“I know,” I say, chuckling. “If that isn’t a sign, what is?”
“A sign?” She glances up at me. “Of what?”
That we belong together, I almost say, swept up in the moment. But something in her tone stops me. A deadpan question that doesn’t sound like a question.
“That this is a good idea,” I say. Ugh. That sounds weak.
A small smile, less dreamy. “It feels like a good idea,” she murmurs.
Feels like one—but isn’t one? Fuckme, this overthinking is driving me nuts.
“How’ve you been?” I ask. “You look great on your streams. The dungeon team has been singing your praises, by the way. You handled their flagship boss like it was nothing.”
She beams. “I don’t even play a tank usually.AndI was distracted.”
I laugh when she playfully nudges me. “I was doing my best to stay out of your sightline.”
“To answer your question… I’ve been good. Same old, same old. My life is simple most of the time. I wake up, try to hit the gym, sometimes fail, run some errands, stream, sleep, and repeat.”
“You’re a well-oiled machine,” I say.
“Are you being sarcastic?”
She seems prickly this evening. Can I blame her after last time?
I lean down and gently kiss her on the forehead. “Never,” I tell her. “You’ve built an empire single-handedly.”
“I don’t know if that’s the best metaphor,” she murmurs.
It takes me a moment to realize what she’s getting at. Empire—Empire’s Fall. Is she saying this relationship could destroy her streaming career? She’s not wrong.
“So, where are we going?” she asks.
I kiss her again. “It’s a surprise.”
She smiles shakily, making me wonder if I’ve massively misjudged this. She seems overstimulated, like she wants calm and peace. Not grand gestures.
When we arrive at the dock, I brush the hair from her face and look into her eyes. “I need to level with you, baby. I’ve got something planned. It’s romantic—or as close as a goblin like me can get. But if you’re not in the mood?—”
“What?” She sits up, shaking her head quickly. “No, I mean yes. I am in the mood. What gave you that idea?” She laughs awkwardly. “Let’s do it. Your plan. Let’s try.”
Try. Like this is going to be an effort.
I sense something else is going on, something in that gorgeous, complicated heart of hers.
CHAPTER 19
DAKOTA
We stand at the boat’s railing, the engine humming behind us as we skip across the water. With the sun setting and bouncing over the waves, and Jack’s warm arms wrapped around me, his body pressing against my back, I should be ecstatic.
But here I am, thirty years old, over a decade removed from any of Dad’s controlling ways. And itstillhits me sometimes. Mom’s married to a great guy now, the best stepdad I could ask for. But before that, there was my birth dad, Mr. Do What You’re Told. He’d bark orders at me and Mom as if he were a military commander. And then, if he went too far, there was always a grand gesture.
I am not my mother.
But I can’t shake the feeling. I don’t want to ruin this with my baggage. Noah frowns at me from my mind.A queen doesn’t bow to peasants, silly.
My mind is a jumbled mess. Everything is more complicated because, in terms of sheer physical need, there’s no complicationat all. Every second, my body burns hotter and hotter for him. My core tingles as if begging for a touch.
