Page 124 of Forbidden Heroes

“She’s not lying just because she hasn’t said anything, man.”

Lying? Who thinks I am lying?

Someone says something in a low murmur I can’t make out. I dare to get a little closer to the door. Don’t judge, okay. I don’t mean to eavesdrop, but it is me who they are talking about.

“I can’t believe there’s a chance she’s seeing someone else. How could we not pick up on it?”

My lips draw into a pucker of frustration. Did I not tell them I wasn’t seeing anyone? That there is no one else? It’s clear to me that whoever broke their hearts must have done a real number.

“I don’t think there’s a cheating bone in her body. She has barely picked up her phone since we put her on our plane.”

Daemon. At least someone believes me.

There’s a long pause that eats at my patience.

“I think I love her. I think we all have since the first damn day at Westmoore. Tell me I’m not right.”

It grows silent. So quiet I fear my racing heart can be heard throughout the hotel suite.

Someone groans and a sigh of frustration drifts in before I hear Erik say, “You’re not. At least for me.”

But there’s one voice I don’t hear chime in with the others and I back away from the door silently, my heart breaking into a million pieces.

Twelve

Warren

Loving her seems too small of an expression for what I feel for Jemma. Erik and Daemon’s confession of love three nights ago caught me by surprise at first. After I found my voice again, we grabbed a few beers and moved to the balcony. We had a long conversation about what we hope to share with the woman who stole all three of our hearts. The university has us under strict policies and regulations, but we’re willing to do whatever it takes for her. Anything.

This is our last night in London but more importantly our last moment to have Jemma all to ourselves. The girl has trust issues and after spending nearly two weeks with us it’s hard to tell why she doesn’t trust us enough to tell us who exactly might be missing her back home. And it’s another man. Of that I am dead certain. Whether he’s a love interest or not is another question.

I turn to watch Jemma moving around in the kitchen. She seems distant, even in our love-making and I fear we might have scared her with our little game. Instead of passing the day getting her to open up, we’ve spent it in meetings securing contracts for our company and it looks like tonight we will be spending it working on another coding issue with a new program. We’ve barely had a full night’s rest in days and we still need to wrap up a few more contracts.

Jemma has been cooking something that smells extraordinary and Daemon is about to make a break for the kitchen. I know he’s suffering with guilt from how it ended with Zira so he’s putting it all in with Jemma. I can sense he wants to get in there with our girl instead of being trapped here under a pile of work.

She’s been quiet since she talked with her friend and the events that followed. She’s barely left the kitchen in hours and our workload hasn’t helped.

Erik pushes up from the table and starts pacing behind me. “We could use her help. Why are you so dead set against asking her all of a sudden?”

Since her original help with the black-market virus, we’ve all left her to do her own thing. She can spend hours looking at her screen. Or rather hiding behind it.

I scratch at the scruff covering my jawline. “Something’s changed, man. She’s pulling away from us.”

Erik turns his chair around and straddles it, chin propped up on the back. “I know. I hoped I was just being paranoid, but...”

“Something is bothering her and we’ve failed somewhere along the line if she feels she can’t confide in us.” Daemon props his elbows on the table, interlacing his fingers.

He’s right, damn it.

“If we ask her for help now on that damn code, it would send the wrong message.”

I force a smile when Jemma walks out wearing my shirt and little else. No bra for sure. Maybe she’s picked up those sexy black lacy panties I set out for her this morning. I smile.

Yesterday it was Daemon’s shirt she wiggled into and the night before it was Erik’s.

She walks toward me and I open my arms as she slides onto my lap.

I can feel the guy’s eyes on us and she reaches out for Daemon’s hand and slides a smile to Erik.

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