Page 160 of Damián

FLASH!

A second later, all phones buzz at the same time, and Tae grins, lowering his phone just as the picture of Björn’s stunned face lands in the group chat.

Damián opens the text, bursts out laughing, and pulls me in.

“Let’s go eat, boss.”

After an afternoon of eating, swimming, and me trying to play ping-pong against Leif, “trying” being the key word, since I couldn’t hit the ball more than twice, we finally settled down for the evening.

We’re now lounging on some couches around an outdoor fire pit. I lean back against Damián; he wraps his arms around me and rests his cheek against my hair.

His fingers trace lazy patterns onto my skin, and it’s so incredibly comfortable.

It feels so good… it almost makes it easy to ignore the shocked glances the rest of the team keeps giving each other every time Damián does something remotely sweet or endearing.

Wow… they really aren’t used to seeing him like this.

And that makes me so damn giddy and happy.

“Alexios just texted,” Tae says, looking up from his phone. “He says he’s two minutes away and wants to know if we need him to bring anything.”

“Could you tell him to please bring out the desserts I left on the kitchen counter?” Finnian stands up and heads to the dinner table to gather the dessert plates.

“Do you know if he was able to solve the problem?” Knox asks Logan, and he shakes his head.

The Harknetts have a problem Alexios can’t fix?

God… please don’t let this problem be about my family.

I don’t want them to mess up this perfect day…

“Is everything okay?” I ask Damián, hoping whatever Alexios had to fix has nothing to do with my family.

“Yes.” He leans in close until his head rests against my forehead, whispering, “Alexios has a nemesis that’s been messing with some of his codes.”

Ah! Thank God it’s not…

“Is this a new thing?”

He shakes his head. “It’s been almost a year.”

“A year, and Alexios hasn’t stopped them? Jeez… How good are they?”

“They are that good. And it looks like Darth is now messing with a security code from a client who owns a bank.”

“Wait… the hacker’s name is Darth?”

“Darth-Cutie,” he says, and I think my face must tell him exactly how adorable I think that name is, because he panics and pulls me closer. “Don’t ever let Alexios know you think the name is cute.”

“But it is…” I whisper.

Damián looks around to see if any of the Harknetts are paying attention to us, then leans closer.

“It’s freaking adorable…” he admits. “But Alexios will fake-stab you with a lightsaber if he finds out you think it’s cute.”

“Then I shall never speak of it,” I vow, placing my palm over my heart.

As if on cue, Alexios walks over from the outdoor kitchen, carrying a plate stacked with pastries and baked goods.