Page 41 of Stripe Theory (The Matchmaker’s Book Club #8)

FORTY

T hen he was moving, Hunter falling in behind him as they headed toward the disturbance. Alora watched them go, her heart racing for reasons that had nothing to do with danger.

“You two are adorable,” Maya declared. “In a scary-hot kind of way.”

“Shut up and help me save the world.”

“Yes, boss. But for the record? The sexual tension is getting ridiculous.”

Alora threw a pen at her, but couldn’t quite hide her smile. Even with danger closing in, her heart felt lighter. They had science, they had family, and they had each other.

Now they just had to survive long enough to enjoy it.

The power stabilized, but Alora’s nerves didn’t. She tried to focus on the treatment protocols, but her eyes kept darting to the door. What was taking so long? She’d checked her phone six times in two minutes when Maya finally spoke up.

“They’re fine. Hunter’s with him, and Hunter is monitoring everything from security.”

“I know.” Alora adjusted her microscope unnecessarily. “I’m not worried.”

“Sure. And that pen you’re strangling did something to deserve it?”

Alora looked down at her white-knuckled grip and forced herself to relax. She opened her mouth to respond when the lab door hissed open.

Rehan strode in, looking deliciously rumpled. His tie was loose, hair slightly mussed, and there was a small tear in his sleeve. Her heart did a complicated gymnastics routine.

“Status?” Jewel asked from Sierra’s bedside.

“Handled.” His eyes found Alora’s. “Someone tried to breach the secondary server room. They didn’t succeed.”

The intensity of his gaze made her breath catch. He crossed to her workstation in three long strides, and before she could think of something scientific to say, his hands cupped her face.

“You’re okay?” The question came out rough.

“I’m fine. You’re the one who?—”

The kiss caught her mid-sentence. His lips claimed hers with desperate hunger, weeks of tension exploding into heat and need. Her hands fisted in his shirt as she pressed closer, breathing in his scent, feeling the barely contained power in his frame. His tiger rumbled approval, the sound vibrating through their contact.

Someone whistled. Maya, probably.

“About time,” Sierra commented weakly.

Alora broke away, face flaming. “We have an audience.”

“Don’t care.” Rehan’s eyes had gone full amber, his thumbs tracing her cheekbones.

“If you two are quite finished,” Jewel interrupted, though her smile was warm, “we do have a crisis to manage.”

Alora reluctantly moved back, though Rehan’s hand found hers immediately.

“The new security protocols are holding,” Hunter reported, tactfully not mentioning their display. “But we intercepted communications suggesting more attempts are coming.”

Maya pulled up fresh data streams. “They’re getting desperate. They’re rushing their timeline.”

Alora moved to study the screens, Rehan a warm presence at her back. His arms slipped around her waist as she worked, and she found herself relaxing into his embrace. How had she ever managed without this?

“The conference is their last chance,” she realized, highlighting transmission patterns. “If we can block their initial attack...”

“They lose their window,” Hunter finished, entering with fresh intel. “Nice PDA earlier, by the way. Rehan owes me twenty bucks.”

“You bet on us?” Alora demanded.

“Please. Everyone bet on you. Even Jewel had money in the pool.”

“Mother!” Rehan sounded scandalized.

Jewel shrugged elegantly. “A mother knows these things. Now, about these distribution patterns...”

They worked steadily through the night, refining protocols and security measures. Rehan stayed close, his touch constant and grounding – a hand on her back as she leaned over samples, fingers brushing, stolen kisses between crisis points that left her dizzy and smiling.

“You’re distracting me,” she murmured after one particularly thorough kiss.

“You like it.” His thumb traced her lower lip.

“Mmm. But I need to finish these calculations.”

He sighed dramatically but released her. “Science before romance?”

“Science then romance,” she corrected. “Lots of romance. After we save everyone.”

“Deal.” He pressed a kiss to her temple. “But I’m holding you to that.”

Maya made gagging noises from her station. “You two are disgustingly cute. I’d say get a room, but we need the genius brain focused.”

“Like you’re any better around Hunter,” Alora shot back.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Really? So that wasn’t you I saw making eyes at him in the security office?”

Maya’s blush was answer enough.

They worked through more treatment variations, each success bringing hope. When Sierra’s latest readings showed improvement, Alora couldn’t contain her excitement. She spun to share the news and found herself caught up in Rehan’s arms, his kiss fierce with joy and pride.

“Brilliant,” he murmured against her lips. “You’re absolutely brilliant.”

“We’re all brilliant,” she corrected, though she didn’t pull away. “It’s a team effort.”

“Mostly brilliant,” Maya amended. “Some of us are just here to look pretty and make inappropriate comments.”

“And bet on people’s love lives,” Hunter added dryly.

Alora laughed, feeling lighter despite their circumstances. They still faced impossible odds, but somehow, wrapped in Rehan’s arms with their family around them, those odds felt a little less daunting.

Hours later, with Sierra stable and security protocols in place, Maya practically shoved them out of the lab.

“Go. Date. Be disgustingly cute somewhere else,” she insisted. “Hunter and I can monitor things for a few hours.”

“But—”

Maya’s expression softened. “You’ve been working for thirty-six hours straight. Take a break before you face-plant into a microscope.”

“She’s right,” Jewel added, checking Sierra’s readings. “Everything’s stable. Go.”

Rehan didn’t need to be told twice. His hand found Alora’s, tugging her toward the door. “I know a place.”

“I should at least change first,” Alora glanced down at her wrinkled lab coat. “I smell like chemicals and coffee.”

“You smell perfect.” But he steered them toward his private office anyway. “Though I do keep spare clothes here.”

His office proved to be as imposing as the rest of him – all dark wood and leather, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city. A door revealed a small private bathroom where Alora found not only a change of clothes but also her favorite shower products.

“Maya stocked it,” Rehan explained at her raised eyebrow. “Last week. She said, and I quote, ‘someone needs to plan ahead for you two idiots.’”

Twenty minutes later, feeling human again in soft leggings and an oversized sweater, she emerged to find Rehan had also changed into casual clothes. The sight of him in a fitted black Henley and dark jeans short-circuited her brain momentarily.

“Ready?” He held out his hand.

Instead of answering, she rose onto tiptoes to kiss him. He responded immediately, pulling her close as the kiss deepened. When they finally broke apart, his eyes had gone tiger-amber again.

“Keep that up and we won’t make it to dinner,” he growled.

“Is that a promise?”

His answering kiss left her breathless.

They did eventually make it to dinner – though “dinner” turned out to be gourmet takeout spread on a blanket in his private rooftop garden. String lights twinkled overhead, and the city sprawled below them like a sea of stars.

“This is perfect,” Alora sighed, leaning back against his chest. “Though I’m surprised you’re okay with eating on the ground.”

“I do occasionally relax.” His arms tightened around her. “Usually when brilliant scientists wear down my defenses with cat puns and explosive experiments.”

“Hey, that smoke bomb saved our lives.”

“It also turned my favorite tie purple.”

“Purple is your color.” She twisted to kiss his jaw. “Makes you look less broody.”

He growled playfully, nipping at her ear. “I don’t brood.”

“You’re brooding right now.”

“I’m contemplating.”

“Broodingly.”

He silenced her teasing with a kiss that made her toes curl. When they came up for air, she found herself somehow in his lap, his hands warm under her sweater.

“Still think I’m brooding?” he murmured against her neck.

“Mmm. Maybe you need to convince me more.”

He was happy to oblige.