Page 29 of Silent Desires

“She needs to eat. She’s so tiny,” Atlas grumbles against my head in his sexy Russian accent.

“I’ll make her a smoothie to take back to school. She can sip it slowly,” Ben replies, and Atlas grunts in reply.

I decide to stop playing possum and slowly sit up. A yawn pulls itself from me. I look at Atlas, and he smiles, stroking his hand over my hair to smooth it out. I realize it’s not in braids anymore and wonder when that happened.

Max suddenly plops himself down beside us on the couch, giving me a huge grin. “Hey there, gorgeous. You have a good nap?”

My cheeks heat as I nod, and he laughs lightly. God, that’s embarrassing, falling asleep in his brother’s lap, a man I’d only just met an hour before.

“I hope you’re hungry, because Ben’s been slaving away in the kitchen to make us lunch.” I nod again, and he takes my hand to help me stand. Atlas lets go and helps push me up with a hand on my back.

Max leads me to the giant table and pulls out a chair. As I sit, Ben places a plate of food in front of me. Soon, the others join, and everyone starts eating and chatting. The food is delicious, and I wish I could have more. It’s probably best they limited my portion, though—I really don’t want to throw up again.

Eventually, we finish lunch, and I’m escorted to the door. After I put on my shoes, I see Max carrying our bags and I turn to wave goodbye to the others.

Dom steps up, and I have to strain my neck to look up at him. “If you need anything, you let us know, okay? No matter what time of day. Max and Jasper will tell you how to reach out. Remember, you’re always welcome in our home.”

Glancing at the massive home behind him, I can’t help but wish that was true. I wish I could just stay here and never go back to my mother’s house. I nod, and he surprises me by pulling me into a gentle hug. I tense for a second, then hug him back.

Atlas bends down on one knee, bringing him almost eye-level with me. “Remember what I said. When you’re ready, I’ll listen.” He doesn’t hesitate to hug me, and I make sure to keep my sore arm away from his grip so it doesn’t hurt.

I look at Ben, who seems a little more shy than the others. “I hope you come back again, Princess. Maybe we can play a video game next time?”

I smile at him, but I’m still too nervous to reach out. I just stand there awkwardly until Jasper grabs my hand and says goodbye to the others. We head out to their truck and make our way back to school.

I’m led into Gideon Hargrove’s office, my guidance counselor, just before lunch ends, and the twins say their goodbyes with gentle hugs. Iwas surprised when they said Gideon wants to see me instead of taking me to art, but I wasn’t upset by it. Art really wasn’t holding my interest.

“Thanks for coming in here. Did you have a good morning at my house?” I guess one of the others must have told him about my eventful morning. Did he also know how they found me on the side of the road, freaking out?

I nod and take a seat. Glancing at his desk, I’m amused by the fact that it looks just as tidy as it did the last time I was in here. I let my eyes roam to the shelves behind him and notice how tidy those are too, not a book out of place.

Looking back at Gideon himself, I realize his appearance resembles his office, tidy and formal. Today he’s wearing a blue dress shirt, with a navy vest. A matching tie is tucked into his vest, completing his professor look. There isn’t so much as a wrinkle on his shirt, I wonder how he manages to stay so pristine all day.

“I’m pleased. I wanted you to come in so we can discuss your schedule. It has come to my attention that you might be more capable of learning than your mother thinks you are?”

My eyes widen in shock and I feel my blood freeze. Oh no, he was going to tell her. How angry would she be if she knew I wasn’t idly coloring all day like she instructed me?

“Hey, Mina,” Gideon says, moving to the chair beside me and reaching out to gently hold my hand in a comforting embrace between both of his. “It’s okay, if you want to keep this between us, we can do that, alright? Nobody else has to know if you don’t want them to.”

He ducks his head and tries to meet my eyes. I risk looking at him. His hazel eyes implore me to believe him, so I find myself taking a deep breath and nodding before I have a panic attack. He gives me a soft smile andrubs my hand. I stare into his eyes for what feels like an eternity before he quickly pulls back, releasing my hand, clearing his throat, and moving back around his desk.

Chapter nineteen

She’sseventeen, I tell myself for the hundredth time. I am not some creepy pervert. But I don’t know what it is about her. She doesn’t look seventeen, but that’s not an excuse for practically drooling over her.

I know better than to act like that. I was raised in a refined part of West London where tradition is everything, appearances are paramount, and emotions are considered a sign of weakness. If my parents saw me interacting with Mina, they’d be terribly disappointed.

Grabbing my flask of earl gray tea, I take a sip in hopes of calming my racing heart. Glancing at her, I fix my tie as I try to get this conversation back on track.

“Good. Well, I think you can still learn a lot in math and science, but maybe art isn’t the right fit for you. Instead, I’m going to give you an independent study. It means you can choose any topic that interests you, research it, then write a detailed report on what you find. You don’t have to hand it in until the end of the semester. I can give you a topic, or you can come up with your own. I’d recommend taking some time to research your own. You’ll gain more from doing that, I think.”

She nods in agreement, and I can’t help but smile at her. “Good. You can spend the period in the library, or you’re welcome to leave campus.” She looks surprised. “Let’s say, for example, a couple of twins decide totake you home over lunch break. You could spend your lunch period plus third period researching and writing using their library and internet, then come back for gym class.”

I see the understanding on her face at my suggestion, and she slowly nods. “Brilliant. For today, you can stay in here.” There were definitely more appropriate places for her to work, such as the library, but I can’t help but want to keep her close.

“I thought it would be a good idea to help fill in the gaps you may have in your education with more of a personalized plan. I’m going to give you some workbooks to work through, and if you get stuck on anything, you can just ask me questions and we’ll figure it out together. That way, you can work at your pace. Based on what the twins told me, I have a feeling you’re going to go through this stuff really fast. Does that sound okay to you?” She nods her head again, looking pleased.

After handing her a few workbooks, she works quietly and quickly. She seems captivated with the content, just as I’m captivated with her. I can’t help but stare at her gorgeous face. The twins are right—she definitely doesn’t look her age. But looking seventeen and being seventeen are two completely different things. I need to be careful around her, but lord, it’s so hard. Literally. I adjust myself subtly under my desk. I need to look away before somebody sees something inappropriate.

---