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“It should have been Declan and Peyton Foster. Still not sure if I want to punish you for that.”
She really needed to check her reactions. Blushing because he said that was the wrong response. Telling him instead she ownedhisass because she was the one transporting the dangerous hitman would have been a better retort.
But no. She quivered, and the streaks still embossed on her ass from his previous punishment sizzled. Didn’t she say she was going to put that behind her?
Eventually, Peyton found herself genuinely smiling at the other guests.
She met the Australian and Canadian couple, Adam and Jasmine. And because Declan had a way of drawing information out of people in an easy, relaxed manner, a prerequisite for his job, she supposed, she learned that Adam was a marine biologist and Jasmine, who was gorgeous and graceful, was a death doula. They were by far the most interesting couple Peyton had met.
The other guests included twin brother and sister, Nathan and Natalie Moore. They seemed to be around the same age as Peyton herself. With their gleaming blue eyes and curly brown hair, they made for a striking set of siblings.
Nathan seemed more serious. But by the way, Natalie kept glancing at Peyton’s hand, clutching onto Declan’s sweater for dear life. It was clear that the girl thought Peyton was afraid of someonestealing her man.If only she knew who was standing directly in front of her. Ignorance, being bliss, had its merits.
She almost snickered out loud when Declan said he was an accountant.
The only accounting he did was a body count. She needed to stop making those jaded jokes in her head.
Margo arrived shortly after them, as pretty as ever. With her lovely hazel eyes sparkling overly bright, she seemed a little overwhelmed as she told the guests about the details of the scavenger hunt.
But the moment her husband, Tobias, put his hand on the small of her back, Margo released a breath that instantly lifted the weight off her shoulders. She looked up at her husband and offered him a sweet smile.
Margo continued to lay out the rules for the scavenger hunt and reminded everyone it wasn’t too late to add more games to a glass bowl, which she gestured toward, already lined with slips of folded paper.
Peyton bit her lip.
“Two-player Twister?” She turned to Declan. “If I win, I get to ask you one more question.
“Only if you call it Dom versus Sub Twister.” He chuckled.
“You’re not my dom, and I’m not your sub.” She swallowed the rest of her words. “Fine. Dom versus Sub. I win, you answer any question I ask.”
“Deal. If I win—”
“You won’t.”
She scribbled her game onto a slip of paper and then popped it into the bowl.
They spent the rest of the afternoon scavenger hunting, but they also stopped for lunch in the dining room. Peyton immediately caught on to the theme of scrumptious dishes gracing the buffet table. Lentils. Black-eyed peas, donuts. All meant to bring good luck for the coming new year.
She picked out a donut and bit into it. She needed some luck since she had no idea how her new year was going to turn out.
Oh god. She hadn’t once thought about Eric. The man she had contemplated saying yes to on New Year’s Eve. Ellie would have obviously let her parents know she had to leave for work urgently, and they would in turn tell Eric that. She couldn’t even call him, and she hated that she had a valid reason for not speaking to him.
What was wrong with her? Nothing. She was doing her job. Meeting her prisoner’s demands in exchange for information that would solve world problems. Even if it meant going on scavenger hunts.
They found a snow globe, a Santa-shaped cookie, and a figurine of an elf getting spanked among their loot from the hunt.
After a while, she refused to admit she was having fun—she was having fun with an assassin.
After choosing the winners, the remaining games were played.
First up was her game. A game of Dom versus Sub Twister. Peyton had no doubt she would win. She was almost half his size. Besides, he had agreed that if she won, he would answer any question she had. She had already garnered vital information from him that didn’t involve him directly. There was so much more to know about so many other world events.
She was highly motivated, and it was an easy win for her.
They played a bit of two truths and a lie, which they kept light, and then after that, a game of egg hunt. She tried to be invested and even asked a question about the pairing criteria.
She tried to laugh at one of the twins'—Nathan's—response to playing the game with his sister. She wanted to be a part of the lightness around her, the fun, and the games. But truthfully, Peyton’s heart and head had gone somewhere else entirely.
