Chapter 101 *

Chapter 101 Chapter 101
Angelina’s POV
What the hell is wrong with me? I don't think about guys like this. I'm not some horny teenager—
But the images kept coming.
Caelan in that alley. Pinning me against the wall. His lips on mine.
The way his hand had gripped my wrist. I shook my head hard. Trying to clear my mind.
Took a deep breath.
Forced my expression back to neutral.
"Girl, you okay?" Mia's voice was quiet next to me. "You're like, really red."
"I'm fine," I said coldly.
"You sure? Because you look like you're thinking about—"
"I said I'm fine." My voice came out tight.
Mia looked at me for another second. Then nodded slowly.
Logan was still talking to Caelan.
"Bro, just so you know, the walls in the master suite are thick. Real thick. Soundproof."
Caelan raised an eyebrow. "Good to know."
His eyes drifted to me. Held my gaze for a second.
"Might need it."
Logan burst out laughing. "My man!"
Silas joined in. "See? He gets it!"
My jaw clenched. The heat in my face was getting worse.
"Logan." My voice cut through their laughter. Cold as ice. "Separate rooms. Now."
Logan opened his mouth. "But—"
I gave him my death stare. "NOW."
Logan's smile dropped immediately. "Yes ma'am. Separate rooms. Got it."
He turned and started walking toward the stairs.
I heard him mutter under his breath. "Waste of a perfectly good master suite..."
I walked past all of them. Headed into the house. Away from Caelan's eyes on me.
Behind me, I heard Caelan's voice. "She's cute when she's flustered."
Silas laughed. "Right? I've never seen Master like this before. You're good for her."
I kept walking. Didn't look back.
My face was still burning.
Ten minutes later, Logan was showing us the bedrooms.
The second floor had five guest rooms. All of them huge. All of them with private bathrooms.
Mia immediately claimed the one with the balcony overlooking the lake.
"This one's mine!" She threw her bag on the bed. "Aria, take the one next to me!"
I looked at the room she was pointing to. It was directly next to hers. Large windows. Simple furniture. "Fine."
I walked in and dropped my bag on the bed.
Caelan appeared in the doorway. Didn't say anything. Just looked at the room next to mine.
"I'll take this one," he said.
Logan grinned. "The one right next to Aria's? What a coincidence."
"Shut up, Logan," I said.
Silas came up the stairs. "Where am I sleeping?"
Logan looked at me. Then at Silas. That stupid grin came back.
"Aria, where should we put Silas?"
"Put him near the bathroom," I said.
"Which bathroom?"
"The one in the hallway. Near the guest toilet."
Logan's eyes went wide. "Wait. You mean the bathroom near the—"
"Yes. That one."
Silas's face fell. "Master, no. Please. That bathroom smells like—"
"Like consequences," I finished. "Maybe next time you'll think before making jokes about soundproof rooms."
"But Master—"
"Do you want to sleep outside with the soldiers?"
Silas's mouth snapped shut. "No, Master."
"Then take the room near the toilet."
Logan was trying not to laugh. "Dude, that's cold."
Silas looked at Caelan. Desperate. "Boss, come on. Help me out here."
Caelan leaned against his doorframe. Arms crossed. He looked at Silas. Then at me.
"No," he said simply.
Silas's shoulders slumped. "This is so unfair."
"Life's unfair," I said. "Get used to it."
Logan clapped his hands together. "Alright people! Pool's heated, bar's stocked, and there's swimsuits in all the closets if you didn't bring any."
Mia's eyes lit up. "Wait, really? Oh my god, I'm so going swimming!"
She turned to me. "Come on! Let's go change!"
"I don't swim."
"You don't have to swim. Just hang out by the pool. Come on, it'll be fun!"
Logan nodded. "The closets are fully stocked. Designer stuff. My sister's obsessed with shopping."
Silas grinned. "Master, you should go! When's the last time you actually relaxed?"
"Fine," I said. "But I'm not swimming."
"Yes!" Mia grabbed my arm. "Let's go pick out suits!"
She dragged me toward my room.
Inside my room, Mia immediately opened the closet.
"Oh my god, look at all these!"
She started pulling out swimsuits. Bikinis. One-pieces. Different colors. Different styles.
"Logan's sister has good taste," Mia said. She held up a bright pink bikini. "What about this one?"
"No."
"Okay, too bright. What about this?" She held up a white one-piece.
"No."
"You're no fun." She kept digging through the closet. "Ooh, this one!"
She pulled out a black bikini. Simple. Two pieces. Not too revealing but definitely not modest.
"Try this one. It'll look amazing on you."
"I'm not wearing that."
"Why not? It's not even that revealing. Look—"
Mia started pulling off her shirt. Right there in front of me.
"I'll change here too. We're both girls, no big deal."
She kicked off her pants. Grabbed a bright red bikini from the closet.
Put it on in less than a minute.
"See? Easy. Now your turn."
I stared at the black bikini in her hand.
This was stupid. I'd worn less in combat situations. Training gear that showed more skin.
But something about wearing a bikini in front of Caelan felt different.
"Come on, don't be shy." Mia held out the bikini. "I've seen plenty of girls in locker rooms. You've got nothing I haven't seen before."
I took the bikini. Turned around.
Started changing.
The top had decent coverage. Not too small. The bottom was high-waisted. More coverage than most bikinis.
I turned back around.
Mia's jaw dropped.
"Holy shit, Aria."
"What?"
"Your body is insane! Like, I knew you were fit from PE class, but damn!"
She walked closer. Her eyes scanning my stomach.
"Are those real abs? Let me feel—"
She reached out her hand.
I slapped it away. "Don't touch me."
Mia laughed. "Come on! Just once! I need to know what real abs feel like!"
"No."
"Please? I'll let you touch mine!"
She slapped her own stomach. "See? Squishy!"
My mouth curved slightly. "Hard pass."
Mia pouted. "You're no fun."
She grabbed a sheer white cover-up from the closet. Threw it over her bikini.
"At least wear this. Otherwise every guy down there is gonna lose their mind."
She tossed me a black cover-up. Sheer fabric. Did basically nothing to hide anything.
But I put it on anyway.
"Perfect!" Mia grabbed my hand. "Let's go!" She dragged me out of the room.
As we reached the bottom of the stairs, a deep, rhythmic thumping sound filled the air.
Mia stopped. "What's that?"
We walked through the living room toward the back doors. The sound was getting louder.
Through the windows, I could see the lawn. All five helicopters were powering up. Their rotors spinning faster and faster. The downdraft was whipping the grass flat. One by one, they lifted off.
Mia stood next to me, watching. "Where are they going?"
"Back to base, probably," I said.