lightly. Our breath hung in front of us, and the wind brought a few rogue flurries. Not a storm yet, but warning signs nonetheless. Rudy paused as we reached where I’d parked near the back door. “Tell me you’re coming up even though it’s late.”