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My heart sinks.

He sees it and curses under his breath, dragging a hand through his hair. “I didn’t mean?—”

“You did,” I cut in. “You meant every word.”

He looks away for half a second, jaw clenched like he’s trying to bite something back.

“I get it,” I say. “I brought this here and you’ve had to change everything because of me.”

“That’s not what I?—”

“It’s exactly what you’re saying,” I snap. “You won’t even look at me.”

“That’s not fair.”

“No?” I step forward. “Because from where I’m standing, you’re treating me like a problem you need to manage, not a person you’re supposed to give a damn about. But you don’t, do you? We fucked once and you haven’t touched me since.”

His mouth opens, but I don’t give him time to speak.

“I’m not some ticking bomb,” I say, voice shaking now. “I didn’t ask for any of this, Boone. I didn’t bring this danger on purpose. I didn’t mean for any of it to follow me.”

“You didn’t bring it on purpose,” he says. “But that doesn’t mean it didn’t come with you.”

I don’t answer him, because I don’t know how. He’s not wrong. Even if it hurts like hell to hear.

But beneath the anger in his voice—under all the steel and the distance—I hear what he’s trying to hide.

Fear.

I can feel the sting of unshed tears behind my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall while he’s still looking at me.

Before I can say anything else, Finn’s voice cuts in from the living room.

“You two gonna keep throwing punches, or you want to burn it out another way?”

Boone and I both freeze.

Boone turns slowly, every muscle in his body pulled tight. “What the fuck are you talking about?” he says.

Finn leans back against the arm of the couch like he hasn’t just dropped a grenade into the center of our argument. He shrugs one shoulder, casual as always. “I’m saying…you, me, her, Jonah. Not talking. Just fucking.”

My face burns bright red.

I blink at him, stunned into silence. I don’t know whether to laugh or scream. I can’t tell if this is some kind of twisted joke or the worst timed suggestion in history.

Boone just stares at him like he’s lost his damn mind.

Jonah—quiet until now—looks up from where he’s sitting. He glances between Finn and Boone, then at me. His expression is unreadable.

Finally, Jonah speaks. “You’re serious?”

Finn nods. “Dead serious. We’re all wound so tight we’re about to explode.”

He shrugs like it’s no big deal. Meanwhile, my heart thuds.

The silence stretches again, but it feels different now.

And even though my whole body is burning with want and confusion, I hear what he’s not saying. This isn’t just sex. It’s more than that. It’s surrender.