Page 34 of Lipstick Lies

Walkinginto the canteen felt different this time. I knew these people and was one of them. That sense of belonging I’d always craved crashed down onto me, and my step faltered.

“Careful, little hacker,” Ryker’s dark and delicious voice cooed from my side, his palm resting on my elbow. “You look decadent.”

As I looked at him, I tried to hide my blush, but it was a lost cause. Taking a few more steps into the place, I was yanked out of Ryker’s arms as Karen pulled me into a hug. Her warmth and friendliness went a long way to cure some of the homesickness I’d been dealing with.

“It’s so good to see you, Finley. I keep telling Cohen to bring you by more. I swear, he just wants to hog you for himself.” She tutted at Cohen, who slung an arm around me, a broad grin on his face.

“Can you blame me, Karen? Fin’s one of a kind.” Karen stopped her huffing, smiling at Cohen with motherly love.

“Well, okay, I guess you’re forgiven. I saved you the best spot in the place.” She winked, walking us over to a large booth that was private but seemed to also have the perfect view of the whole canteen from the stage to the front door.

Asa and Milo sat on one end, and I scooted into the middle, wondering if Ryker or Cohen would be next to me. I didn’t miss that they’d also be by one another. Asa squeezed my thigh, and I wondered if my boyfriend was up to some well-meaning matchmaking.

“I need to apologize about the room switch, Fin,” Ryker said as he slid in next to me. “In the hustle of everything, it slipped my mind. It would ease my worries if all of you were better protected.”

“Thank you. We appreciate your thoughtfulness,” Asa said, speaking for the group. Before we could talk more about it, the server arrived and told us the specials for the evening.

“We have chicken Alfredo, broccoli Alfredo, or prime rib tonight. Who would like to start?”

Once our order was submitted, the server left, and silence fell around the table. Ryker cleared his throat, looking to Milo.

“How are you healing, Milo?”

“Pretty well. The technology and medical science you have here are outstanding.”

Ryker smiled with pride, and I cataloged it away with the new information I was collecting about him. I liked that he was pleased with Milo’s assessment, and I knew it meant Ryker worked hard to make The Order better under his command, even if no one knew it was directly him responsible.

Which, in and of itself, was a huge thing. Most people wouldn’t be okay without taking the credit or being publicly recognized. I realized the brilliance of The Order for hiding people’s identities. Not only did it provide a level of safety and keep the playing field equal among peers, but it kept away anyone who was only in it for the glory. It was hard to be power hungry when no one knew who was in control.

“So, Ryker,” I started, then realized I’d blurted into a conversation. “Um, sorry. I was thinking and then thought of something I wanted to ask and didn’t check to see if anyone was talking. Wow, self-absorbed should be my middle name.”

The guys chuckled, and Ryker nudged me, gaining my attention. “You’re the furthest thing from self-absorbed, little hacker. Maybe a little lost in your own thoughts at times, but I’d never think it was because you were only focused on yourself. So, what did you want to ask me?”

His eyes twinkled, and I decided I wanted to make them do that more. It was lovely and completely changed his whole face. In fact, I was a little lost in them as my brain seemed to lose all reasoning.

“Oh, right,” I said when I realized I’d been staring. Licking my lips, I glanced around the table, finding all the guys watching me. It was a heady moment to find the four hottest guys I’d ever met all staring at me. “I honestly can’t remember,” I said after a minute, and nothing floated to the top. “I think I was going to ask you what your plans were after you retired. Yeah, let’s go with that.”

He chuckled, his face adoring as he gazed at me. “You know, until recently, I hadn’t the slightest idea. I kept hoping for inspiration to strike me. But honestly, I figured I’d end up as one of those guys who couldn’t stop working and stayed beyond his prime. A sad sack who everyone felt sorry for, but no one was willing to say anything to my face.”

Ryker shrugged his shoulders, and something in me pinged in sympathy. I knew that feeling, where you didn’t know which direction to go, but staying felt like you were only going through the motions, not really living. I didn’t want that for anyone. Clearing my throat, I held his eyes and asked him the next part.

“And now? You said up until recently.”

“That I did.” He smiled, swiveling his gaze between Cohen and me. “I’m learning that there’s more to life than work and that when you have the right people in it, you don’t need to try so hard to push them away.”

“Finley has a way of making you see that you’re not the product of all your failures,” Milo said. I peered over at him, seeing the earnest truth in his eyes. “I worked so hard to be the opposite of my family, but I wasn’t really doing anything about it. When I met Fin, I saw what that indecisiveness was doing to me and the world around me. I wasn’t making it better by being different if I was letting them continue their evil plans. You’re in good company to be with while you determine the next steps if you want it.”

I was surprised by Milo’s offer to Ryker. Not by what he’d said, but that he was opening himself up to Ryker. Part of me hadn’t wanted to think about this life working, but the guys kept proving it to me every day in big and little ways. They showed me how serious they were, so I needed to start accepting them.

“Thanks, man,” Ryker said, nodding at Milo. “For what it’s worth, I think you’ve done more good than you give yourself credit. And I’m all for figuring out what life has to offer outside these walls. First, we need to capture Dex and shut down MKG. Then, I’ll gladly take you up on your offer to figure things out together. That means a lot.”

Our food arrived not long after, and we ate our meal, talking about random things, no more big speeches or vulnerability shared. It felt nice to just talk, laugh at jokes, and catch up on things outside of The Order. And even trying to explain how our relationship worked.

“So you mentioned your twin sister is dating Fin’s brother and six other guys, and you’re cool with it?” Ryker asked.

“Yeah. It sounds weird, but I’ve played hockey with most of those guys for years. I know them. They’re good guys. But also, she was already establishing a relationship with them before we knew we were siblings. So, it wasn’t really my place to come into that and say anything. They’ve created a family, and I know they all love each other. It works.” Asa shrugged his shoulder, the movement rocking me since one of his arms was draped around me.

“Is that how you got the idea to date three guys?” Ryker asked me.

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