My Alphas' Dark Desires novel Chapter 326

Chapter 326: A Day to Remember

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Chapter 326

~Valerie’s POV~

I arched a brow. "Lose what?"

"Everything."

"You’re exasperating."

"Accurate," he said again, that same smug tone from earlier.

The first game he dragged me to was one of those old-school racing simulators with fake steering wheels and squeaky pedals.

Ash slid into the seat next to mine, leaning back casually like he had all the time in the world.

"You’ve raced before, right?" he asked, starting up his machine.

I frowned, gripping the wheel. "I drive."

"That’s not racing," he said with mock pity. "This," he gestured dramatically to the screen, "is an art form."

"Uh-huh." I narrowed my eyes at him. "Prepare to lose, Ashton."

"Big words for someone who just called this place a headache."

The countdown started, and within seconds, we were off.

To say I was bad would be an understatement.

My car smashed into every wall possible, spun out at least twice, and at one point, I was driving backwards without meaning to.

Meanwhile, Ash barely touched his steering wheel and somehow stayed perfectly ahead the entire time.

"Are you even trying?" he drawled lazily, not even glancing at me as he drifted around another perfect turn.

"Yes," I snapped, wrestling with the wheel. "This thing hates me."

"Mmhm. Sure it does."

When the race ended, his name blazed at the top of the leaderboard, while mine didn’t even make the cut.

"Embarrassing," he said solemnly, shaking his head like he was genuinely disappointed.

My lips twisted to the side. I hated losing, be it in a game or in real life. And since meeting my mates, it looks like I have lost more times than I could count.

I glared at him. "Rematch."

He smirked, leaning back. "Careful, Val. Pride gets expensive here."

—

By the third game, I was still losing. Air hockey, basketball hoops, even a random claw machine, Ash wiped the floor with me at every single one.

"You’re cheating," I accused jokingly, crossing my arms as he smugly pocketed yet another handful of tickets.

"Natural talent," he said smoothly, spinning one of the tickets around his finger.

"Nobody’s that good."

"Maybe you’re just that bad."

I gasped dramatically, smacking his arm. "Take that back."

I wasn’t that bad, to be honest; he just excelled so perfectly well that even my best looked weak.

But in real life, he’d be eating those words.

"Nope," he said, grinning wickedly.

Finally, I spotted a shooting game tucked in the corner and jabbed a finger at it. "That one. I’m beating you at that one."

Ash raised a brow, looking amused. "You sure?"

"Positive."

"Alright, princess," he nodded, picking up the toy gun and cocking it like it was real. "Show me what you’ve got."

Somehow, miraculously, or maybe he flunked it on purpose, but I ended up destroying him.

By the end of the round, my score doubled his, and the machine spat out a ridiculous amount of tickets in my direction.

I turned to him slowly, savouring the moment. "Who’s bad now?"

Ash stared at the screen, then at me, then at the pile of tickets in my hand. Finally, he leaned in with a deadly serious expression. "...Beginner’s luck."

I burst out laughing, the sound surprising even me. "Oh, no, no, no. I earned this victory, Ash. You’re just mad because I beat you fair and square."

He scoffed, grabbing his own smaller handful of tickets. "Enjoy it while it lasts."

Ash’s lips were warm and unhurried, teasing me with just enough pressure to make me crave more.

One of his hands rose to cup my jaw, his thumb brushing gently along my cheekbone, grounding me even as my knees threatened to give out beneath me.

The night air was cool, but I barely noticed. My entire world narrowed to the feel of Ash against me.

The faint taste of chocolate milkshake lingering on his lips, the warmth of his breath, and the way his chest rose and fell just as fast as mine.

I parted my lips slightly, and Ash responded instantly, deepening the kiss with a low, restrained groan that sent shivers down my spine.

It wasn’t rushed. It wasn’t desperate. It was like he was memorising the moment and the feel of my body against him.

Every brush of his fingers and press of his lips made something in me stir. That wildness that craved my mates so much was awakening, but luckily, we stopped.

When we finally broke apart, breathless and flushed, Ash rested his forehead against mine, his lips still grazing mine lightly, as if he didn’t want to let go.

"...That," he murmured huskily, "was dangerous."

My chest rose and fell rapidly, my fingers still tangled in the fabric of his shirt. "You started it," I whispered inaudibly.

His lips curved into a faint, lazy smirk, but his gaze was soft. "Pretty sure you did," he countered quietly, his thumb brushing my jaw again.

I rolled my eyes, but the warmth blooming in my chest refused to fade.

Neither of us spoke for a moment.

Then Ash finally exhaled, stepping back just enough to meet my gaze fully. He bent down and picked up my fox.

Dusted it before handing it to me. "Come on, princess," he said gently, his voice softer than I’d ever heard it. "We should get you back before your fan club sends a search party."

I nodded wordlessly, still dazed, still reeling from what had just happened, and from the way my heart wouldn’t stop racing.

We walked in silence for a bit, the city lights buzzing faintly above us. Finally, he nudged my shoulder with his. "Next time," he said casually, "I’m taking you somewhere cooler."

I snorted. "Like where? A secret underground fight club?"

He smirked. "Maybe. You’ll have to say yes to find out."

"What made you so sure there’d be a next time?" I asked, trying to hide the smile tugging at my lips and playing hard to get.

"I just know."

I rolled my eyes but smiled anyway. "We’ll see."

"Translation: yes," he said smugly, and interlocked his fingers with mine. "Come on, my light."