He wanted her to assassinate Jinn, and when she did, he went soft on her about it? It was nice that he was concerned … but also confusing.
Ari didn’t say anything, though.
After losing his daughter Fallon in Charlie’s war against the Labartu, Ari hadn’t the heart to call him out on his convoluted leadership skills with her.
Caroline fed them while they gave Michael the rundown. When it was over, they sent Ari and Jai on their way with another concerned look. The fact that Ari had chosen to shack up with Jai and Trey in the house they’d bought a couple of blocks away from Michael’s worried them. Yeah, Ari was eighteen and legally could make her own decisions, but they were worried what their other employees might think of a young girl living with two extremely hot, slightly older men.
They could think what they wanted.
Trey was one of her best friends now. And Jai, well … Jai was being weird.
Hence, the pissiness earlier.
Still shaken from the day’s ordeal, Ari was too exhausted to deal with her frustration regarding Jai. They entered the quiet four-bedroom house and immediately sensed Trey wasn’t home. Not surprising. With him serving as a combat instructor for the Guild—and because he was Trey and blessed with an abundance of charm—he’d made friends easily among the Hunters and was probably out at a bar with a few of the guys.
“You should eat,” Jai told her as she headed toward the wide staircase.
Dragging herself upstairs, she
shook her head. “I’m not hungry.”
“Ari …”
“I’ll eat in the morning.” She
turned around at her door. Her bedroom was down the hall from Trey’s and directly across the hall from Jai’s.
The root of her exasperation with him?
When they’d moved in two months ago, Ari had been touched by Jai’s thoughtfulness when he opened the door to the largest bedroom in the house and said it was all hers. By giving her her own bedroom, he was telling her he wasn’t pressuring her into having sex, or forcing their relationship to move too fast. It was thoughtful and considerate and so sweet.
But two months of barely there
kisses from him and no sneaking into her bedroom at night was driving her insane! Okay, so the kisses weren’t anything to scoff at, but anytime things got too heated, he’d back off and tell her to go to bed like she was a kid.
There had been none of the good stuff like what happened months ago on Mount Qaf after Charlie’s trial. He’d barely freaking touched her since, and she was beginning to feel like a not-so-hot leper.
The gentle touch of Jai’s knuckles stroking her jawline brought her out of her fog. She took hold of his hand, her eyes catching his. His were searching, worried about her. She felt a rush of love, lust, and confusion.
And she wasn’t in the mood to deal with it.
She’d killed an evil Jinn.
Boyfriend trouble would have to take a back burner for the night. “I’ll see you in the morning.” She pulled away from him, dropping his hand.
“Hey.” His fingers gripped her bicep a little tighter as he eased her back toward him. Jai frowned down at her. “You need me to stay with you tonight?”
Tonight of all nights, he asks? When I’m so exhausted I can barely stand?
Ari shook her head, biting back her frustration. “I just want to sleep. I’ll be fine.”
His strong fingers flexed around her arm and he stepped closer until his chest was brushing hers. He gave her a rueful, unsure smile that didn’t quite eliminate the vulnerable expression in his gorgeous eyes. “Can I get a kiss goodnight at least?”
An ache throbbed in her chest and Ari felt her lips curl softly at the corners. “For future reference, that’s a question you never have to ask me.”
Jai’s smile deepened, melting Ari’s insides. “Good to know,” he murmured against her mouth before softly pressing his to hers. She expected it to be sweet and short. Instead it was … emotional.
Jai held her to him, his hand wrapped around her nape. Ari let her lips fall open as Jai brushed his back and forth over hers, his tongue teasing her lips before licking inside—light, quick strokes against her tongue that made her breath catch and caused the weariness to flee. She arched her body into his and breathed him in, her heart accelerating at the hot taste of him.
But Jai refused to speed up the kiss. It was a seduction of deep strokes, teasing, nibbling, brushing … an imprint of him on her. A possessive kiss without the aggression. He was handling her gently but telling her she was his.
As he reluctantly pulled back,
Ari’s hands fluttered to his chest, her eyes closed, her lips tingling and swollen. “I’ll see you in the morning,” he told her hoarsely, clearly as affected by the kiss as she was.
Ari sucked in a breath at the heat in his expression. There it was. Every time they reached the point in fooling around when his eyes got that scorching, I-want-to-ravish-you-like-a-dude-in-a-romance-novel look in them, Jai backed off.
With a predictability that was growing annoying, he took two steps back. “Night.”
She gave him a half-hearted smile and hurried into her bedroom. After a few seconds, she heard Jai’s footsteps move away and his door open and close. She sighed and flicked on the light.
The room Jai had given her was as beautiful as it was huge. A massive four-poster bed sat in the center, flanked by a large wardrobe, vanity table, and matching bedside cabinets. The furniture was modern chic with a twist of Morocco. She had her own bathroom and even a walk-in closet. He was trying to give her a home again, and for the most part, he was succeeding. But Ari was growing tired of that strange distance between them. It wasn’t just about sex. It was about his family. Every time she tried to talk to Jai about his dad keeping him locked in that bottle for the White King, he’d shut her down and tell her he was fine. She knew he wasn’t fine. How could you be fine after a momentous betrayal like that?
Head pounding, lids drooping, Ari decided tomorrow was a new day to worry about this stuff. Thankful she was too tired to dwell on the Qarin she’d assassinated, Ari clumsily stripped and reached for her new silk nightie. Once she’d slipped it on, she dove under the covers and snuggled her head deep into her pillow, smelling her own perfume on it. Comforted, she let the world disappear …
The water was still in the moonlit lake. The surrounding mountainous rocks provided privacy to the mystical cove. As soon as Ari took it in and felt the rough sand against her skin, she groaned. She’d been here before.