Page 96 of Heart Over Heels

The twins and Oz darted off with a fleeting comment about pitching the idea to upper management while I shifted in place, removed from the moment until the tip of Darby’s tail tickled the nape of my neck and stirred me to attention.

“Good idea, Mercy.” He stepped around in front of me, taking my hands in his before flashing a coy smile. “But I’ll warn you, taking this bunch out in public might be more than you bargained for.”

“I like them,” I blurted, not sure why I said it except that I needed him to know.

Darby seemed thrown for half a second before laughter softened his face. “Well good,” he said, still amused. “I just mean they’reexcitable.May require some handholding, and I’ve only got two.” He wiggled his fingers in my grasp to prove it.

“You want my help?” Fresh pain speared through my heart.

“Do what you do best, honey.” His thumbs brushed over my knuckles as he spoke. “Keep an eye out and make sure everyone steers clear of trouble.”

“Yeah. Of course.” The words came out quiet, almost buried by the weight building in my chest. Pulling free of him, I cleared my throat and forced a steadier tone. “I’m gonna give the place one last check before we open. Wanna be sure everything’s ready.”

Darby didn’t argue, but I felt his gaze on me all the same. It followed as I walked off, swallowing nerves and nausea and trying to find the part of myself that had first learned to march. Steady, straight ahead, and sometimes directly into the line of fire.

CHAPTER

TWENTY-EIGHT

Darby

The Dollhouse was as ready as it was going to be, or so I kept telling myself while trying to excuse this ill-timed adventure. It was a little thrilling, if I was honest. A little irresponsible too, dashing off to play games when I should’ve been working. But the boys were excited, and I was determined to be a better manager than Maslow had ever been. That meant making time for fun.

Not to mention it was nice to earn this outing legitimately rather than by trading favors with one of the many men in Vegas who accepted my body as currency. This time, I would get to play too.

Club Daddy’s limo was packed to capacity with him and Colette up front, and all six dolls plus Mercer crammed into the back. The twins had claimed the sunroof, shouting into the wind and taking up every inch of floor space. Their tails whipped dangerously close to Ozzy and Zephyr’s faces until Elliot caught both and gave them a yank.

“Hey!” Colt squawked, holding onto his hat as he ducked into view.

He and Elliot exchanged glares before Colt gathered his and Callum’s tails and draped them neatly over his arm. Then he popped back out into the sun, unbothered as ever.

I’d done my part to maximize the seating room by piling into Mercer’s lap. It had been a few days since we’d had sex, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t antsy for a second round. It wasn’t the sex that left me hungry; it was everything that came after. The quiet closeness. The tender care.

I’d been with plenty of men—often it felt like too many—but Mercer stood apart. He’d told me what I wanted to hear, but the intent was different. The emphasis. While I was correcting him on my preferred bedroom terminology, he was staking claims.

Hispretty girl.

Could I beonlyhis?

It felt like I’d spent my whole life flitting between beds and bodies that didn’t belong to me. Yet somehow, Mercer’s home—and his heart—had become the safest place I’d been invited in a long, long time.

I was eager to crawl back into his arms, but for now, straddling him on the limo bench seat and teasing him with timely butt wiggles was as close as I could get.

The arcade was a few miles off the Strip and in neutral territory. I had to verify since Mercer might not have considered which pies in Vegas the angels had their fingers in, and I wasn’t about to risk my boys getting jumped by a heavenly host of asshats.

When we pulled up, we knew it, because the building was impossible to miss. The two-story concrete box was smothered in LED screens and finished with a massive sign that arched across the front like a carnival marquee. The words Galaxy Games & Grill gleamed in shifting gradients of magenta, gold, and acid green. A cartoon rocket ship spiraled through animated stars along the top banner, looping on a seamless cycle.

The parking lot was predictably packed. Anything this close to the Boulevard that vaguely resembled entertainment would draw tourists like flies, even in the middle of a weekday.

Colette dropped us off at the curb and went to park while I herded the group onto the sidewalk. Beside us, the automatic doors parted, unleashing an intermittent stream of chatter and machine-generated jingles. The boys craned their necks to steal glimpses of the sights while passing customers stole glimpses of us.

A pack of rogue demons tended to draw eyes, and as professional entertainers, that was sort of our brand. Beck and Zephyr were human enough at a glance, but they still made a strange pair. Besides their sizeable age difference, Beck was stoic, sharp, and predatory, while Zephyr looked like he’d gotten lost on his way to a yoga class.

Mercer was the odd man out, decidedly mundane and quiet. I’d hoped he would take the lead since this was about as far outside my range of normal as I could get. Between Bingo and kiddie computer games, my horizons were being expanded one adventure at a time.

Still, his presence was a comfort, and I could tell he’d taken my request to keep an eye out to heart. He cast about over the crowd, scrutinizing anyone who lingered too long. I stepped in beside him and snagged his hand just as Colette came around the corner of the building. With her bringing up the rear, we headed inside.

Upon entering the building, a blast of light and noise hit me at once. The room was a gymnasium full of flashing screens, chattering kids, and machines dinging and singing. It should’ve been overwhelming, but the chaos was strangely familiar. In fact, the place was a lot like a casino—if that casino merged with a daycare and maybe a sporting goods store.