All Chapters of Dangerous Game: Chapter 21 - Chapter 29

I sighed, already knowing where the conversation was headed. Once she latched onto an idea, she was relentless. "Save your breath. I'm not having sex with him." "Why? He's hot, you're hot, the sex is guaranteed to be hot," she argued. "Come on, Viv. Let me live vicariously through you. My life is so boring these days." Despite her naturally flirtatious personality and propensity for writing about sex and murder, Isabella hadn't dated anyone in over a year. I didn't blame her after what happened. If I were her, l'd steer off guys for the foreseeable future too. "You can live vicariously through books, too. Stick to those, because sex with Dante tonight? Not happening." No matter how good he looked or how my body responded to the idea. Isabella's lips pursed in disappointment. "Fine, but if you change your mind, I have strawberry-flavored condoms. Magnum size, ribbed for your–" A light cough interrupted her. Isabella's smile dropped like a concrete kite, and I turned to see Kai wa

“There’s an entire astronomy section on the second level.” I leaned my shoulder against the wall and tucked a hand in my pocket, watching her examine an oil painting of Venice. “Coincidentally, it’s right next to the mythology section.”“Yes,” she murmured, sounding distracted. “Kaimentioned it.”Annoyance flared, sudden and incomprehensible, in my chest. “Did he? What else did you talk about?”“Not this again.” She dropped her hand from a bronze statuette of Athena and faced me, exasperation scrawled all over her features. “We talked about normal things. Work, the weather, the news. Why are you so hung up on our conversation?”“I’m not hung up,” I said. “I’m simply curious as to what he said that was so funny. The last time I checked, neither work, the weather, nor the news is particularly hilarious.”Vivian examined me for a moment before the soft glow of amusement filled her eyes. “Dante Russo, are you…jealous?”A soft growl rumbled through my chest. “That’s the most ridicul

Surprise crept through me at the familiar brown eyes staring at me from behind the counter."Luca? What are you..." My question tapered off when a piece of an earlier conversation with Dante rose to the forefront of my mind.What does he do now?Salesman. Of course. It made sense Luca was working at one of the Russo Group's subsidiary stores, but it was still a shock to see him working at the very shop I dropped in on,"Working hard." A hint of dryness surfaced before it smoothed into a generic sales smile. "How can I help you?" It felt odd being waited on by my future brother-in-law, but I didn't want to make it weird by treating him differently."I'm looking for two new pieces," I said. "A statement piece, and something versatile I can wear every day." For the next forty-five minutes, Luca walked me through the store's finest offerings. He was actually an excellent salesperson–knowledgeable about the products and persuasive without being pushy."This is one of our newest pieces."

{VIVIAN}I couldn’t stop shivering.I stepped out of the bathroom, my skin ice cold despite my bathrobe, the heated floors, and the hot bath I’d soaked in for the past hour.It was late evening, hours after the attempted Lohman & Sons robbery, but I was still stuck on the showroom floor with a gun under my chin and evil staring back at me. The entire incident had lasted less than ten minutes before backup security arrived and neutralized the situation.No one got hurt, but I couldn’t stop thinking about what-ifs.What if backup had arrived a minute too late?What if the robber had shot first and asked questions later?What if I’d died? What would I have to show for it except a closet full of nice clothes and a life spent doing the “right thing?”I would’ve died without visiting the Atacama Desert for stargazing or falling in love more than once. Things I’d always thought I would have time to do because I was only in my late twenties, dammit, and I was supposed to be invincible a

{DANTE}Vivian did end up speaking to one of ourtherapists after the Lohman & Sons incident. Shenever discussed her sessions, but by the time we arrived in Bali, her sleep had improved and she was mostly back to her normal witty, sarcastic self.I told myself my relief had nothing to do with herpersonally and that I was simply glad she was in the right headspace to meet my parents.“Are you sure your parents live here?” Vivian stared at the villa in front of us.Hand-hewn sculptures dotted the lawn in a riot ofprimary colors, and an overabundance of wind chimes tinkled by the front door. Giant sunflowers sprouted up the walls in splashes of yellow and green paint.It looked like a cross between a luxury villa and a daycare center.“Yes.” The place had Janis Russo written all over it. The front door flew open, revealing a mass of curly brown hair and a floor-length caftan. “Prepare yourself.”“Darling!” my mother cried. “Oh, it’s so wonderful to see you! My baby boy!” She