Page 107 of The Revenge Game
The honesty in his voice makes something twist inside me.
“Trust me, I know exactly what you mean,” I say softly.
We stare at each other for a few heartbeats before Justin looks away.
“This feels like an intense conversation to be having on an empty stomach,” he says.
“Just slightly,” I say.
He puts down his wooden spoon and steps toward me. “I just realized I didn’t even say a proper hello to you.”
I raise an eyebrow. “What constitutes a proper hello?”
But my words are redundant because he’s pulling me into his arms.
I breathe in the familiar scent of his cologne mixed with garlic and tomatoes. His hands are warm against my back, his heart beating steady and strong where our chests press together.
I need to stick to my plan—help Justin find his feet with his sexuality and then leave without him ever knowing the truth. Leave him with good memories of his friend Drew, who he had a great time with.
But as Justin’s fingers thread through my hair, as he kisses me, I suddenly realize that none of my previous achievements had ever given me what Justin has in these last few months— the simple joy of making someone laugh, of having someone care about me, of being seen and accepted.
Not as a tech wunderkind or a successful CEO, but just as me. Even if that me is built on a lie.
“Your sauce is going to burn,” I murmur against his lips.
“Mmm. Maybe I’ll just go for the charred tomato flavor today,” he says before deepening our kiss.
Designing an app usually takes a minimum of six months from initial concept to execution.
I’m aiming to get it done in less than two weeks.
And it turns out that when you’re prepared to call in favors from all the brightest minds in Silicon Valley, plus throw around obscene amounts of money, things can happen fast.
This is me making it up to Justin for all the revenge pranks I pulled when I first arrived at DTL Enterprises, using my skills and money for something that matters instead of indulging in petty revenge fantasies.
I’ll develop an app for Justin to make life easier for him and others with face blindness. It’s the least I can do.
The only problem is that Justin and I spend nearly every evening together, so it’s hard to conceal what I’m doing.
I usually wait until he falls asleep before I extract myself from his arms and sneak out to his living room. Tabitha and Cassie keep me company as I coordinate the app development across time zones.
“You know,” Justin’s voice comes from behind me one night around midnight, making me jump so violently I almost dislodge Tabitha from her perch next to me. “Normal people count sheep when they can’t sleep instead of typing like they’re trying to break their keyboard.”
My heart races as I casually minimize my screen before turning to look at him.
He’s leaning against the doorframe, barely awake. His hair sticks up on one side, and there’s a pillow crease on his cheek that shouldn’t be adorable but somehow is.
“When have I ever pretended to be normal?” I ask, and he laughs as he comes forward.
He flops next to me on the couch, kissing the side of my head.
“You’re working too hard,” he says.
“I’m just trying to finish off this system upgrade for Marketing before Christmas.”
It scares me how easily lies fall off my lips right now.
I make a mental note to make sure I actually upgrade marketing’s system before Christmas to make it less of a lie.
