Page 66 of Taken By the Convicts
“Yes.”
She didn’t know why that shocked her. No, shock wasn’t the right term. Hurt. She’d been wrong about him. Beneath the hard exterior lay a man who only cared about himself. He saw her as nothing more than a woman to fuck. No different from Namir.
She slid her legs off the bed, but Jayce’s arm circled her waist. “We’re not done here.”
“I am.”
“I simply want to hold you, Lina. Is that so bad?”
“Hold me, why? And my name’s Melina.”
“Not when you’re in my bed.”
He’d given her a nickname. Aniceone. Not slut, whore, cunt, orabriga.
“What we just did, Jayce. . . ”
“Youhada choice.”
She had. She wasn’t sure how or when she’d given it up, or even if she regretted it. At the moment, she was too damn spent, thoroughly confused, and too hurt emotionally to care. Without waiting for her to answer, Jayce pulled her back against his chest, his arms locking her against him. He didn’t hold her too tight, just enough to ensure she stayed. Then his thumb began moving up and down her arm, stroking her.
She felt safe with how he held her, as if he meant to protect her, despite how she’d arrived at this moment, naked, fucked, and confused. Jayce had always been straightforward about what he wanted from her. A part of her admired that. Right now, he settled into the bed, pulling her in close as he drew the blanket above them, like a lover might.
Her muscles ached, and her throat felt raw. She didn’t want to fight with Jayce, especially not when he felt so warm and perfect against her.
His lips feathered over her ear. “Tomorrow, I’ll take you to the med-center.”
Melina lifted her face. “What did you say?”
“Crusher’s still not back. Tomorrow, Ivan and Zev have first shift. Once they leave, I’ll take you to the med-center.”
“Why?”
He ran a finger down her chest to between her breasts.
“Because a deal’s a deal.”
Chapter Seventeen
JAYCE
Jayce woke in an empty bed. He stretched his muscles, breathing in Melina’s scent from the pillow. He had hoped to take her again this morning, but that would be pushing her too much. Without Crusher in the bunker, she seemed skittish. Though last night she had not shied away from him or Zev. She’d been quite willing to please, especially when Zev entered the room. Jayce still wasn’t sure about the man, but that could be because Ivan remained suspicious of him. Ivan had good instincts and he’d kept them both alive in Turul. Here on Veenith, instincts were everything.
“Melina?” Jayce called out as he tossed his dirty clothes in the bin by the storage room. She’d clean those at some point. She had been keeping the bunker organized and clean, following Ivan’s orders, and yet she continued to beg Ivan to let her return to the med-center.
Jayce stared at his dirty clothes in the bin. They’d assigned her jobs as if she were their prisoner. Or slave. Damn. He wasn’t much better than Danning. It didn’t matter that he wasn’t whipping her or humiliating her. Using her in any form without her consent wasn’t right.
Except shehadconsented. Hadn’t she? Hell, he wasn’t sure he knew the difference anymore.
Last night she’d been willing andtrusting, he was sure of it. When he’d looked down at those beautiful eyes as he was thrusting into her mouth, he couldn’t believe how she’d taken him. He’d planned to fuck her on the bed and she’d taken over at some point, sharing in the experience, not just lying there. The expression in her eyes alone had nearly made him come several times. He’d held out merely because he couldn’t fathom leaving her body. He’d never seen any fear or hate in her eyes.
Then Zev had entered. The man had turned the evening into something beyond what Jayce had ever experienced. Watching her get fucked while Jayce fucked her mouth had been so damn hot. He’d have to do that again, switching positions with Zev next time.
Damn, he was doing it again. Forgetting about Melina, treating her as if she didn’t matter. Just like locking her down in this bunker, treating her as their prisoner. She had no freedom to leave as the rest of them had. And why? Because she was female, a target. Athingto be possessed and used. No wonder she feared him. She viewed him as she did Hawke.
When Zev had left them, Jayce had her to himself, a chance to prove he could care about her. Or that he did care about her, which he did, didn’t he? He’d held her while he’d waited to recover, to take her again, but he’d fallen asleep with her in his arms instead. When had he ever been so relaxed and comfortable with another person that he’d let himself fall asleep like that without his knife even? Never.
Jayce retrieved his dirty clothes from the bin and tossed them into his room to clean later himself. He dressed in a clean shirt and pants, thrust his feet into boots, taking a moment to load up on knives before heading to the kitchen.
