Good Game (The System, #1) (70)

I laugh at them, sipping my coffee. It’s a comforting environment. It’s been forever since I’ve been around this.

I grab two waffles after they’ve finished fighting over them, dousing mine in maple syrup, letting it fill up the little squares. I’m about to reach for the whipped cream when Aleks snatches it out of my hand.

“Hey!”

He just smirks at me, shaking it and spraying it over my waffles. I watch as he draws a little whipped cream heart, my own heart doing a flip at the cheesy display of affection.

“Aww.” I lean forward, giving him a peck.

“Well, I feel very single.”

Parker’s morning voice is deeper than normal. It makes his accent thicker somehow. He drops into the stool next to me, grabbing a slice of watermelon before his ass even hits the seat. He is wearing nothing other than a pair of blue trunks. I’m beginning to think everything this guy owns is blue. That, and that the men of this apartment have an aversion to clothing.

I cut a piece of my waffle, bringing it to my mouth and releasing a sigh of pleasure as the tastes bloom on my tongue. It is pure crispy perfection. The maple syrup perfectly coats it, and the little pockets of whip cream cut through the sweetness.

“This is so good, Jackson. Thank you.”

“See, at least someone here has manners.”

Parker and Aleks mumble out thank yous as they continue to eat their fill of Jackson’s brunch feast. Parker skips the waffles, piling his plate with eggs, bacon, and watermelon. Aleks stacks his waffle with eggs and maple syrup. Everyone’s relatively silent as they eat, the guys chatting here and there about some gaming stuff I don’t totally grasp. Some of it I can piece together from listening to Blade’s streams and just minor gaming knowledge, but when they start talking stats, it goes right over my head.

The elevator dings, and Sydney’s voice rings out. “I brought juice and an NDA.” She strolls into the room. Her hair is styled in a fishtail braid, lashes coated with a layer of mascara, but a darkness hangs under her eyes. I feel bad. She was still on the phone when we went to bed last night, sorting everything out.

Sydney rounds the kitchen and leans across the opposite side of the island, dropping a white bag on the top. She runs her eyes over the three men with a sigh.

“You boys couldn’t bother putting on a little more clothing this morning?”

She rummages through the bag, taking out four red juices and a green one. She slides the green juice my way. “I hope I got it right. I was eighty percent certain that you were drinking the Green Beam when we met.”

I smile at her, touched by the gesture. “I was, thank you.”

She slides a red drink to each guy, Parker and Jackson groaning.

“Don’t whine, you need your vegetables.”

Aleks, however, sips on his happily between bites of waffle.

When I finish my food, stomach stuffed with maple waffle goodness, I force myself to get up and bring my plate to the sink to rinse it off.

“None of that, Stevie.” Jackson chastises, coming up beside me. “Parker and Aleks know the rules. I cooked, they clean.”

“No good deed comes free,” Parker complains, pushing away from the island. He and Aleks collect the empty dishes while Jackson packs the few remaining leftovers into containers.

Sydney passes me a heavy document. “Here’s the NDA for you to look over.”

It’s thicker than I expected, which is a touch concerning.

“Do you want my sister to take a look at it for you?” Parker calls over the running tap water. “She primarily works in real estate law, but Paige is a gun at all things.”

I’ve read my fair share of NDAs, even signed a couple here and there. I contemplate sending it to our family lawyer to look over, but then I’d risk my parents finding out I used them for something. They’d want to know what it was for. Obviously, I could lie, but that would be an extra headache that I don’t need. This NDA is also way longer than the previous ones I’ve dealt with. Another pair of eyes would be useful.

“Yeah, actually, that would be great.”

He nods. “Alright, Syd will get our lawyers to send her a copy.”

“Thanks. I’m still going to try to give it a read myself.” I park myself on the black leather couch, curling my feet under me as I start to leaf through it. It seems standard, but there is a lot of legal jargon I don’t understand.

I do understand that I can’t breathe a word about their identities. I can’t come to the apartment unless I’m driven by Francis or an approved security member. I make a face when I see that even our dates have to be preapproved. It kind of blows, but I suck it up.

I breathe a sigh of relief when I read that the contract is void if the boys decide to reveal their identities themselves or if a third party unrelated to me does—like a media outlet.

However, when I see my compensation for the NDA, I still. The number isn’t small, even by my count. My gut sours. It makes me uncomfortable, taking money from them for a secret I had no plan in revealing anyway. I contemplate whether I should ask Paige to get it removed. I don’t even need the money, anyway.

“Sorry, by the way.” Sydney startles me out of my thoughts, and I cock my head to the side.

“For what?”

She takes a seat next to me, “Yelling last night. Emotions were high and, well, I should’ve been more levelheaded. It was unprofessional of me.”