Game of Love

by Melissa Foster

  “Dex. Stop. Stop. You’ll kill him.”

  Sage.

  Dex’s chest expanded with each angry breath. His fisted hands ached and burned. His knuckles dripped with blood. Some his, some the other guy’s. Fury seeped from every pore. He struggled to break free, but stood no chance with Mitch and Sage holding him back.

  “Ellie!” he growled. He heard her crying. He elbowed and twisted until he was facing the road, where Ellie shook and shivered within Regina’s caring arms. “Lemme go!” He broke free of their grasp and sprinted to Ellie, barely aware of the crowd that now circled the man he’d beaten. Ellie’s eyes and nose were red and puffy, her terrified eyes locked on his.

  “Ellie.” He pulled her against him, his own body shaking against hers. “Babe. I’m right here. It’s okay. I’m right here.” She clung to him, digging into him with her nails. He barely felt the moon-shaped cuts he knew he’d find later. She drew a shaky hand to his jaw.

  “You’re…bleeding,” she sobbed.

  He didn’t care about the blood. Adrenaline and fear numbed the physical pain. Ellie was safe. She was in his arms, and he was never going to let her go. Ever.

  AT THE HOSPITAL, Dex sat on the bed with a bandage secured to his hand. He’d needed eleven stitches to close a gash along his knuckles. Ellie stood between his legs, her hands on his hips. Regina leaned against Mitch, looking almost as scared as Ellie.

  “I’m fine, you guys. You don’t have to hang around.” He was glad they were there, but the painkillers had kicked in and he felt fuzzy around the edges. He wanted to go home, lie down beside Ellie, and not move until his life would fall apart if he didn’t.

  “You sure?” Regina asked.

  “Reg, I’ve got Ellie and Sage. I’ll be fine.” He watched her and Mitch exchange a glance, and he wondered if the closeness he noticed was caused by his drug-induced foggy state or something more.

  “Okay. What about the release?” Regina asked.

  “You know, I think I’ll just hang with Ellie. Between the drugs and the stitches, I’m not sure I’ll be up for it.” He stroked Ellie’s arm.

  “Yeah, okay.” Regina put an arm around Ellie. “I’m glad you’re okay. It would have sucked if that guy hurt my new friend.”

  Ellie leaned her head against Regina. “For me, too,” she said, but she was looking at Dex, and he knew she meant the both of them.

  “All right, dude. Listen, you need me, I’m there. I’ll text you updates.” Mitch patted Dex’s back. “Man, you’ll do just about anything to get the girl, won’t you?”

  “Just about.” Anything. Anything at all. “Thanks, you guys. I’m not blowing you off. I’m just really loopy.”

  “No worries. You’re in good hands.” Regina grabbed the front of Mitch’s shirt. “Let’s go. I need a veggie burger.”

  Mitch raised his eyebrows. “That’s code for you know what.”

  Regina smacked him, and as they walked out of the curtained-off area of the emergency room, she looked over her shoulder and said, “In his dreams.”

  Ellie turned a soft gaze back to him, her pupils dilated as she ran her eyes along his face. “Dexy. Look at you. I’m so sorry.”

  “Don’t be. It wasn’t your fault.”

  “Do you believe me now? I’m chaos, Dexy. Bad news.” Her voice was soft, riddled with worry.

  Sage came through the curtain. “How’re you doing, Dex?”

  Dex arched a brow. “’Bout as good as can be expected.”

  “Good. The police just left. This guy, Bruce, he has a history of complaints against him from other women.” Sage put an arm around Ellie. “You okay?”

  “Yeah, thanks, but this is all my fault. I’m sorry to have gotten you involved with this.” She touched Dex’s cheek. “I’m so sorry.”

  “You couldn’t have known. This guy’s MO is to turn on the GPS on women’s phones, so he always knows where they are.” Sage let out a breath. “He wasn’t married, Ellie. The woman who called you was some other woman he’d been seeing, who also thought she was his only girlfriend.”

  Ellie shook her head. “See? Pure chaos.”

  Dex lowered his forehead to hers. “I like chaos, so don’t even think about walking away, Ellie Parker. You’re not going anywhere. You have to nurse me back to health.”

  “I should have listened to you and gone to the police,” she said.

  “Maybe, but we can’t change the past, remember? We can only learn from it and move forward. All I ask is that you not date any more maniacs.” He felt the right side of his mouth lift into a teasing smile.

  “I’m pretty sure I’ve found a guy that’s only a little maniacal, and he usually plays out that side of himself in the virtual world.”

  He lowered his lips to hers and kissed her softly. “I thought I’d lost you,” he whispered.

  She cupped his cheek. “You’ll never lose me again.”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  SUNDAY AFTERNOON, DEX and Ellie went to NightCaps to meet Mitch and Regina and celebrate the release of World of Thieves II. In the last twenty-four hours, World of Thieves II had broken new-release sales records. With that level of success, Dex had no concerns about KI or any other competitor.

  “You sure you’re okay with just Tylenol? It’s been only two days,” Ellie asked when they reached the entrance.

  She’d hovered over him since they’d left the hospital, and her fierce protectiveness rivaled that of his mother, who had called him four times to make sure he was really okay.

  “Ellie, it’s just a few stitches. Bet you didn’t know your boyfriend was so tough,” he teased.

  “I always knew how tough you were.” She stood on her tiptoes, and he took her hand and led her up the first step, so they were nearly eye to eye; then he drew her close and kissed her.

  A cab pulled up to the curb, and Dex reluctantly parted from the kiss, still holding Ellie’s hand with his unharmed one. He turned just in time to see Siena spin around and snap a picture on her phone.

  “Ha!” she teased.

  “What are you doing here?” Dex asked.

  “You don’t think Regina would have a party without your family, do you?” Siena snapped another picture.

  The door to NightCaps opened, and Regina and Mitch came outside. “Surprise!” they said in unison.

  “Hey!” Dex hugged Regina and Mitch. “You guys could have told me you called everyone.”

  Siena took another picture. “Then I wouldn’t have gotten that surprised look on film!”

  “Wait,” Ellie said, surprising Dex. She stepped in front of him, then grabbed his arms and wrapped them around her waist. “Okay, Siena. Can you please take another picture?”

  Dex knew how much courage it took for Ellie to not only be in the picture, but to ask for it to be taken. With the others milling around him, he didn’t want to call any more attention to her and make her uncomfortable, though his heart swelled with gratitude and love for her. He leaned down and whispered, “Thank you.”

  She squeezed his hands and lifted her chin so she could see him. “Thank you, Dexy.”

  “Oh, that is just the cutest picture I’ve ever seen!” Siena hurried over and showed it to them.

  “I want a copy of that,” he said.

  Savannah and Jack came down the sidewalk hand in hand. Jack looked happier than Dex had seen him in years. His thick dark hair brushed his collar, and as always, he wore leather hiking boots, making his six-four stature more like six-five. “Hey, baby brother,” Jack called. He opened his arms and embraced Dex. “Heard you beat the snot out of that guy.”

  “To save his girl,” Savannah said with a sigh. She brushed her auburn hair to the side and hugged Dex and Siena; then she wrapped her arms around Ellie. “I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m so glad we’ve finally met.”

  Ellie drew her brows together. “You have?”

  Savannah touched Jack’s arm. “Jack has a couple great stories about coming home to visit late at night and finding you two
snoozing together in Dex’s room.”

  “You do? Why don’t I know this?” Dex asked.

  Jack shrugged. “You were sleeping with your arms around her. I’m pretty sure you knew.”

  “No, jackass. Why didn’t I know you knew?” Dex laughed.

  “Wait, why didn’t I know?” Siena complained as they made their way into NightCaps.

  “Sisters are always the last to know,” Savannah whispered to her.

  As soon as they were through the doors, Mitch threw his arms up in the air and yelled, “Thrive!” There were only a handful of people in the bar, each of whom either laughed or looked at Mitch like he was crazy.

  Dex high-fived him, then waited as the others filed past and greeted his parents and brothers. He pulled Ellie close. “I saw you cringe when Jack mentioned that he’d seen us sleeping together as kids.”

  “Jack knew,” she whispered. “He must think I was a slut.”

  “No way. If he did, he would have said something to me. Besides, maybe you can pretend you were so I don’t look like such a loser for not having sex with you back then.”

  She punched his arm.

  “Hey, don’t hit the wounded.”

  “Don’t you dare let them think we did that.” She narrowed her eyes, and he held his hands up.

  “I never would.”

  “There you are,” his mother said as she approached. She wore wide-legged slacks and a white turtleneck adorned with various chunky necklaces in a multitude of colors.

  “You look really pretty, Mrs. Remington.” Ellie let go of Dex’s hand to hug her.

  “Joanie, please. I might have gray hair, but calling me missus just makes me feel older.” She embraced Ellie, then hugged Dex. She pulled back and brushed his hair from in front of his eyes. “You are a hero, but a scraggly one. Maybe you and Jack should go to the barbershop together.”

  Dex rolled his eyes. “My hair is shorter than Sage’s.”

  “Maybe, but that’s not saying much,” Rush said as he and Kurt came to greet them. Rush had always kept his hair on the shorter side. He said it was easier when he was on the slopes, and as a competitive skier, he spent half his life on the slopes.

  “Rush, Kurt, jeez. I haven’t seen you guys in forever.” Dex hugged them both.

  Kurt was the quietest of the Remington crew. As a writer, he tended to observe the banter rather than spark new conversations. Dex watched him now with his thick dark hair and serious eyes and realized that he was very much like Ellie.

  “You guys remember Ellie.” He kept one hand on Ellie’s back as they each pulled her into a hug. Dex hadn’t ever thought about how his family had openly embraced one another, but watching them bring Ellie into their family fold brought that to the forefront. Remarkably, Ellie didn’t shy away from the intimate gestures. And when she flashed her eyes in his direction, he saw relief. He made a silent note in his mind of another freight-train-like impact Ellie had on his heart at that very moment. Her relief spoke volumes of her love for him and how far she’d come.

  “I think Ellie brings you good luck, son.” His father wore a starched blue button-down shirt and dress slacks—always dress slacks. He patted Dex on the back with a proud smile. “She was there all those years ago while you developed that first indie game you released right after high school, and here she is again, the morning after another groundbreaking release.”

  Before embracing Dex, his father reached out to Ellie, and the gesture squeezed Dex’s heart.

  “Come on, little bro.” Sage put his arm around Dex and walked him to the bar, away from the others. “You okay?”

  “Yeah.” Dex peered around him and was glad to see Ellie beside Siena and Savannah, looking at pictures on Savannah’s phone.

  “I’m proud of you, with the game and all.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Listen, Mom told me that you know I spilled the beans to her about Ellie four years ago. I’m sorry. I was worried and thought she might have some words of wisdom.” Sage met Dex’s gaze with an apologetic look.

  Dex couldn’t stay mad at Sage. “Whatever. No worries. What’d she say to you? Back then, I mean, because she never said a word to me.”

  Sage ran his hand through his thick, wavy hair. “She said, Sometimes love hurts, and told me not to try to talk you out of your feelings for Ellie.”

  Dex nodded. “You know, maybe Mom really is the smartest woman on earth.”

  “Don’t let Ellie hear you say that.”

  They joined the others and sat at the tables that had been pushed together in the rear of the bar, where a buffet-style lunch had been set up. Dex leaned around Ellie and tapped Regina on the shoulder. “Reg, I can’t believe you arranged all this. Thank you.”

  She held her finger above Mitch’s head and pointed down at him. “He helped.”

  “Yeah, well, someone had to do the heavy lifting,” Mitch said.

  Regina rolled her eyes. “He means pushing the tables together.” She laughed and shoved Mitch. “I could have done it myself.”

  “Well, thanks. I’m glad you got everyone together.” Dex squeezed Regina’s hand. “We have a lot to celebrate.”

  As they filled their plates, Jack rose to his feet. “I want to propose a toast.”

  Their mother gasped a breath. “You’re getting married!”

  Jack laughed. “Maybe you can let me finish?”

  His mother gasped. “Oh, Jack. Really?”

  Savannah reached across the table. “No. He’s pulling your leg.” She swatted Jack.

  “You’ll be the first to know, Mom. I promise.” Jack lifted his glass of orange juice. “To our little brother for his overnight success.”

  The game had released at midnight, and Dex and Ellie had stayed up watching the number of sales climb higher than Dex had ever imagined; then they’d celebrated by making love, eventually falling asleep in each other’s arms.

  Everyone clinked glasses, and Jack continued. “And to Ellie, for getting the approval to write the grant proposal. We’re proud of you, Ellie.”

  Ellie blushed. “How did you know?”

  Sage leaned forward from the other end of the table. “You’ll learn that the Remington grapevine moves swiftly, Ellie. If you want to keep something a secret, then you can’t tell any of us. We suck at secrets.”

  She shot a look at Dex. “That’s okay. I think I’m done with secrets anyway.”

  “God, I love you,” he whispered.

  Kurt surprised them all when he stood and raised his glass. “And to our little brother for finally…finally coming together with the one woman we all knew he’d end up with.”

  Dex looked down the table at his siblings all nodding and smiling, raising their glasses. Except Siena, whose lip stuck out in a serious pout.

  “Really? Everyone knew except me?” Siena shook her head. “I’m your twin, Dex. How could I not know?”

  “Maybe Dex’s twin powers blocked you from knowing,” Kurt mused.

  “Save it for your novels,” Siena snapped.

  “Siena, I didn’t know anyone knew about how I felt about Ellie. Hell, I didn’t know how real it was myself. How could you all know?” Ellie’s cheeks flushed, and Dex drew her close.

  “Oh, please.” Rush laughed. “You two used to look at each other and not speak. It was like you had this secret silent language. If only we could harness it and I could read the minds of my competitors.”

  Ellie bit her lip and looked down at their interlaced fingers.

  Dex leaned in close. “You okay? Is this too much?”

  She shook her head. “It’s true. You’re all I’ve always wanted.”

  The End

  Please enjoy a preview of the next

  Love in Bloom novel

  Stroke of

  Love

  The Remingtons, Book Two

  Love in Bloom Series

  Melissa Foster

  Chapter One

  THICK BRANCHES SCRAPED the sides of the all-wheel-drive passeng
er van as it ambled along the narrow dirt road that divided the dense, unforgiving jungle. Sage Remington started as a mass of giant leaves slapped against the grit-covered window. Plumes of dust billowed in their wake, swallowing the road, and Sage wondered if they were really heading toward civilization or away from it. The van keeled to the left, sending Sage and the other passengers flying across their seats as the bus rocked back to center and found its balance. Sage had never experienced anything like the trek to the remote village of Punta Palacia, and as he listened to the other passengers bitch and moan, he turned a deaf ear—and focused his artist’s eyes on the verdant jungle which boasted some of the most vibrant and interesting hues he’d ever seen. He’d been living in the concrete jungle of New York City for the past five years and rarely had a chance to venture beyond the streets, offices, and subways. When he’d heard about Artists for International Aid (AIA), a nonprofit organization that brought educational, medical, and environmental programs to newly developing nations, he’d immediately volunteered to be a part of one of their two-week projects.