Page 43 of Silent Betrayal

Dom mentions something about having to work and I glance up at him, hoping to finally get some info on what he does all day.

“You have to work today?” I ask curiously.

“Yes, but I’ll just be in my office if you need me.”

“And what exactly is it you do in there all day?” I ask fainting disinterest as I stare at my fork as I push around the eggs on my plate.

I notice the room has gone silent and nobody speaks for a moment. I’m afraid to lift my gaze until Dom finally answers. “I’m working on a few things right now.”

“Like wha—”

“What did the cowboy say to the artist?” Tucker asks randomly, cutting me off and making me blink in confusion.

“Draw, partner,” he answers himself. I try to hold back my smile at his corny joke, but he sees my bad attempt to hide it. Max groans, while Jasper just shakes his head.

“How do cows stay up to date?” Max chimes in with his own joke. “They read the Moo-spaper.”

I laugh despite myself. I know they’re trying to distract me, and it’s working. If Dom doesn’t want to tell me what he’s doing, I’ll respect his privacy… for now. “That one is terrible, Max.”

“Hey! Let’s see you do any better!” He challenges me, grinning.

I pretend to think hard, drawing out the silence, and then finally ask, “how do you end an argument with a mute person?”

Nobody answers, so I deliver the punchline. “You turn off the lights.”

Max is the first to laugh, his grin wide. “I can’t believe you made a mute joke, Sweetheart!”

“Well…” I start, glancing at him. “I’m not mute anymore,” I add quietly, shrugging one of my shoulders.

“Kitten?” Dom’s voice is soft, drawing my gaze to him. “If you were, we’d love you all the same, even if you never spoke a word. But I won’t lie, hearing your beautiful voice, especially when you scream my name in pleasure, is nothing short of amazing.”

My face heats, and I gasp, covering my cheeks with my hands. “Dom!” I hiss, horrified that he’s bringing that up in front of everyone.

Max jumps up like he’s been hit with a revelation. “Holy shit! I knew something happened yesterday! Jasper, did you know?”

Jasper shrugs, a smug look on his face. “I might’ve had an idea something went down.”

“And you didn’t tell me?” Max demands, his tone outraged.

Jasper grins wider, and then, to my utter mortification, he pulls a familiar pair of pink lace panties from his jeans pocket. “I wanted to keep these for myself.”

“Jasper!” I screech, as I move my hands to cover my eyes, trying to hide my embarrassment as Dom and Atlas burst out laughing.

“I knew it was you two! It was when I went to the store, wasn’t it?” Ben accuses, crossing his arms like a scolding parent. “Last time I volunteer to go shopping!”

“Ugh, this is so embarrassing,” I groan, turning toward Dom. I try to bury my face against him, but too late, I realize where I’m aiming and end up with my face in his crotch.

Dom shifts under me, and I feel his… reaction to me.

“Uhh, Sugar, you might want to rethink where you’re putting your face unless you’re planning to give us all a show,” Tucker teases, and I leap off my chair like I’ve been burned.

“Oh, God, I’m sorry! I… Uh… I… I’ll just… go…” I stammer, slowly backing toward the door, mortification fueling my need to run.

Dom grins at me, but it’s Jasper who speaks, his voice low and full of mischief. “Angel, be careful. If you run, I’m going to catch you. And there’s no holding back when that happens.”

I freeze, staring at him in stunned disbelief. What does he mean by that? Before I can process his words, Max suddenly lunges, tackling Jasper to the ground. “Run, Mina! I’ll save you!”

I can’t help the giggle that escapes as I turn and dart for the hallway. Behind me, the twins wrestle on the floor, grunting and grappling. I look back and see Jasper pinning Max beneath him, sitting triumphantly on his brother’s back.

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