Page 21 of Find Me
Hunt called out, “Now who’s ready to lose miserably to me in Settlers of Catan?”
Groans and laughter filled the air, and Penny watched as couples began sitting together around the rectangular table in the dining room, their competitive edges glinting like unsheathed swords. She felt a gentle tug on her consciousness, the realization that beneath the surface of flirtation and fun, lay a deep reservoir of mutual respect and affection.
She suddenly realized she didn’t know this in her life. She had Elise, but this felt like…family. And… maybe she was missing something…
“Looks like you’re sitting with me, Red,” came Hawke’s voice, a touch deeper than the rest.
“Guess I am,” Penny replied, unable to suppress the flutter in her stomach as she met his gaze.
As the game began, and once they explained the rules to Penny, the warmth of friendship wrapped around her tight. There were no pretenses here, no performances; just a gathering of very close friends. They teased, they strategized, they lived in the moment, enjoying each other, and Penny found herself marveling at how ordinary it all felt.
“Rhys, you blocked my road!” Nessa exclaimed, throwing her hands up in exasperation while the rest of the group dissolved into chuckles.
“I can’t help that I am better with resource management than you,” Rhys quipped back, his eyes twinkling with mischief, as he stole the longest road card from her.
Penny found herself smiling.
“Your turn, Penny. You’ve got this,” Kieran encouraged, nudging dice toward her.
Taking a deep breath, she rolled, her fingers releasing the cube. It tumbled across the board, coming to rest on a number that drew a collective gasp from the group.
“Seven! Dammit,” Hazel exclaimed.
Penny laughed as Hazel, Archer, and Hawke had to return half of their cards to the bank.
Hawke’s thigh brushed against Penny, and heat spiraled through her. He looked her way and winked. “Next time, help me, not Rhys.” It did look like he was going to win.
“I still don’t know what I’m even doing,” she said with a smile.
His low chuckles drifted over her sensually.
Just then, her phone buzzed in her back pocket, and she knew exactly why. She swiftly retrieved it, and her heart jumped when she saw the alert.
“Is everything all right?” Hawke asked, his expression filled with concern.
“We need to leave,” she told him, her mind already shifting gears.
“Of course,” Hawke replied, standing up from his seat without hesitation.
“Is there a problem?” Rhys inquired.
Penny looked at each of their faces, uncertain if she should reveal the truth. “It’s about my case.”
“I have full trust in everyone here,” Rhys declared firmly. “What’s going on?”
“I just received a notification from the bugs we planted in Julia’s house,” Penny said, glancing at Hawke. “It picked up Victor Romano’s voice.”
“We need to go now,” Hawke said urgently.
Penny almost took a step forward but stopped herself, looking around the table. Her heart raced and she felt like it was lodged in her throat. “Thank—” She cleared her throat. “Thank you for tonight. I had a great time.”
Elise’s wide smile radiated love. “We still have our game to finish, so you better come back to the next game night and play with us.”
Penny smiled in return, filled up with so much warmth she could burst. She followed Hawke, realizing that the person she was when she entered the house was not the same person leaving.
6
As Hawke drove through the dark streets toward the warehouse, the city lights blurred into streaks of color. Throughout the night, Hawke resisted the urge to grab Penny and kiss her again, reliving their passionate moment from last week. But as the days passed, his desire only grew stronger. He resorted to jerking off daily, but even that did nothing to lessen his longing for her touch. He recalled the way her body had felt pressed against his, the delicate curve of her waist fitting perfectly into the palm of his hand, and the taste of her kiss.
