Page 78 of Tainted Gifts
"I wouldn't ever freak out because of something you are. I wouldn't have freaked out about you being commander if you had told me right away. This... I understand keeping this a secret, and I'm happy you trusted me enough to tell me before you had to."
He frowns, to my surprise. "Aria, I wanted to tell you so many times about being the commander. I really did. I'm sorry you think it's because I didn't trust you. That had absolutely nothing to do with it. I just knew how much you hated the commander without knowing him. I couldn't bear the thought of you hating me that much."
I guess I did make it hard for him to tell me.
"I could never hate you. I wanted to hate you, but I love you too much to ever reach that extreme," I murmur while resting my head against his chest, feeling his heart beating under my cheek.
"Good to know," he says with a grin I can actually feel.
Then his body tenses against me. "What?"
"They're coming up. My sister just sent me a message, via her mind. They're almost here."
I don't move. Staying pressed against him, I murmur, "So you can hear really far away?"
"Only if I can see the person usually. Mel has gotten good at projecting her thoughts."
He shifts to make me have to rise up, and I raise a quizzical brow.
"Sorry," he murmurs. "I don't want to rile up Kellan before we question this girl."
I frown, not liking the fact he feels like I don't belong to him instead of Kellan. Jase smiles upon reading my mind, another bashful grin that makes my heart flutter.
"You definitely belong to me, but we need a peaceful front. Just play along," he murmurs with a captivating tone that makes me wobble even while sitting down.
Fine.
He chuckles lightly just before standing, and then he walks over to the door. With a wink, he buttons and zips his pants back up, making me giggle lightly. Then he opens the door up, and everyone piles in. Kellan is the first through the door, his eyes falling on me, and suddenly I remember something.
My underwear is still in your pocket.
Jase coughs, surprised by my unexpected reminder. I do well keeping a stone face, not laughing or even smiling, though hysterical laughter is breaking free in my head.
"You okay?" Mel asks, patting Jase on the back like she's worried he's strangling.
"Yeah," Jase grumbles, cursing me silently.
Kellan comes to sit down beside me just as the wild animal sounds get louder, screams erupting from the back room as the girls reach the peak they've been working toward.
"Who's getting fucked?" Kellan asks, seeming confused.
Jase starts laughing, and I snicker as well. "Simone," I murmur, laughing softly after.
His eyes widen, and then he leans back, smirking a little. "I thought you guys were interrogating a female suspect. I felt you being seduced."
Oh fuck.
Jase looks away, not meeting the eyes of anyone for fear of causing a scene with Kellan. He lets me feel his silent laughter breaking free, and I stifle a grin.
"Actually, we haven't started interrogations yet, but as you can see, it's a seductive atmosphere," I murmur in a forced explanation.
I don't like lying to him, but Jase refuses to let me tell him the truth until after I'm done with my forty-eight hour trial period.
"It's definitely hot in here," Kellan chuckles while fanning himself lightly.
Rex groans, covering his ears while leaning into Melania, and she giggles patronizingly. Jase has been gone from my side for five minutes, and my headache is already starting to return with a pounding force.
"Sorry," he murmurs while coming back to sit down beside me, letting his hand barely rest on my knee.
