Page 19 of Trial of Deceit (The Family’s Oath #1)

Her lips parted in surprise. She glanced to the side to catch Jediah staring at her. Ashari licked her chapped lips, making bitter blood wash over her tongue. “Thanks.”

Jediah’s eyes darted to her eyes.

There was that mix of emotion again.

How he always looked at her every time he professed his strong, unrequited feelings.

Ashari scowled and entered the bathroom.

She shut the door, stripped from her clothes, then entered the shower.

A long sigh escaped her mouth as the warm water beat against her skin, washing down her body and rushing to get to the drain.

Ashari watched as the water changed from ruby red to a pinkish hue until she was unable to look anymore.

Closing her eyes made new images flash in her mind.

Jaia. Charlie. Romar. Stranger.

Who was next?

The door opened, yanking her from her thoughts.

It was Jediah. Ashari covered her breasts and lower region with her arms while he approached the shower with his gaze locked on the floor. Jediah stooped and picked up her clothes. As he straightened himself, he met her eyes.

Ashari’s lips parted slightly. The hairs raised on her skin as his eyes raked down the foggy shower glass, before landing on her eyes again. He inhaled a big breath, then released it quietly.

“You’re showering,” Jediah mused.

“I’m not nasty,” she said, and his face blanked. She looked from him to her toes.

“Hurry up,” he hissed, and she swallowed as he turned and exited.

She looked at where he was standing, her brows pulling together. “You confuse me, Jediah…” she muttered before finishing her shower.

She grabbed the clothes he’d left on the counter for her.

She put them on, then exited. She paused at the door, looking in the opposite direction of where she should be going.

Shuffling and the stench of something burning drifted toward her.

Ashari was curious to check what it was, but she refrained.

Exhaling a heavy breath, Ashari went to the room Jediah had told her to wait in. She sat on the chair before the desk, fumbling with her fingers for a while until Jediah entered the room.

He had a cigar resting in the corner of his mouth. One of his hands dug around the inside of his jacket as he approached her. His cologne was stronger than it was before. Maybe he sprayed on more after what she figured he’d just done…

He stopped beside the table, and she stopped breathing as Jediah laid something before her.

“W-wa… What is this?” Ashari stuttered.

“You say you’re my wife, right?” Jediah asked.

Ashari furiously shook her head and jumped to her feet. The chair fell, landing with a crash. “Are you crazy?! I only said that to get into your junkyard to cover up helping your sister!” she yelled, no longer caring about protecting Reine’s secret.

Jediah stared at her for a moment. “No one tried to take advantage of my sister.”

Her brows furrowed while her rage cooled. “W-what?”

“That man was stealing from me, and I needed to see what you’d do now that I let you out again. You proved your loyalty to me today without me having to ask for it,” he said with a smile, then reached past her for the box on the table.

Ashari’s heart raced, confusion swirling inside her as Jediah revealed a beautiful ring.

The light in the ceiling reflected off the cushion cut diamond as he removed it from the box.

He reached for Ashari’s hand, and she stiffened.

He managed to raise her hand after a brief struggle, and she gasped as he slipped it onto her ring finger.

It was a perfect fit and looked even more beautiful on her finger than in the box, but this was wrong.

She was an agent from an F.B.I. special task force, and he was a criminal.

Ashari’s eyes snapped to his, surprised to see him already watching her. She laughed dryly, thinking he was playing a cruel joke. “I’m not marrying you, Jediah.”

“Yu don’ have a choice, Ashari. Welcome to the family.”

She gritted her teeth and tried yanking her hand free, but he tightened his grip.

He used his other hand to remove his cigar.

He rested it on the table and pulled her closer by the waist. She sucked in a breath as her body pressed against his.

She could feel how hard his chest was despite the fabric between them.

Her hard breathing made her nipples rub against his chest and harden.

He released her hand, and her hand balled into a fist against his chest. The ring mocked her. He used that same hand to gently hold her chin and tried to lift it. She refused, and he forcefully moved her chin.

“Why you a mek this so hard fi mi?” Jediah asked.

Ashari glared. “I’m not making anything hard. You won’t leave me alone.”

“No, Ashari. I didn’t know you existed, but you came into my life and refused to leave me alone. You want to be my wife, and I made your job easier. Don’t you see, Ashari? I want to be in your life, too.”

“You killed my brother.”

“No. You did.”

“You made me do it.”

“Did I also make you kill the man who was robbing me?”

“N-no, but… You…” She fumbled for words, and he smirked. “You killed Jaia!” she hissed, wanting to wipe that cocky smirk off his face.

“Jaia?” His brows crinkled, then he made an ‘O’ with his mouth while nodding. “Oh… her. No. You killed her, too. I was just an injured civilian waiting in a car.”

Her teeth gritted. “You’re an evil man, Jediah.”

He released her chin to trail his thumb across her lips. Ashari considered biting him, but his focus on her lips made her reconsider. Jediah’s eyes were soft. This was the first she’d ever seen such a tender emotion from the man she was used to seeing as evil.

Ashari froze.

The wheels in her head spun.

She should stop fighting and play into his interest in her.

“Why did you have to be an agent?” Jediah asked while staring at her lips. His voice was low as if he was talking to himself. “I want you to be mine.”

“O-okay,” Ashari forced out with much conviction.

Jediah looked at her eyes. “What?” he asked in disbelief.

“I’ll marry you. Under one condition.”

“What?”

“I don’t want you to lock me up in the estate again.”

He stared at her for a moment. “If I allow you that freedom, and find out that you’re contacting those people…”

“You’ll kill me, I know.”

Jediah smirked, then brought his face closer. Ashari’s heart raced as his light breathing fanned her face. A woodsy scent of tobacco wafted up her nostrils, its hints of spice muddling her senses.

“No, Ashari. I can’t kill you. Do you know why?”

“W-why?” she whispered, breathing hard.

“Because you’re my Queen,” Jediah replied, then his lips met hers.