Page 47 of Forbidden Game

She giggles, and it sounds like fucking tinkling bells, mesmerizing me as I drink the sound directly from her lips.

Then it hits.

She lets out a sigh that speaks a thousand words.

Her lips tug in one final kiss, and I do everything I can to keep her there, sucking her bottom lip into mine until it releases with a pop. My forehead falls against hers, and her hand comes up to rest on my pecs. I have no doubt that she can feel the erratic beating of my heart.

I don’t want to open my eyes. I don’t want to see what is written on her face. There are too many options, too many possibilities, but every single one of them is a potential blade ready to stab my soul.

“Parker…”

One word and my ribs hollow.

“I know.” I try to keep the disappointment out of my voice, try to keep my composure, but it’s hard. It’s hard because the woman I want, the woman I’ve always wanted, who has just given me a small slice of heaven, is taking the halo back, sending me back to Earth.

So, I take the coward’s way out. I roll off her and lie there, listening to her shift away. I feel the distance as the bed dips and rises from her movement. I squeeze my hands, fisting them so my nails dig into my palms.

The taste of cherry is still on my tongue, so I bite it—hard—until my teeth bring out little drops of blood and the metallic tang chases away the sweetness.

She doesn’t say another word, and I lie there listening to her breaths, counting them as they slow down. I don’t know how long it takes, but eventually she falls asleep.

I lie awake for hours.

I worry that if I fall asleep, I’ll wake up and find out everything was just a dream.

When the remnants of moonlight begin to fade and the first rays of sun start to filter into the room, I pull myself quietly out of the bed. I throw on a jumper and grab my laptop, heading onto the balcony. The icy wind bites into me, but I welcome it as I slump onto the lounge chair.

I open my laptop and lose myself to a game while praying that by the time the sun rises and Sydney wakes up, everything will be okay.

That those five minutes weren’t our last five minutes.

That maybe, just maybe, Eve will stay in the Garden of Eden.

TEN

SYDNEY

“The stalker would leave Barbie dolls altered to look like the woman he was infatuated with at various locations, including the doorstep of her mansion, which had a minimum of six security guards present at all times on the grounds. No one knew how the assailant was getting past not only the guards but also the various security cameras posted around the property.”

“I’m telling you now, it has to be one of the guards.” Lee shakes the lollipop in her hand at the giant television mounted above the aquarium in her living room.

“That seems kind of obvious, though.” Deer hums. “Do you think the guy is altering the dolls on his own? Or is he getting someone else to make them for him?”

“He has to be making them himself. There would be a trail if he had someone else making them, and they would be a loose end,” I chime in.

“What if it’s not a guy at all?”

The three of us turn our heads to the brunette with her long legs draped over the edge of the armchair she’s made herself comfortable on. The newest addition to our Tuesday Crime Nights, Stevie takes a large sip of the red wine she’s nursing as she analyses the latest episode of our favorite true crime show.

“True.” Lee tilts her head, black hair swaying. “But I highly doubt it. Most stalkings are committed by men. Plus, the MO reads way too male.”

“Mmm, I agree.” Deer chews on the straw of her drink, some spiked boba concoction she whipped up. “You can tell it’s based on some fantasy he’s built up, especially with the way he is focused on the dolls and having them look like her, ya know.”

“Damn,” Stevie whistles.

Lee, Deer, and I have been meeting for weekly crime nights for almost two years now. We alternate between true crime and haunted house investigations, depending on our moods, but always add in a healthy dose of gossip. We rarely miss a week unless it’s a holiday or there’s some sort of gaming conflict.

Allison Lee is the top female video game streamer in the United States. Going by the gamertag “LoveLee,” she has made waves in the community and come out a queen. I’ve known her for almost as long as I’ve known The System because Aleksander took her under his wing when she started breaking out in the streamer space. We became fast friends when we found out that we both had a deep love for disturbing true crime podcasts and documentaries.

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