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We were right all along about there being a connection to the game Lucy was caught up in. Because Peter Amberson was the one behind it.

Jacob Demetrius had met Peter Amberson on a message board on the dark web several years ago, and they bonded over their shared desire to, as Demetrius put it,monetize the natural human desire to take a life without fear of repercussion.

Bullshit. It’s all complete bullshit. Demetrius is a monster, just like Amberson was. Just like all the people who placed wagers on how long Lucy would survive and the ones who paid tens of thousands to try to kill me and Tate on the island.

But Demetrius was furious that we caught Amberson. And once Amberson was killed in prison, that’s when Demetrius started plotting his revenge. Targeting me while I was on vacation seemed the easiest bet, and I’m still fucking furious that I never suspected. Me. Former Green Beret and security expert. Even though I know Demetrius tracked me through flight plans and rental cars, I can’t help feeling a bit like I failed.

I admitted that to Dante the other day, and he punched me hard enough to leave a bruise. “No one is omnipotent,” he told me. “Don’t you think we all wish we’d done something different at some point? It’s life. You’re okay. Tatum’s okay. And shit, if you hadn’t been taken, the game would probably still be going on. So it happened for a reason.”

It was hard to argue with that.

Tate’s phone chimes with an incoming text, and she glances down at it. As she reads the message, she smiles, then looks back at me. “Lucy says I look perfect.”

I catch Tate’s free hand. “Isn’t that what I just said?”

“Yes.” Her smile turns sheepish. “But I know you’d tell me I look good no matter what.”

Dipping my head, I capture her lips with mine, tasting a hint of strawberry from the shiny gloss she’s wearing. I’m tempted to deepen the kiss; fuck, I’m tempted to take her to bed right now. Screw the game night and spend it in here, worshipping Tate’s incredible body. Kissing her all over. Giving her a full body massage, using the new cinnamon roll-flavored massage oil she ordered. Spending extra time kissing the tattoo on her shoulder, the small landscape of pine trees and a brilliant blue sky overhead.

But. I promised Tate a game night. I’ve been talking up my friends for days, giving Tate the backstory of each of them. Promising they’ll love her just as much as everyone as Blade and Arrow does.

Later, though…

Breaking the kiss, I cup her cheek before stepping away. “I’d love to keep you here,” I tell her. “But we should probably get going. If we’re late, those vultures will eat all the food.”

“Oh!” Tate’s hand tightens around mine as she tows me out of the bedroom. “The food!” Once we’re in the kitchen, she grabs the giant plate of cookies and thrusts it at me. Then she opensthe oven and pulls out a tray of foil covered sliders, which have been warming in there since she made them.

“Do you think this is enough?” she asks. “I know there are going to be a lot of people here. Maybe I should have made more.”

“You made plenty,” I assure her. “Although I have to admit, I’m a little jealous that I have to share those cookies with everyone else.”

As we move towards the front door, Tate flashes me a smile. “You know I’ll make cookies for you any time.”

Out of the blue, I’m hit with an image of the future.

Tate and me, living together. Not as a temporary thing, but permanently. As mywife. She’s in the kitchen, pulling those delicious fudge-dipped cookies from the oven. Then she sees me and her eyes light up. I notice a tiny bit of chocolate on her lips and I kiss it away, which then leads to?—

“Erik.” Tate casts a side glance at my waist. Or rather, to the rising bulge below it. “What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing.” I pause to lock the door, taking a moment to adjust myself before turning back to her. A beat passes before I admit part of it. “I was thinking about kissing you again. And… other things.”

Her gaze heats. “I like other things.”

“When we get home,” I reply. “I have a whole list in mind of things I want to do to you. Starting with kisses. Then a massage. And after that, I’ll take you in the shower and do that thing you liked before.”

“Erik.”Her breath catches. Her nipples press at her shirt. “I would love that.” Then she glances down and her cheeks go pink. “Oh, crud! I can’t meet everyone like this!”

“You’re fine.” I loop my arm around her shoulder and kiss the top of her head. “Don’t worry.”

With Tate tucked against my side, we make our way to the team living room, where everyone is gathering for game night. In the beginning, back when there were fewer of us, we’d meet in Dante and Sarah’s apartment. But now that there are twelve of us living here, plus another six of our friends from San Antonio, it makes more sense to have our game night in the group space.

As we get closer, the cheerful hum of conversation and laughter grows.

Tate tenses, and I tell her quietly, “If it gets to be too much, we can leave. Any time. You just give me the word.”

She pinks up again as she looks up at me. “It’s silly. It’s not like I haven’t met people I don’t know before. I guess… I just want everyone to like me.”

Seeing the rare uncertainty in her eyes, the vulnerability she’s showing me; my heart twists. “They will love you. Just like I do.”