Her Best Shot Page 11

  He stroked her back and all logical thought fled from her brain.

  “You’re amazing and we’re not equals. You’re better than I am, and I’ve always known that. I don’t know how you didn’t see it.”

  They were both messed up, and she felt better realizing it. Against his chest, she mumbled, “You’re wrong.”

  He released her so he could look at her face. She saw he was ready for an argument.

  Layla wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. “You’re him. You’re the guy. Deep down I felt it, but didn’t pay attention. I’ve never been more myself than I am with you.”

  “Does that mean I won?”

  “Won what?”

  “You.”

  “You never really lost me.” She curled back into his arms. “What do we do now?”

  “First, we go win the tournament.”

  “And then?”

  “Then I follow you wherever you want to go,” Phin said.

  “Really?”

  “I want to plant my roots near you.”

  This time, when her chest tightened, Layla was happy. Her heart swelled and raced and part of her felt like it might burst, but it was an excellent feeling. Phin picked her up and carried her back to bed.

  Suddenly making it back to the tournament was unimportant. She’d already won.

  Keep reading for a special excerpt from Chapter 1 of Her Perfect Game, Charlie’s story, coming next month. And don’t miss Felicity’s spring break adventure in Her Winning Formula, available in November!

  If you liked Her Best Shot, be sure to check out Shannyn Schroeder’s contemporary romance series, The O’Learys:

  More Than This

  A Good Time

  Something to Prove

  Catch Your Breath

  Charlie walked through her apartment, keenly aware of the quiet. Her roommate Amy usually left the TV or the radio playing. Sometimes both. Charlie glanced to the kitchen counter and saw two wineglasses sitting near the sink.

  Oh goody, Amy had her boyfriend over. Again. Charlie was trying not to be a bitch about it, but the man was in their place more than Charlie was, and he wasn’t paying for anything. What made it worse was that he’d eat her food, like her favorite yogurt, and then not even have the decency to offer a fake apology.

  She yanked her hair free from her ponytail and kicked her shoes off, nudging them close to the door so she could easily find them in the morning. Work had beaten her down tonight. As much as she hated the morning shift at a coffee shop, she could at least understand why people might be rude to her. She tended to land on the far side of testy without her morning dose of caffeine. But at seven in the evening?

  Tonight had been one of those nights when she could do nothing right. Even if she thought it had been right, the customers didn’t agree. All she wanted was a hot shower and some time to play The Order of Resskaar. As she grabbed her pajamas from her room, she heard quiet moans coming from the other side of the wall she shared with Amy.

  Good thing Charlie owned an excellent pair of headphones. Her dry spell would make hearing Amy and her boyfriend go at it difficult at best. Charlie didn’t like being jealous, but it had been way too long since she’d experienced a screaming orgasm, regardless of what her good friends believed.

  Part of that was because Ethan had never hit the mark that some men did. He hadn’t been a bad lover, exactly, just not as good as others. She sighed and started the hot water. She needed to flush men from her mind. Only two months remained in the school year, and then she wouldn’t be able to hold her secret anymore.

  Telling everyone—her mom, Layla, Felicity—that she had dropped out of school would sting a whole lot less if she at least had a plan figured out. Having time to implement that plan would be even better.

  After her shower, Charlie went back to her room and tuned out the sounds of the squeaky bed banging against the wall. She booted up her computer and put on her headphones. She hoped Win was online because she could really use a friend tonight. He’d take her mind off her lame job and whiny customers. And if it was a quiet night, maybe they could sneak away for some private time.

  So much for flushing men from her mind.

  But Win didn’t count. He was a virtual man. Well, she was pretty sure he was a man in the real world too, but she only knew him virtually, as a dwarven mage. And it would stay that way unless she could finally convince him to join her at the convention. They would have so much fun together. Even outside the bedroom.

  As the home screen welcomed her, Charlie began to relax. She turned the volume up on her stereo to drown out Amy’s noise. She preferred to listen to music while she played and just read the conversation on screen. In her head, the characters had natural voices, and the computerized versions never sounded real enough, so she ignored them.

  She shot a message to Win.

  You around?

  No one answered, so she wandered through the virtual forest looking for the rest of the members of her guild. At least two others were logged on. As she walked, she noticed that her friends had picked up some treasures while she’d been at work. Looking at the loot, she saw things that they had all agreed were unnecessary for their mission. She sighed. This happened every now and then, especially when new members joined the guild.

  She didn’t try to restrict membership, but she had guidelines for what she expected the group to be. They were called The Guardians after all. Stealing from people and taking things they didn’t need went against everything they stood for. She searched for the tree that would have the items tied to the boughs out of sight. When she found the bag, she took it with her to the village. Starting at the orphanage, she handed out items that others would use to barter to stay alive.

  That’s when she ran into Kraven. He was the newest member of the guild, and she suspected he was the one responsible for the bag.

  What are you doing? That’s my stuff.

  I’m spreading the wealth. That’s what we do.

  Do you know how many people I had to go up against to earn that?

  I have no idea. What were you planning to do with it?

  Save it to exchange for things we’ll need. There are only a few more missions until we reach the final one. We’ll need supplies to help Resskaar.

  I’m in no hurry to reach the final battle. I told you that when you asked to join my guild.

  Your guild? I assumed it was Win’s guild. He was the one who invited me.

  Win invited you after talking to me.

  Figures. I’m out.

  Kraven snatched the bag from her hand and took off with whatever of his loot remained. He sneered at a few of the villagers, but he knew better than to take what she had just given them.

  Confronting Kraven left a bad taste in her mouth. She’d come to the game tonight to find refuge, not a fight. Now, however, a fight might make her feel better. She checked the mission status. The others from her guild had logged off, except Kraven. She was on her own. She marched to the edge of town and took off in a run to find the band of marauders she knew had taken up camp.

  The thieves stormed every village they came across until they left nothing but a shell behind. She knew she wouldn’t be able to take them all on, but her health was near one hundred percent, so she could handle a couple before retreating.

  In the distance, she saw the small campfire. As she neared the edge of the camp, she crept along the tree line. If she could find the right vantage point, she could take out half the group without breaking a sweat. Spotting a low-hanging branch, she jumped and climbed. When she found a good bough, one with enough coverage to hide her but still allow a clean shot with her arrow, she settled in. As she surveyed the group below her, a ping told her one of her guild had just logged on.

  Win.

  It was silly that her heartbeat quickened at the sight of his name, but every time she saw it, it was like she knew she’d be able to see a good friend.

  Hey, gorgeous, where are you? Not in our cave.r />
  She typed back quickly.

  In a tree about to cause some trouble.Want to join me?

  On my way.

  That was one of the many reasons she loved Win. He didn’t ask questions; he just came. She got comfortable on her branch while she waited for him and developed a plan. She knew which men she’d need to take out first, and now that Win would have her back, she could attack and he could swoop in and take their cache.

  By the end of her night, she’d at least make a few other people secure, and that might be enough to make up for her evening.

  Moments later, she saw the rustle of a bush and knew Win had arrived. He always knew where to find her. She launched her first arrow, nailing one soldier’s shoulder. She’d taken out two more before the others realized what was happening. Unfortunately, they figured out quickly where she was and came at her.

  She jumped from her branch and led them away from Win’s position. Without the rest of their guild, he didn’t stand a chance against these monsters. She might be able to outrun them. It seemed like a good plan until one shot a rock and hit her in the head. A breath later they were on her, kicking her and throwing more stones. Her life energy was waning fast. She tried to scramble to her feet, but it was no use. They outnumbered her and had her surrounded.

  Suddenly a flash fire burst around her and she sighed. If it had been the enemy, she’d be in flames. This was Win’s doing. The group tossed a few more rocks in her direction, but gave up when they realized that it wasn’t worth the health points to get past the fire.

  Thanks for having my back.

  That was a stupid move. You okay?

  Been better.

  Then the flames died and Win stood there staring at her, a stuffed bag flung over his shoulder. The mission was a success.

  Come on.

  He leaned over to pick her up.

  In the quiet of her bedroom, Charlie laughed out loud. Win was a dwarf, a short, round guy about half her height. He was strong, though, and he hefted her and ran back to their cave.

  You need to be more careful, Laura.

  Win almost never called her by name. It suddenly struck her as weird. She called him Win all the time, but he never called her Laura.

  They didn’t speak again until they were safe and Win healed her. He was always doing that, taking care of her. Not that she didn’t do her share of saving his ass, but he was a healer and she was a warrior. They made a hell of a team.

  When she had regained her strength, she sat in front of the fire Win had built for them.

  Have you thought about coming to the con next week?

  I told you, I don’t know if I can.

  If it’s money, you can crash in my room. All you need is registration.

  We’ll see.

  She winked at him.

  It’ll be fun.

  Then she curled up to sleep. Win lay beside her and everything in her calmed.

  If only she had that in real life.

  Photo: Nicole Morisco

  About the Author

  Shannyn Schroeder is a former high school and middle school English teacher. She holds a BA in English and MAs in Special Education and Gifted Education. After having her third child, she decided to stay at home. She’s since worked as an editor for a couple of e-publishers and currently works as an editor for an education company that publishes online current events assignments. She juggles writing around the kids’ schedules.

  In her spare time, Shannyn loves to bake and watches far too much TV, especially cop shows. She started her first book on a dare from her husband and has never looked back. She came to reading romance later than many, but lives for the happy ending, and writes contemporary romance because she enjoys the adventure of new love.

  Readers can visit Shannyn online at www.shannynschroeder.com and follow her on Twitter @SSchroeder_.

  eKENSINGTON BOOKS are published by

  Kensington Publishing Corp.

  119 West 40th Street

  New York, NY 10018

  Copyright © 2014 by Shannyn Schroeder

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  ISBN: 978-1-6018-3333-4