Page 63 of Rescued By the Convicts
“I know enough. Maybe one day you’ll feel comfortable enough to tell me the rest, but right now, Jayce, we’re in trouble. Ivan and Zev will argue for a while, but if they don’t come to an understanding, this unit will fall apart. I need your help keeping them, us,all of us, together.”
He half-laughed. They’d all lied to her, used her, even though they’d been trying to protect her. “You still want us?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because nothing’s changed. Unless you no longer want me.”
“Ivan and Isoldyou, Melina.”
“Because Zev gave you no choice.”
“I swore I’d never do that again.”
She cupped his cheek. “You’re not that same person. You’re punishing yourself for what you couldn’t avoid, for a life that no longer exists.”
As Jayce reached out to touch her, the door burst open. “Reece is back,” Ivan said.
“Is he okay?” Melina asked. The fire in her eyes—always a fire for Reece—told Jayce what he suspected. She had the man she needed. Reece.
Melina’s hand slipped back into Jayce’s, and he lost his ability to speak again. All he could think about was touching her, holding her. This constant need for skin-to-skin contact baffled him, and yet he didn’t want to lose it. He didn’t want to loseher.
And yet it wasn’t right. He pulled away from her, letting her go to Ivan.
“Are you okay,” she asked Ivan even as she tilted her head to glance at Jayce. He’d confused her. Well, that made two of them.
“Reece is fine. I’m. . . never mind. Get in here, so we can figure out our next move.”
Melina held her hand out for Jayce. He didn’t move for what felt like forever, and then he released a deep sigh. “I’m trying, Melina. I really am.”
Her hand remained stretched out for him. She wasn’t going to give up on him.
“I know you are. You’ll get through this, Jayce. We all will.”
He took her hand, and they entered the common room.
* * *
MELINA
The moment Melina spotted Reece,she ran to him and jumped into his arms. Goddess above, she’d been so worried about him.
Reece kissed her, long and sensuous, before finally setting her down. As Reece started signing, Zev interpreted, showing no hesitancy in turning his back on Ivan. It appeared they had a temporary truce.
As Melina took a seat next to Jayce on the sofa, she sank against his chest and tilted her head back, smiling up at him. When her fingers trailed over his thigh, he grinned. Her Jayce was still in there, even if he was a bit lost at the moment. She understood lost. She’d been lost with Namir, only to find herself thanks to the help of these wonderful men. They’d helped her regain much of who she’d been before Namir. The rest was up to her now.
“They’re starting a top-to-bottom, room-by-room search, securing each level as they clear it,” Zev spoke for Reece. “They’re trying to force us to go for a ship. They know we all have serilium tatts and we’ll never make it past security in the docking bays.”
“Jayce can hack the computers to adjust the security machines,” Ivan said.
“I can’t. The serilium scanners aren’t linked to the rest of the station’s controls. But if we return to Namir’s section of the station, we won’t have to worry about serilium scanners.”
“That’s what they want,” Zev said, not interpreting for Reece this time.
“And we don’t have a pilot,” Jayce added.
“Zev’s a pilot,” Melina said.
