Page 16

By the time dinner rolls around, I've helped make catering decisions, gone over security protocols with Oliver and Trystan, helped my mom convince my dad that he can't just move the family to LA to be close when the baby arrives, and helped make last-minute decisions about where to put the handful of guests Nadia and Teo invited.

I've also convinced Innessa not to strangle Maddox.

The only thing I haven't done is see Connor all day.

I set off in search of him, only to bump into Jareth. He immediately pulls me around the side of the restaurant, his lips coming down on mine.

I groan into his mouth, kissing him back with the same desperation. I can't help myself. Now that I've admitted defeat, I feel almost…giddy. I'm still scared as hell, but I shove those little whispers to the back of my mind, slamming a lid closed on them.

"Have you talked to Connor yet?" he growls, his hands all over my ass.

"No. I haven't had a chance. Apparently, Maid of Honor means executive decision maker around here. I was just going to look for him."

Jareth grunts, kissing me again before he pulls away. "Follow me."

"What? Why? I need to talk to Connor."

"Just follow me, princess."

I grumble at him and then reluctantly fall into step with him. He leads me around to the same door we entered this morning, only the kitchen is in full swing now. We duck the sous chef, popping out into a hallway.

"Where are we…?" I trail off when I hear Connor's voice coming from around the corner.

"Fuck," my best friend groans. "We gotta stop."

"We will. Later," someone growls to him.

"What the…?" I whisper, tiptoeing forward to peek around the corner. I bite my lip, fighting a laugh when I see my best friend pressed up against the wall with Huck kissing his neck.

I guess that explains why I haven't seen him all day.

Crap. I glance over my shoulder with wide eyes, meeting Jareth's gaze. I can tell by the look on his face that he isn't surprised by the show.

Holy crap. How long has he known about the two of them?

I slip back toward him, grabbing his arm. I don't know where I'm going, but I pull him into an empty office, pushing the door closed behind us before I spin to face him. "You knew!"

"So?" he responds, stalking toward me.

"Jareth! How long have you known?"

"Since they were making eyes at each other the day after you arrived."

I gasp, staring at him in shock. "You've known all along?"

"Pretty much."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"Watching you squirm was more fun for me."

"Jareth!" I scowl up at him, but he just shrugs, completely unrepentant.

"I spent four months stressing the fuck out over his existence, Zoya. You deserved to squirm a little bit." He smirks at me. "Watching you try to keep up your little charade was amusing as hell."

"You are such a jerk," I grumble.

"And you're a terrible little liar." He hooks his fingers into the waistband of my jeans, yanking me into his arms. "Definitely don't go into acting. You suck at it."

"Whatever." I roll my eyes at him. "Don't even pretend it didn't drive you nuts when we got out of the car. I saw your face."

"Oh, I'm not denying it." He meets my gaze, his deadly serious. "I wanted to plant my fist in his smug face for touching what's mine."

"I'm glad you didn't," I whisper. "I would have been upset with you."

"Why'd you bring him?"

"I thought it'd help me avoid you."

Jareth chuckles, squeezing my ass. "Don't think it worked."

"Clearly not," I huff. "You've been stalking me all over this property all week."

He grins again, slipping his hand beneath my shirt. I shiver at the feel of his fingertips against my abdomen. "You fucking loved every minute of it."

"Did not," I lie, leaning up to bite his lip.

He growls, his eyes turning dark. "Keep that up, and you won't make it to my bed before I'm inside you, Zoya."

"Maybe that's the point."

He groans softly, his hands flexing against my body.

"You want me? I'm right here, Jareth."

"I imagined you in my bed for the first time, princess."

"Where's the fun in that?" I taunt, intentionally brushing against his erection. "We've been sneaking around all over the property already. Why stop now?"

"Jesus," he growls, thrusting one hand into my hair to crane my head back. He leans down over me, his eyes glittering with lust. "Is that what you want? For me to pop your little cherry right here in this office?"

"Yes," I moan, unable to deny it. I don't care where we are.

I just want him, with the same intensity that's been driving me mad for months already.

I don't need a bed. I don't need flowers and candlelight.

I'm quickly coming to realize that there is no such thing as perfect.

Life is messy, and maybe love is, too. But maybe that's the way it should be.

Maybe that's what makes it so damn good .

It's messy. It's flawed. It's push and pull and give and take.

That's what Jareth and I are together. We're radioactive particles, crashing into one another to create something new—something powerful. It's intense and terrifying, but if we're brave enough, maybe it's strong enough to sustain us.

I want to find out.

It'll break me if we crash and burn, but I think it's breaking me not to take that chance, too. I lose my mind a little more every day because I want him so fucking badly. If ten days of messy beauty is all I get, I want it. Every damn second.

No more running. No more pretending.