Page 145 of Illusory

Fucking hell.

“No. Of course not,” I said, my hand instinctively reaching out to touch his cheek—to console him. That was the last thing I wanted for him. The thought alone made my heart feel as though it was ripping apart in my chest.

He pressed his cheek into my palm and closed his eyes briefly. “Then stop pushing me away, Jemma.Please. Stop running from me. I don’t want to be miserable anymore. I just want to be where you are,” he said and gazed back at me with deep, soulful eyes. “I’m not asking for anything more than that.”

I couldn’t bring myself to deny him in that moment, to remind him of all the reasons this was a bad idea, so instead, I said nothing at all, and I wasn’t sure if that was worse.

Dominic shifted beside me. “Laying it on a little thick, don’t you think, Romeo?”

Trace’s eyes darkened as he glared over at Dominic. “Fuck off,Goldilocks.”

My breath caught in my throat as I nervously lookedbetween the two of them, certain that fists would start flying over my head any second then.

A beat of silence stretched across the room and Dominic chuckled before nuzzling his face into my neck again. “Touché, Romeo. Touché.”

47. A BREAK IN THE DARK

Tessa and Gabriel were already seated at the kitchen table when the three of us strolled in for breakfast later that morning. I wasn’t sure if it was my own guilt over what had happened with Dominic and Trace in my bedroom less than an hour earlier, but I was sure that everyone in the room could see the sordid details written all over my face.

My attention immediately went to Tessa, who was sitting at the head of the table in front of a full plate of food and not touching a single piece of it. Her head was buried in the crook of her arm, her hair spilling half across the table and half hanging off the edge, as though she were still drunk from last night.

Then again, it was a very real possibility considering how much she’d had to drink.

“Morning,” I greeted, eyeing her and then Gabriel, who was sitting across the table from me. As soon as I sat down, Dominic and Trace quickly took the chairs on either side of me and settled in.

Gabriel’s gaze narrowed as he glanced from me to the guys and then back again. “Morning.”

Oh, God. He knew.

“You alright, Tess?” asked Trace, lowering his head as he tried to catch her gaze.

“No,” she grumbled into her arm without looking up. “I think I might be dead.”

Gabriel made a noise at the back of his throat. “Yes, well, hopefully we’ve all learned our lesson.”

My eyes dove to my empty plate, certain that Gabriel’sbiting words were meant for the both of us.

Grabbing my fork, I picked up two pancakes from the stack that Isa had prepared for us and then dropped them onto my plate. Trace picked up the maple syrup and passed it to me with a dimpled smile, while Dominic stretched his arm behind me, casually resting it on the back of my chair.

I could only imagine what we looked like just then—what Gabriel was thinking! God, if he didn’t already know, he wasno doubtputting the pieces together in his mind right that second. Mortification instantly set in, making my cheeks burn with embarrassment.

Unable to stop myself, I chanced a peek at him and confirmed my worst fear—his gaze was locked on mine and his eyebrows were raised in silent question.

Fuck. Hedefinitelyknew.

An overwhelming urge to push away from the table and run like the wind surged through me, but I fought it, knowing it would only make me look even more guilty than I felt. Instead, I cut a small piece of pancake and slowly brought it to my mouth.

“So, what do you have planned for the day?” he asked, his eyes still fixed on me.

I blinked, momentarily thrown off by his question. “You mean you’re not going to force me to train all day?”

“It’s your Ascension today,” he replied, his tone matter-of-fact.

I swallowed thickly, a pang of fear twisting my guts around and cutting off my appetite. “I know.”

Trace put his hand on my thigh and gave it a reassuring squeeze. I wasn’t sure if he hadfeltmy anxiety or if it was simply written all over my face.

“Fucking hell,” hissed Tessa as she lifted her head up to squint at me, like she’d just caught up with our conversation.“Happy birthday, little sis.”

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