Page 194 of Shattered Silence Duet

“Tomorrow? Let me ask, hold on—” She frowns before speaking again. “No. Dad, no, of course not. I just need to see if we have any plans.” She turns her back to us and takes a step away, listening to what he says before responding. “That’s not what’s going on, dad. He’s the head of our family and—” Her shoulders drop and she sighs. “Yeah, I know.”

“Enough of this,” Dom grumbles as he walks over and stands in front of her, holding his hand out, palm up. Mina doesn’t hesitate to give him her phone.

“Hello, Paul. What seems to be the problem?” His eyes never leave Mina’s face as he listens to whatever it is her dad has to say. “I can assure you we have not been keeping her from you, and I don’t appreciate you accusing us of that. If she wants to see you tomorrow, we will make it happen, but we are not going to push her into it before she’s ready.” He nods his head before responding. “I will. Have a good evening, Paul.”

He hangs up the phone and passes it to her, before putting an arm around her shoulder and pulling into his side as we continue across the parking lot.

“He wants to see you tomorrow, and I told him you would let him know. If he gets pushy again, you tell me, okay?”

“It’s okay, Dom. I think he just wants to make up for lost time.”

“It doesn’t matter, he has no right to push you before you’re ready.”

“He has fifteen years of overprotective dad to make up for, I guess. And besides, I think I’m ready. To see him, I mean.”

“If you’re sure?” Dom asks, looking down at her.

She nods her head, a determined look on her face. “Yes. He killed Simon to save me, the least I can do is have a coffee with him.”

“Well, we have to go in for the debrief with the police chief tomorrow. There is a coffee shop right across the street, so you can grab that drink while we do that.”

“Okay! I’ll text him now,” she says excitedly.

I haven’t seen her smile as much in the past two months as she’s done today. The same goes for all my brothers. Every time they look at her, it seems to ease something in them, just as it does in me. Like our missing piece has finally come home, and now, our puzzles complete.

Chapter 46

Gideon

Istraighten my tie, roll my shoulders back, and knock on her door. My heart pounds heavily in my chest as I wait for her to answer. I don’t know why I have the nerves of a schoolboy about to go on his first date, but something about Mina sets my nerves on edge. As if any wrong movement by me could scare her off. We’ve spent plenty of time together recently, but most of it has been in group settings. I’ve spent a few nights cuddling her in bed between one of my brothers, but this is our first real date.

The door creaks open and she stands there wearing an understated little black dress that looks perfect on her, showing off her gorgeous curves. Since living with us she’s filled out to a much more healthy size, no longer looking on the brink of starvation.

She’s wearing a thick pair of tights underneath and her brown hair is flowing softly around her shoulders.

“Wow. You look gorgeous, Love,” I say, eyeing her up and down. “These are for you.” I pass over the bouquet of pink and purple tulips.

“Tulips?” she asks, her eyes happily surprised as they meet mine. “You remembered.”

“Of course I did, Love. I remember everything you tell me.”

A small blush tints her cheeks pink and she bites her lip before turning to place the flowers in a vase on her dresser.

She turns back towards me and licks her lips.Is she as nervous as I am?I reach for her hand, which she offers me easily, and take a step towards her. She has to tilt her head to keep eye contact with me, and when I get close enough, I ease my arm around her waist, pulling us close together.

“Gideon?”

“Hmm?” I ask, my eyes scanning hers. She’s so breathtaking, I can’t keep my hands off of her right now. Knowing she dressed this way for me… it does things to me I wasn’t prepared for.

“What are you doing?” she whispers as I lean closer.

“I am really trying to be a proper gentleman here, Mina. But you are so captivating right now, I don’t think I can wait until the end of the night to kiss you.” Hoping the kiss eases some of the tension coiling inside of me, I lean down and seal my lips against hers. They’re soft and plush, just like I remembered. But instead of settling something inside of me, they light a fire within me instead.

I can’t stop my hand from holding her at the nape of her neck, tilting her head to give me a better angle. She moans as my tongue meets her in an erotic dance that claims her as mine.

Finally, when I feel my cock straining against my boxers to be freed, I pull back, not wanting to get carried away. I take a small step back, straightening my tie and shirt, and wink down at her as she tries to compose herself.

“Do you have a sweater or a jacket?”