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I scoffed. “Oh yeah,sureyou do. You’re like, theworstat smiling.”

He stopped, facing me as he pulled his hands out of his pockets. “I smile,” he asserted defensively.

“Not often,” I teased, stating the obvious, taking only another step or two before turning to face him.

He grew serious, his gaze drifting to the floor. “Well, maybe there’s not much to smile about.”

What was that supposed to mean? Was he talking about me? About having to marry me? I opened my mouth, the words hanging on the tip of my tongue before he spoke.

“Come on, we’re going to be late for dinner.” He started walking past me as my mouth hung open, the questions stuck in my throat.

I had to know. I needed to know what I was dealing with, and how hard it was going to be. “Wes?”

He paused, his back facing me as his shoulders stiffened. He turned his head slightly to the left toward me, but never turned around. And then he was silent…waiting.

I dug inside of myself to pull out what little courage I had left. “Do…do you know why I’m here?”

Silence. Wes shifted his gaze back to the floor, back stiffening further as he swallowed hard. “Yes.”

My heart spasmed as my body grew hot. “So, you know about…about us?”

He didn’t move. Nothing moved for several seconds before he gave one definitive nod.

Oh god…he knows. He knows, and he’s pissed about it.The knowledge swept through me like a tornado. Trying my best to shake off the cocktail of emotions coursing through me, I pressed on. “How long have you known?”

Wes tilted his head back, looking at the ceiling before sighing heavily. Finally, he turned around to face me, his expression stoic as ever. “A while.”

What?A while? How could he have…? “I don’t understand. Sasha only asked me about it a few days ago. How could you have known for a while?”

Wes blinked, taking in deep, even breaths. “One thing you’re going to learn, Mara, one way or another, is that everyone’s always scheming. And the worst part is, they rarely scheme with their own lives. It’s always fucking around with someone else’s.”

His words struck me, ringing in a truth I was already beginning to see.

Deception.

Lies.

Half-truths.

Schemes.

Everyone here—everyoneeverywhere—was always playing games. It was the stupid freaking chess game I’d been caught up in since day one. And I just couldn’t escape it.

Now knowing that he knew, I wanted answers. What dida whilereally mean? And was that why he went on that mission with me? Did he do it because he felt obligated? “How long have you known?”

Wes placed his hands back in his pockets, eyes unblinking as he looked past me. “Couple of weeks.”

“Did you know before the Admin Job?”

His face pinched as he shrugged his shoulders. “Does it really matter?”

“Yes!” Of course it freaking mattered.

“Why?” He shot back.

“Why?”

“Yes, Mara.Why?Why does it matter when I found out? It doesn’t change anything,” he glowered back.