Ryker agreed, and Brynleigh returned in a vampiric flash, carrying drinks for them both.
She handed him the bottle. “Should we sit?”
“Good idea.” He took her hand and led her to the couch, where Marlowe lounged like he owned the entire place. “Down, Marlie.”
The pup hopped off immediately, curling up on the carpet by the front door instead.
Ryker sat, pulling Brynleigh down with him. Their legs brushed against each other, and neither of them pulled away. Thank all the gods.
“Okay.” He slung an arm over her shoulder and twisted a lock of her blonde hair around his finger. “Tell me what happened.”
Slowly, Brynleigh explained everything that she’d learned at the rebel meeting. She paused and answered his questions when they came up, not minding when he grabbed his phone and jotted down several pertinent pieces of information.
When Ryker dragged her closer so their sides lined up from their shoulders to their toes, she didn’t pull away. Instead, she leaned against him and kept speaking.
This was so much better than a single goodnight kiss.
“So that’s it.” Brynleigh dragged herfinger around the rim of her empty glass an hour later. “The next time Jelisette calls me to the safe house, I’ll look for the cipher. That should help, too, right?”
Ryker nodded.
“Anything you can find will help. This is already far more than we’ve ever gotten on the Black Night.” All because of his wife. Pride was a burning flame in his chest, and he squeezed her shoulder. He hated that she was endangering herself for this information, but he was so impressed by her actions and bravery. “Thank you.”
The rebels had already proven they would do anything to get what they wanted. Maybe, with Brynleigh as the army’s secret weapon, this would be the lead they needed to get ahead once and for all.
CHAPTER 25
This was Where He was Meant to Be
“Explain this game to me one more time?” Brynleigh fiddled with the zipper of her scarlet sweater.
She’d styled her hair in a slick golden ponytail that hung down her back, and every time she turned around, Ryker envisioned wrapping his fist around it and pulling her against him.
He discretely adjusted himself. This wasn’t the moment for those types of thoughts. Their guests were a few minutes out.
Still, he had to touch her. He couldn’t stop touching her. Not since their kiss and subsequent conversation last night. Catching her fingers in his, he held her hand and drew her close.
“It’s simple, really. Two teams play in a large, enclosed arena. It’s filled with obstacles and targets, and the team with the highest points at the end of the fourth quarter wins.”
Brynleigh frowned. “They get points by shooting lasers at each other?”
Between her tone and raised brow, it was clear that she didn’t understand the point of the game.
“Not each other, the targets,” Ryker explained patiently.
There were offensive and defensive positions, and some targets were worth significantly more than others.
“But peoplecanget shot.” She seemed hung up on that, which was delightfully ironic considering her line of work.
Ryker smirked. “It’s a sport, sweetheart. Sometimes, people get hurt, but the athletes are highly trained and get paid a lot of money to play. There are rules against intentionally hurting or blinding your opponents.”
Not that those rules had always stopped the players. There were a few incidents over the years of laser athletes suffering career-ending injuries.
“Mhmm.” She nibbled on her lip. “And this is… fun?”
“Very.” Ryker squeezed her hands. “Players need to work together and implement various strategies to defeat the opposing team.”
Her eyes lit up. “Like chess?”