Page 120 of Perfect Harmony

“Stop it!” he shouted. “Just stop,Gracie! I should never have let his happen. I should have never had sex withyou.”

“It isn’t just sex between us,” Gracesaid. “I know you’re hurting, but don’t pretend that what’s happening between usis based on us just getting our rocks off with each other. Don’t act like youregret sleeping with me because -”

“You had sex with Grace?”

Gideon froze at the sound of Kira’s voice.His stomach felt like he’d stepped out of a plane without a fucking parachute.

He turned around, staring guiltily at Kiraas she stood in the doorway of the kitchen. “Kira, what… what are you doing here?”

“I came over to check on you and see how Tankwas doing,” Kira said. Her gaze flicked from him to Grace and back to him. “I…I could hear you yelling from the driveway.”

She pulled at the hem of her suit jacket. “Youand Gracie are sleeping together?”

“It isn’t… I mean, we didn’t…”

“How long?” Kira said.

“Kiddo, sit down and -”

“How long have you and Gracie been fucking,Gideon?” Kira’s voice rose into a shout. “How long?”

“Since I moved in with him,” Grace said. “Butwe were attracted to each other before that.”

Kira staggered back and the look ofbetrayal and confusion on her face hurt Gideon to his core. “Kira, I canexplain, okay?”

“You lied to me,” Kira whispered. “You – youguys are like siblings to each other.”

“No.” Grace’s face was pale, and her handswere shaking, but she sounded calm.

Kira’s gaze swung to Grace.

“Honey, we never lied to you,” Grace said.“I know you think of me as your sister and I feel the same way about you, but Idon’t feel that way about Gideon. I don’t, honey. And he doesn’t feel thatway about me. I know this is a shock, but -”

“A shock?” Kira laughed and Gideon winced atthe bitterness in it. “Oh, it’s a fucking shock, all right. The two people Ithought I could trust the most have been lying to my face for weeks.”

“We didn’t lie, Kira,” Grace said. “Younever asked us if we were having sex and -”

“Are you fucking kidding me right now?”Kira said. “That’s how you’re going to justify it? That it’s not lying becauseI never thought to ask the question of whether or not the two of you who arepractically goddamn siblings, are fucking each other. Are you serious, Grace?”

“We’re not siblings!” Grace’s voice turnedsharp. “There is nothing wrong with what we’re doing.”

“No, nothing wrong at all.” Kira started tocry but backed out of the kitchen when Gideon walked toward her. “No, don’tcome near me. I need some space, and I need to-to… hell, I don’t know what Ineed to do other than get away from the both of you.”

She turned and ran down the hallway. Thefront door slammed shut, and Gideon stumbled to a chair and sank into it. Hefelt like he’d just run a fucking marathon and if there’d been anything in his stomach,he’d be vomiting it up.

Grace sat down across from him. “She’ll beokay, Gideon. She just needs time to process.”

“You don’t know her like I do,” he said. “Shewon’t get over this.” His voice was dull, and he could barely hear her overthe thud of his heart in his ears.

“We’ll give her some time, and then we’llboth talk to her and we’ll help her understand.”

“No,” he said.

“Honey, I know you think it’s best if it’sonly you but trust me – we should both be there.”

“Wedon’t need to talk to her. I’lltalk to her and let her know that we’re just – just friends again, and that shedoesn’t need to worry or try and understand what the fuck we did.”

“Why?”

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