Page 102 of Entangled

“They’re fine, Eden,” Dom says, cutting off his conversation with Heather. “We wouldn’t have told you they were if they weren’t.”

He shifts around from the other side of the fire. It takes Heather a moment to follow.

“No, I know. I just saw Lucky take that shot, and Jayk didn’t even really know what had happened or what Beau was doing about it. Just that he was ‘fixing him.’” I blow out a breath. “I only want to see him for myself, that’s all.”

Dom nods, his eyes lingering on me. “Beau knows what he’s doing.”

“Lucien took shrapnel to the apex of his lung, which caused a pneumothorax,” Jasper interrupts smoothly. “Dominic field treated him, but Beaumont was required for a needle aspiration to reinflate his lung. Lucien also received two gunshot wounds, but neither were life threatening, outside of the risk of infection. Beaumont is treating him with appropriate drugs, and though there was some concern about their efficacy after so many years, he was quite firm in his belief that if Lucien was sensible and adhered to his bed rest, he would be well enough.” Jasper purses his lips. “Infection was the largest cause for concern, I believe.”

His words have the rhythm of recitation.

“Very... thorough,” Heather chokes out, and when I glance at her, her tongue is pressed into her cheek.

Dom gives her an impatient look, then lowers his voice as he says something to her, drawing her attention. The tea turns bitter in my mouth, but I return my attention to Jasper.

His cheeks are pink.

Something from the other day flits into my mind, and I frown. I try to banish it... but the thought persists.

“You’re very attentive to his care,” I whisper.

Jasper sighs, then pulls himself up until he’s sitting. “I’ve been trying to work out how to tell you. Since your comment to Bentley... I wasn’t sure just how much you know.”

My eyes widen. “You’regay? Is that why you?—”

Dom and Heather look over at my exclamation, a perfect, synchronized pair, as my mouth clicks shut. I don’t want to go back to his rejection of me. The door isclosedon that particular conversation.

But Jasper doesn’t seem to get the silent message.

“That’s not why I refused you,” he says gently, and our chess game plays in his eyes too. He’s cast in amber by the firelight, and it makes his dark hair, dark eyes, look dipped in gold. “My sadism is not what you need, Eden, and that reasoning holds now. But to clarify, I don’t hold a preference for gender. My attraction is more fluid, based more on the person and their... interests. I had thought Lucien might have said something.” His voice lowers to a mutter. “He can’t keep his mouth shut about anything else.”

“Lucky?” I swallow, feeling like the ground is crumbling under my feet faster than I can find steady earth. “Why... why would Lucky know?”

But I know.

Even as I ask, things are starting to slip into place. Lucky’s lingering looks, the blushing, the way he dropped plates at dinner and how he stole me away on Jasper’s day. It’s incredible how one piece of context puts a new light on everything.

He wasn’t doing those things to spend time with me.

It was to keep me away from Jasper.

But Luckysaid.“We aren’t interested in each other that way.”He said those exact words.Heimplied Jasper was straight.

He lied to me. Heusedme.

My emotions are a dark spiral, and violent, shameful betrayal slams through it.

My tea sloshes over the rim of my cup, and I realize I’ve been strangling it. The burning liquid scalds my fingers, and I drop the cup with a curse. Jasper moves to take my hands, but I pull them sharply away, standing.

Dom. Jasper.

Now Lucky, too.

God. How delusional can I possibly be? Am I so attention starved that I invented these romances so entirely in my head? Silly, silly Eden. They brought me to Bristlebrook for sex, and apparently I just took them not being blatantly awful as interest.

I have to admit, though. This makes more sense. I’d taken for granted that being the only woman around gave me a certain advantage—that one fact helped significantly to put years of insecurity to the side. Even so far as to believe that five men, these five incredible men, could truly want me.

How naive of me.

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