Page 22 of Desperate Games

My mom and her sisters-in-law, and sisters-of-the-heart, descend like a tactical strike of lipstick, perfume, and unsolicited opinions.

“Ay, Andrea, you look gorgeous, baby!”

“She looks thin! Are you eating? Is Adrik working you too hard again?”

“Don’t you let him push you around, sweetie!”

“No, Auntie Sof, work is great. Uncle Ad is an angel,” I say truthfully as I get passed around for kisses, shoulder pats, and light critiques.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Remy standing there—still and amused—as the entire Volkov-Fury female contingent proceeds to fuss over me.

But then something happens.

The herd pivots.

They turn to him.

Aunt Anna gives him a once-over. “Well, Remy Falco, you clean up nice!”

“Yes, ma’am,” he says, charm turned up to eleven. “It’s so nice to see you again.”

“Oh, honey, call me Anna.”

“I would,” he says with a sly grin, “but I’m pretty sure Mr. Fury would have my head if I did.”

There’s a beat of silence.

Then Aunt Sisi smirks. “Well, he’s not wrong.”

The women cackle.

I mean, cackling like they’re all twenty again and Remy’s the hottest thing to hit Sunday dinner since Uncle Adrik wore tight jeans—so they say. Whatever.

I mean to me, he’s like my dad, so yeah, it’s super gross when they talk about him in tight jeans.

As for Remy? He is definitely attractive.

That panty-melting smile of his?

Yeah. I have to clutch the wine glass one of them thrust at me a little tighter.

Because no matter how much I pretend I’m over it—over him—my body doesn’t lie.

And from the way he’s watching me, like I’m the next meal he’s about to devour, well, I’m pretty sure we’re both about to be in trouble.

After a few minutes of sharp-eyed conversation, the aunts dissolve to torture my sisters and cousins.

I choke a little as Aunt Maria mouths, “bag that hottie” before she walks away with the rest of them.

“Wow. They are really protective of you.”

“Yeah. Of all of us, really,” I say, smiling as I watch them make the rounds.

Fact is, I want to be them one day. I want what they have.

But how can I accomplish that without a man or a baby?

Don’t think about that now.