Page 26 of Silent Betrayal

“Dom?”

“Yes, Kitten?

“Is this cuddling?” I ask curiously.

He smiles against me as he answers, “yes, do you like it?”

“Uh huh,” I mumble, unable to say anything else right now. My mind races with a million questions, completely different from the one’s keeping me from sleeping only minutes earlier.

Is cuddling something all friends do? Why does it feel so intimate? Could I do this with all the guys? Could I do it with more than one at once?

“I can practically hear you thinking. Do you want to ask me something, Mina?”

“Is this… something friends do?”

“Sometimes,” he answers slowly. “But you know you’re not just a friend to us, right?”

“I’m not?” I ask in confusion.

“No.”

“Then what am I?”

“You’re our everything,” he says before placing a kiss on the back of my neck. That, combined with his words, sends a bolt of desire through me making me squeeze my legs together. Even though his words are vague and confusing, I can’t help but feel the sexual undertone to them.

“I don’t understand,” I whisper.

“You will. But right now, it’s time for sleep.”

Chapter eleven

The next day, which I later find out is Sunday, I’m woken by the twins, who have decided it’s their job to help me get ready. I was sad to wake up to an empty bed, but due to the warm mattress beside me, I have a feeling Dom hadn’t left long ago and spent the whole night with me, which is a thought that has me giddy.

“Come on, Sweetheart, time for your sponge bath!” Max says as he scoops me up from my bed and carries me to the bathroom. An embarrassing squeak escapes me at the thought of them giving me a sponge bath.They can’t see me naked!

Jasper takes pity on me when he gets a look at my face. “Don’t worry, you’re going to put on a swimsuit.” He holds up two small pieces of green fabric that I hadn’t noticed him carrying until now.

“We got you this one because the top closes in the front, so it shouldn’t hurt your arms to get on, and you can put it on yourself,” he tells me as Max sets me on my feet and helps me lean against the counter where Jasper places the swimsuit.

“Will you be okay getting undressed and putting that on by yourself?” I eye the fabric, then nod. What I was wearing was baggy enough that I should be able to get it off easily. “Turn the tap on in the sink whenyou’re done, and we’ll come back in to help clean you.” They leave no room for debate as they exit the bathroom and close the door.

I struggle a little at first, my arms still feeling weak, but I manage to get myself dressed in the swimsuit. I avoid looking at myself in the mirror. I know I must look terrible, too thin and covered in scars.

I turn the tap on, wondering if they will hear it, but they instantly open the door and come in. Their eyes flash with a mixture of emotion as they take in my body. It’s there and gone so quickly, I can’t tell if it’s pity or disappointment or something else.

“Alright, let’s get you standing in the tub to clean you,” Jasper says.

“She might slip standing in there,” Max says with a frown.

Jasper picks me up and I wrap my legs around his waist as he holds me to him. “Hmm, you’re right. You go in and help steady her.”

I watch with wide eyes as Max wastes no time stripping down to his boxers. A laugh slips out of me when I see his red boxers covered in little burgers. He smiles at me when he sees where I’m looking. “You like something you see, Sweetheart? Hungry?” My laughter cuts off and I start coughing.

Jasper laughs at his brother’s antics as Max steps into the tub and holds his arms out for me. I release my legs from Jasper as I’m set on my feet in the tub. Max turns me and pulls me against him, my back to his chest, and wraps his arms around my shoulders as we watch Jasper get a small jug, soap and some other bottles, and brings them over to the edge of the tub.

The sound of the water turning on makes my body tense, remembering the last time I was standing in a tub was when Simon almost drowned me in the shower. It’s not something I’m prepared to talk about rightnow. But when I realize Jasper isn’t turning on the shower, and only the faucet, my body starts to relax against Max.

Jasper plays with the water until he gets it to the temperature he likes, then he starts pouring it over my body slowly. His eyes follow the path of the water as it trails down my skin. I feel exposed, him looking at me so intently, but when his eyes flick up to meet mine, I realize it’s heat that I see there, not disgust or pity. I take a deep breath as I fidget against Max, Jasper’s gaze making me feel an unrecognizable desire, deep inside.

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