Page 89 of Silent Betrayal

He sinks deep into me right before he comes, filling me with his heat. I pant heavily as I start to come down from my high, my body tremblingfrom exhaustion. He wraps his arms around me and helps ease us back until I’m sitting between his outstretched legs while he leans against the headboard.

He gently kisses up and down my neck as I watch all the guys’ heated faces. Jasper wipes himself clean with my panties before tucking himself away. When he sees me watching, he smiles, giving me a wink, making me blush.

Suddenly, ‘I’m Too Sexy’ starts playing and all our faces turn to Atlas. He looks confused for a moment, then when he realises it’s his own phone ringing, he pulls it out and silences it. He lifts his head and glares at Max.

Unable to hold it in any longer, a loud burst of laughter erupts from me, and I’m followed quickly by the twins. I had completely forgotten the dare I gave Max to change Atlas’s ringtone. I hold my stomach as I laugh and glance up to make sure Atlas isn’t mad. But he’s no longer glaring at Max, now he’s smiling warmly at me.

I glance around and see everyone smiling, making my heart feel warm and happy. Is this what love is supposed to feel like? A warmth that radiates from your chest at the sight of the people you care about? A feeling that only grows when you see them happy and smiling? And an intensity that feels all encompassing when they direct that happiness at you?

If that was true, then that makes me a woman who’s in love with seven amazing men.

Chapter forty

Someone knocks at my door, and when I call for them to come in, Tucker steps inside, closing the door behind him.

“Can we talk?” he asks, his expression serious.

I stand up from my desk, facing him. “Sure. Is something wrong?”

“Sort of. Can we sit?” He gestures toward the two armchairs in the corner, and I nod. We take a seat and I wait for him to start, watching as he fidgets slightly.

“Gideon, we’re worried about you.”

I jerk back in surprise. “Worried about me? Why?” I ask, genuinely confused.

“You’ve been distancing yourself from us. From Mina. What’s going on, man? Why haven’t you spoken to her yet?”

The question lands hard, like a blow, and I immediately stand, the tension in my chest suddenly unbearable. I start pacing. “I don’t want to talk about this,” I say, irritation bleeding into my tone.

“Well, tough luck. We’ve given you more than enough time to come around. But now your actions are causing Mina harm, so we aren’t willing to sit back and let you brood silently anymore.”

I freeze mid-step, turning sharply to face him. “What do you mean, I’m causing her harm?”

“Gid, can’t you see how much she cares about you? Every time you’re in the room, she looks at you with so much longing and hurt. She doesn’t know why you’re staying away, and neither do the rest of us.”

His words hit like a punch to the gut. The guilt surges up, overwhelming me. “I didn’t mean to hurt her even more. I’m such a bloody fuck-up!” I growl, grabbing at my hair, the frustration spilling over.

Tucker jumps up, grabbing my wrists and gently pulling them down. “Hey, stop that. Talk to me, Gideon. What’s going on?”

“Don’t you get it? It’s all my fault!” I yell, the words tearing out of me.

“What’s your fault?” he asks, his tone calmer now, but I can’t stop the avalanche of thoughts.

“I’m the only one who met Helen. Iknewsomething was off. I should have known she was harming her daughter—it was so obvious!” I pull away from him and resume pacing, my steps quick and erratic.

“G—” Tucker starts, but I cut him off, the floodgates fully open now.

“She came to school, day after day, with a giant, infected hole in her arm and lashes on her back, and I failed to notice those, too!” I spit out, my voice breaking.

“None of us did,” Tucker says, but I barely hear him, the memories playing on a loop in my head.

“I wasn’t there to walk her to the library in time, and because of me, she wasassaulted!” The word catches in my throat, and I push through it, my voice shaking. “And because of that, and my lack of convincing the principal not to call her mother, she was almost killed. She lost a bloodyfingerbecause of me! She might not ever be able to have children because of me! How can I get close to her when all I do is cause her pain?!” I yell the last words, the guilt consuming me now I’m finally speaking the thoughts that have been plaguing these past few weeks.

“Gideon, none of that is any more your fault than it is mine,” Tucker says, his voice firm, trying to reach me.

“Of course it’smyfault. I’m the one who’s supposed to be able to dig beneath the surface, to see our cases and people on a deeper level. But I was so distracted by my desire for her that I was blinded to her pain. It’smyfault, Tucker. Mine!” I yell the last word at him, clenching my fists in anger as I breathe heavily.

I’ve never been good at expressing my emotions before, keeping them close to the chest, so it’s not exactly a surprise that the tiniest amount of prodding by him has caused me to explode, letting everything out that’s been eating me alive.

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