Gaming for Keeps (Entangled Ever After) by Seleste deLaney Page B

having a tough time getting anyone to volunteer. Pen stepped to the edge of the roped area. “I’ll do it.”
    The guy, about six-two and on the plus side of two hundred pounds, eyed her up and down. “Do you have experience with a sword?”
    Fencing all through college and a lot of practice with her Wii lightsaber. She rolled her eyes. “Hold it and swing, right?”
    “Oh boy. Come on in and get suited up.” He pointed to some ridiculous padding in the corner.
    “No thanks.” She picked up one of the wooden swords and whipped it around like an idiot. What she really wanted was for some cocky asshole to jump in with her so she could beat the snot out of him.
    A too-familiar deep voice piped up from behind her. “I’ll take her on.”
    She just didn’t expect this particular cocky asshole to volunteer.
    Spinning around, she came face-to-face with not one, but both of the guys she’d spent too much time with yesterday. While Cal stepped into the ring, Kent stood right outside the ropes, smirking at her. Whatever. Let him watch . Of course, she’d have preferred he never watch her do anything again.
    Still, if she was going to beat someone up, better one of the guys who deserved it than some random stranger. The instructor positioned them across from each other and started talking about proper form. Pen zoned him out.
    “I texted you,” Cal said, tipping his head toward her bag in the corner.
    She shrugged. “Sorry, I was enjoying vibrate mode too much to bother responding.”
    He ignored the jibe. “So…tonight?”
    Oh, fuck this. She swung at his head, and he blocked with an inch to spare. “I have plans. They don’t include you.”
    Cal frowned at her as she jerked her sword back. “What happened? I thought we hit it off.”
    “Yeah? Well.” She thrust at his abdomen, and he parried. “My plans have room for two at most. Your more-hot-than-cute girlfriend can’t join in. Sorry.”
    The instructor stepped between them. “Hey, you two, we’re not quite ready for—”
    Pen glared at him. “Shut up and get out of the damn way.”
    She lunged at Cal, but he sidestepped and caught her sword hand in his free one.
    “What are you talking about?”
    As she jerked away, she accidentally whacked him across the face with the sword. Too bad—he shouldn’t have grabbed her. “Are you kidding me? I’m not blind, Cal. And I’m not stupid. I saw you with her at lunch. Blonde with the legs that went on forever? Ring any bells? Or does your non-attraction to hot girls end when the makeup’s off?”
    “The call this morning was from my job; that’s why she showed up. Ow!” He staggered backward as she clipped his thigh, and the crowd roared. “I work with her!”
    “Sure you do. She definitely looks like the kind of girl who plays with computers and hacks into the FBI database for fun. Was she looking for fashion tips there?” People cheered around them as Pen battered against his raised sword over and over again, searching for another sign of weakness, but he blocked her at every turn. She wanted to hurt him at least as badly as seeing him with the blonde had hurt her.
    Why couldn’t he have just let her keep her illusions? She wanted to be able to have a guy act decently and not ruin it with reality. Just once. Apparently that was too much to ask for. Might as well have all the truth on the table and find out exactly how far he’d pulled the wool over her eyes. “Is it all an act? I mean, are you even in coding?”
    “Of course I am. Why the hell would I make that up? There are much sexier jobs out there.” A muscle twitched under his eye as he answered. It was a lie. He lied right to her damn face.
    “Fine. Then you should be able to read my shirt.” She shoved against his sword and stepped back, spreading her arms wide. The instructor came over and pried the sword from her hand, leaving Penelope free to square off with Cal—though markedly less able to inflict any real damage. “Come on,