Aria gave a hum of satisfaction, her fingers curling in Jackson's hair as his tongue flicked out to taste her skin. Suddenly she tightened her grip, pulling back as swiftly as a snake striking and crushing her lips to his insistently. Her own tongue slid past his lips as she backed him towards the wall; they collided with a thump that twinged more than one lingering bruise.

"It all comes down to trust, doesn't it?" she murmured after a moment, her lips brushing his, her breath hot and sweet. "None of us chose to be here, so what reason do we have to trust one another?"