Page 181 of Shattered Silence Duet

Tucker steps up beside me. “You know that’s not your fault, Sugar, don’t you?”

She sniffles and shrugs, her eyes moving to mine. “Is it?” she asks me quietly.

Unable to hold back anymore, I step towards her, wrapping my arms around her waist and lifting her up. I’m relieved when her arms come around my neck as I move to sit on my bed.

I stroke her hair as I kiss the side of head over and over, trying to sooth her. “Love, of course nothing they did to you is your fault.”

She sniffles and pulls back to look at me. “And it’s not your fault, either.” I frown at her, wanting to argue, but how can I? “Say it, Gideon. Tell me it’s not your fault,” she asks, her fingers scratching the nape of my neck, relaxing me.

“It’s…”

“Say it,” she whispers, her lips a breath from mine.

“It’s not my fault,” I whisper. My eyes flutter shut as she closes the distance and presses her lips to mine. I hold her there, unmoving as I bask in the feeling of finally kissing her. After a few moments, I place soft kisses on her lips over and over again.

The door clicks shut and I open my eyes, noticing Tucker has left us alone. I’ll have to thank him for his help later.

I resume kissing the amazing woman in my arms over and over until she surprises me by sucking on my lower lip. I pull back and see the heat in her face, making me dive in to kiss her fully.

After all this time, I’m finally getting my first taste of her, and I’m not surprised to find out she’s addicting. I take control of the kiss as I pull her against me, my erection straining against my leg, trapped by my slacks and boxers.

I grip her thigh as she tries to rub against me, seeking friction and notice the cute little dress she’s wearing is sliding up her bare legs. My hand follows it, moving underneath until I’m gripping her hip. She moans against me so I pull back just enough to ask, “do you want me to touch you, Love?”

“Yes,” she gasps, her hips thrusting against my abs, seeking contact. I kiss her as my fingers push into the side of her panties, finding her dripping for me.

“God, Love, you’re soaked.” I use my thumb to circle her clit as I push two fingers into her and she cries out. I swallow her moans as I start pumping into her, desperate to bring her that pleasure she seeks.

She thrusts her hips in rhythm with my fingers, making me grow even harder beneath her.

“Gideon!” she cries, moving her face to my neck, and I feel her teeth gently clamp down.Bloody hell, that feels good!

“That’s it,” I encourage her as she continues to fuck herself on my fingers. “Come for me, baby, I love you,” I whisper in her ear before sucking her earlobe into my mouth and she cries out against my shoulder, her pussy clamping down on my fingers as her body shakes with ecstasy.

I continue my fingers thrusting in and out of her, trying to extend her orgasm as long as I can, until her body relaxes, the tension fading. I pull my fingers from her and lick them clean, wanting to know what she tastes like. “Mmm, delicious,” I mumble and she turns to look at me as she leans on my shoulder.

Her eyes widen a bit when she realizes what I’m doing. When I’m finished cleaning them, I wrap my arm around her, watching her face carefully.

“I’m sorry I’ve been so distant from you. I’m sorry for everything that’s happened. You are too kind and too sweet for the likes of me, but I’m honored that you’re willing to share yourself with me. Are you—” I cut myself off, feeling like a school boy all over again. “Will you be my girlfriend, Mina?”

“I love you, Gideon, and yes, I will,” she says, the words igniting a fire in me.

“I don’t deserve you, but I love you, too,” I say, kissing her temple before wrapping her in my arms and closing my eyes, finally feeling content for the first time since I met her.

Chapter 41

Tucker

Idump the last bag of garbage on the curb as I look at the empty field across the street and take a deep breath of the crisp fall air. There was a strange feeling in the air tonight. Like the calm before a storm. Knowing that Gideon and Mina had patched things up brought me an insane amount of relief. That was the last missing piece of our puzzle.

Now all seven of us were fully in with her, I wanted to start thinking about building our life together. But there was a storm on the horizon that has remained calm for too long now… Simon.

Everything in my gut was telling me that he hadn’t moved on. Even though it had been his MO in the past, he no longer has access to Mina, and I’m surprised that nobody besides Brad has ended up dead since she came to live with us.

What is he planning? Is he waiting for her to make an appearance? Is he out here, right now, waiting for her to be left alone? Luckily, that’s never going to happen. All our protective instincts are growing stronger each day we haven’t solved this case.

We’re still surprised the FBI hasn’t stepped in yet. There’s been multiple murders in this town alone, and we have a prime suspect. But when Dom spoke with the police chief earlier today, he said without any record of Simon’s existence, they couldn’t just takeMina’s word and start a manhunt for him. Which meant it was up to us to solve this case.

I head inside and the smell of dinner cooking makes my stomach rumble. I head into the living room and see Mina sitting on the couch alone, and make my way over to her.