Page 93 of Overexposed

chapter

thirty-four

Gemini

Seven fucked Stella. It was painfully obvious from the moment they arrived home from their photoshoot. Her lips were puffy and pink, her cheeks colored, and her eyes glassy. I knew that lookextremelywell because I took great joy in causing it. But the smug-fuck smirk on Seven’s face and the stiff way she was moving got my blood pressure rising.

“Gem, you’re back early,” Stella gasped when she locked eyes with me. I was in the kitchen, halfway through reheating a meal that our chef had delivered earlier, and the moment our gazes met, she flushed with guilt. “We need to talk.”

My jaw tightened as Seven slapped her backside and she visibly flinched.

She. Flinched.

“What…the fuck…did you do?” I snarled, fists balled as I considered actually murdering my brother.

Panic etched across Stella’s gorgeous features, and she physically stepped between my twin and me like she could stop me from killing him for whatever he did to hurt her.

“Stop! Gem, he didn’t hurt me!” she exclaimed, holding her hands up like she was trying to break my stare down with Seven.“Or, rather, he didn’t do anything I didn’t enjoy,” she amended with gritted teeth.

Seven’s grin curved his lips again, and he gave me a pointed look. Our twin link said everything I really needed to know—he liked her a whole fuck-load more than he was ever willing to admit out loud. This had been brewing since the minute the two of them met—it had just been a matter of time. I knew it; Ollie knew it;Seven knew it. The only one who seemed surprised was Stella herself.

I narrowed my eyes, my jaw tight, but I calmed down somewhat. She’d enjoyed whatever Seven did…and I found it extremely hard to maintain a grudge when I could feel the calm satisfaction radiating from my twin. He wasn’t using her for a quick fix to toss her to the curb later—he was giving in to his undeniable desire.

And she was reciprocating, it seemed.

Jealousy was a totally new emotion to feel between Seven and me, and yet there it was, bitter and acidic as he bent to brush a kiss over her cheek.

“Now I know why Gem calls youSlick,” he murmured, then chuckled as Stella threw a hard elbow into his abdomen. She wasn’t messing around—she actually wanted it to hurt—but Seven just patted her backside again and walked away laughing.

Once he was gone, I eyed Stella more carefully. “Are you okay?” I asked with dread. What if she said she wasn’t? I trusted Seven as much as I trusted myself. More. But if Stella felt?—

“I’m fine,” she grumbled, her cheeks pink again. “Seven’s just a dick, that’s all. Nothing new…except, uh…”

“You had sex.” I wasn’t going to make her flail around searching for the words to tell me what I already knew.

Her eyes widened, but she nodded.

I sighed, running my hand through my hair. “Do you… Does this change us? You and me? Ollie?”

She shook her head violently. “No. God no. Unless this changes things for you? Seven was… That was a one-time thing. Never to be repeated. We still hate each other, if that’s any reassurance.”

I couldn’t help but smile at that because I knew perfectly fucking well once wouldn’t be enough for Seven—not now that he’d had her for himself. He would already be hooked, just like me and Ollie.

“This changes nothing for me, Slick. I’m perfectly happy to share you with my best friend—hell, Ienjoysharing you with him. Why would my twin be any different?”

The relief that washed through her was visible, her shoulders sagging, and I reached out to pull her into my embrace. Her arms wound around me, and I held her tight—right where she belonged, except that her hair smelled of Seven. I needed to get her in the shower and fix that.

I said as much, and she groaned. “As much as I want to take you up on that…I think I need to put some ice on my backside before I can engage in any more fun.”

Motherfucker. Acting on impulse, I flicked open her button, spun her around and yanked her jeans down to see what he’d done with my own two eyes. All over her perfect ass were raised red welts in the shape of Seven’s hand, some already turning purple with bruising.

“Seven’s afucking asshole,” I growled as she giggled and tugged her pants back up.

“I know,” she agreed. “That’s what I keep saying!”

Scooping her up into my arms, I let the uncertainty slip away. So long as she still wantedmeeven after having Seven, that was all that mattered. “Come on, Slick baby, I’ll take care of you. Wanna watch some Netflix in bed with me? I’ll be on my best behavior and provide ice packs for your backside.”

She snuggled her face into my chest, her fingers linked behind my neck as I carried her up the stairs to my room, my dinner totally forgotten. I set her up in my bed—lying on her belly and propped up with pillows so she could watch TV—then ducked back downstairs for supplies: popcorn, drinks, and frozen gel packs.

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