Page 21 of Trial of Deceit (The Family’s Oath #1)

“Something don’ right ’bout yu, Ashari ,” Bryony said with disdain. Bryony scrutinized her from head to toe. “I will find out what it is. I won’t allow you to hurt Jed—” She paused as the door opened and in came Jediah.

Jediah lingered by the door. “Yu naa give mi wife problems, Miss B?”

Bryony huffed and exited the room. Jediah closed the door, then faced Ashari.

He walked toward her, and she backed away until she fell onto the bed.

A smirk came on his face as he stared down at her.

The look in his eyes was so intense that it made Ashari breathe hard.

She didn’t know if he wanted to kill her or worse…

continue where they’d left off that night .

She sucked in a breath as Jediah crawled over her body. His weight pressed into her smaller frame, his strong cologne infiltrating her rationale.

Jediah’s hands laced around her wrists. Ashari struggled against him, but he managed to pin her hands to the bed on either side of her body. Leaning forward, he buried his head in the crook of her neck. “I want you so bad,” he murmured while kissing where her neck met her shoulder.

Ashari shivered, making a mental note to scrub the skin raw tonight. “You’re confusing.”

“How?”

“’Cause you know who I am, but you asked me to marry you. I can’t figure out what you’re playing at, and it scares me ’cause…”

“Because?” he asked, and she couldn’t find an answer that he was worthy of hearing. He pulled away to look at her, his brows raised. “Because of what, Ashari?”

She licked her lips as she stared into his eyes. “’Cause I want you, too,” she whispered, scared someone was listening. “But this can’t happen.”

He smirked and leaned in. “Why not?”

“You’re a criminal,” she said, her breathing ragged as his lips brushed hers. She pressed backward into the bed, trying to create some space between them. “A-and I’m a—”

“Don’t say it. Not here,” he said, amusement shining in his eyes as he watched her try to shrink beneath him. His eyes drifted from her lips to her eyes, and the tiniest smirk came on his mouth.

Ashari tightly snapped her eyes shut, her breath catching in her throat as Jediah drew closer still.

His lips must have parted, for she could hear his breathing much louder now.

It fanned across her face in tantalizing waves, stimulating the finest of hairs all over her skin with its faint tobacco fragrance.

Ashari became parched. She resisted the urge to lick her lips out of fear that her tongue would meet his skin.

She didn’t want to kiss him.

It’d possibly cure the growing thirst that night gave her, and it’d be too wrong.

So, so wrong.

She whimpered as Jediah’s lips finally met her skin.

He trailed his lips down her neck until he reached her chest. He paused to release one of her hands so he could push the hem of her shirt upward.

It gathered beneath her neck while his eyes ravished her.

“So beautiful,” he rasped before his head disappeared between the valley of her breasts, kissing and sucking her flesh.

Ashari writhed, her hands finding his head.

Her nails dragged across his fade. “Jed…” she moaned, hating how her body desired this criminal.

Between her thighs was becoming moist, a leaking mess fueling the wish that he’d kiss further…

further… and further down. Until he was buried right where she wanted him.

“Ash?” he asked, his voice deeper. He stopped above her navel, lifting his head to meet her eyes as they fluttered open.

“I—”

“You?” he asked, a small smirk on his lips while desire pooled with the amusement in his eyes.

She looked toward the ceiling. “Me can go to my apartment?”

The room went quiet.

She looked from the ceiling to him.

“Why?”

“If you a go keep me here, you can make me have things weh make it easier for me to settle in.”

Amusement and desire drained from Jediah’s face. His expression was unreadable for longer than Ashari would’ve liked. What did Jediah’s silence mean? Ashari racked her brain, digging through years of paperwork until she came up empty.

Finally, he nodded and pulled back. Ashari scooted toward the farthest side of the bed. Jediah sat on the edge of it. He pulled his phone out, diverting all his attention to it as if the tent in his pants was nonexistent.

Ashari bit her lip so as not to gasp at its size, then sprinted toward the bathroom. She slammed the door shut and stared at herself in the mirror. “Focus,” Ashari chanted, trying to steady her racing heart.

“Ashari… Hurry up before mi change mi mind,” Jediah said, and Ashari scowled before exiting.

They went to the car and he drove to the apartment. Now, he sat on her bed, keeping a close eye on her as she packed a few clothes and packs of braiding hair into a small travel bag.

As she slipped her earrings in, Jediah asked, “Why are you afraid of water?”

“W-what?” Ashari stuttered, meeting his gaze in the mirror.

“Yu don’ see how yu nasty?” he asked, snickering. When Ashari’s face blanked, he quieted. Jediah straightened himself. “Why yu ’fraid of water, Ashari?” he asked again, this time in a no-nonsense tone.

She didn’t want to get ahead of herself, but… he didn’t sound angry at her. This trace of anger seemed to be directed toward something else, but she didn’t know what.

Ashari looked away and secured her last earring. She continued packing. “I almost drowned when I was a kid.”

“I almost drowned as a kid, too.”

Ashari faced him. “But was it in a locked car in a river?”

“W-what?” he stuttered, his eyes widening.

“Not all of us are fearless like you, Jediah. I was only five when it happened, and for the longest, I couldn’t remember why I was so scared of water, but it’s been coming back to me.

I’m not nasty, Jediah. And I know your entire life.

You’ve never had to experience anything like that.

You don’t have the right to call me nasty…

” she trailed off as her throat tightened.

Jediah stood and stepped toward her. “I didn’t know, Ash…”

She scoffed and grabbed her bag, anger bubbling inside her.

“You don’t know everything, and it’s time you stop acting like it.

” She stepped out of the room, froze, then spun around.

She almost bumped into Jediah. He grabbed her arm to keep her steady.

She looked at where he held her, her eyes trailing upward until she met his eyes.

Ashari released a long breath, both from nerves and disbelief.

Why was such a handsome face attached to such a wicked man?

“You can wait outside, please?” she asked. “Me wan’ gather meself before me go back to your place.”

Jediah, releasing her, nodded then walked away. Ashari watched him leave. She exhaled a long breath and dropped her bag before running toward the fake wall. She pressed a spot and the wall quietly opened inward. Ashari’s eyes widened as she met Lyssa’s relief-filled eyes.

“Ash,” Lyssa breathed before tugging Ashari into a hug.

Stunned and her heart racing, Ashari couldn’t hug Lyssa back. She pulled away and held Lyssa at a distance. “You can’t be here,” she whispered.

Lyssa’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean? I’ve been so worried about everybody! Sanjae came back to the headquarters, and we’ve been trying to figure out how to find the rest of you.”

Ashari glanced away, hoping Lyssa didn’t see the flash of guilt, before she focused on her again. “I know, but I can’t talk about it right now. We don’t have a lot of time. I need to talk to Senior.”

“W-what? I don’t understand—” Lyssa rambled, tears filling her eyes. “We all thought you were here. I got worried when I came here every day and never saw you—”

Ashari cupped Lyssa’s face, then kissed her. As Lyssa began to melt in her hold, Ashari pulled away. She cradled Lyssa’s soft cheeks. “Lyssa, you need to listen. I know what standard procedure is after disappearing for this long as an undercover agent, but tell Senior I need to speak to him alone.”

Lyssa shook her head, resting a hand atop Ashari’s. “He won’t meet you without the police, Ash.”

“I’m his daughter. He will,” she repeated before giving Lyssa a final kiss, then pulling away. She adjusted her bag’s strap. “I have to leave now. I’ll try to send a signal through the daycare after I find a way to sneak away to meet Senior.”

“Please be careful, Ash…” Lyssa said as she took a hesitant step backward.

“I can’t promise you that, Lyssa,” Ashari said and turned away before Lyssa could say anything that would force her to abandon her position.

This was where she needed to be.

With Jediah.