Total pages in book: 51
Estimated words: 47597 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 238(@200wpm)___ 190(@250wpm)___ 159(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 47597 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 238(@200wpm)___ 190(@250wpm)___ 159(@300wpm)
"Oh. You mean Nadia's guitarist." Innessa stares at him for a moment and then quickly shakes her head. "No, thanks. Not my type."
Maddox relaxes slightly.
"Good man is not your type?" Dad frowns at her.
"Jareth is interested in someone else, Dad," Nadia quickly says, her eyes dancing with mischief. "He calls her his princess and everything. It's sweet."
"As if she's the only one," I mumble, earning another nudge from Connor.
"Actually, he doesn't date much."
I flick a surprised glance at Nadia and then narrow my eyes. "You don't have to be dating to fu…sleep around."
"He doesn't do that either." My older sister frowns at me, disapproval in her eyes. "It's not like he doesn't get a lot of offers from fans, but he always ignores them. The other guys in the band give him crap for it, but I think it's kind of nice that he isn't jumping into bed with everyone."
My gaze drifts back to Jareth to find him looking in our direction again. Our eyes meet, and his lips lift into his signature smirk, like he knows something I don't. Like he's trying to get a rise out of me. I just stare at him blankly, still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that he isn't hopping in and out of bed with everyone that comes his way. That should reassure me, right?
Somehow, it has the opposite effect.
It makes the way he's pursuing me feel a little more…dangerous. Maybe because whatever this is between us feels too big, too real. He's in my head, and I can't get him out. I don't want him in there, dammit. I don't want to fall. I don't want to like him. And yet, I think it's happening anyway.
Connor was right yesterday. Love scares the shit out of me, especially when the possibility of it is staring me right in the face. Smirking.
"That is too bad," my dad says. "He would make good son-in-law."
"Are you serious right now?" Nadia grumbles, slack-jawed. "You spent half of Teo's life giving him hell. And now, you're just giving Jareth your seal of approval just like that?"
"Yes."
Nadia gapes at him, but he just winks at her, which has the whole table laughing. My dad is a mess, honestly. He's always approved of Teo, but he did not make dating easy for Teo and Nadia when we were all younger. My mom used to give him a lot of grief about it, but he always said that he was trying to make sure they were ready for everything life would throw at them. Sometimes, I wonder if he knew that their road would be a rough one. He's smart like that.
"Innessa doesn't need a boyfriend," Maddox growls suddenly. "She's busy with school."
"Don't tell me what I can and can't do, Maddox Kirby," Innessa huffs at him. "I can date if I want."
My mom and Aunt Miranda share a knowing smile as my sister and Maddox scowl at each other.
My dad finally seems to catch on and sighs heavily. "All of my girls are growing too fast."
"They're never little for long enough," Uncle Jason agrees, glancing at Teo and Maddox's baby sister across the table. She just rolls her eyes and goes back to her phone.
I glance toward the bar again to see Jareth still talking with his cousins. At least, they're talking. He's still staring in my direction. I have the sudden, irrational urge to stick my tongue out at him, but Connor saves me when he nudges me again.
"If you want him to buy this whole story, stop staring at him," he whispers.
Right. I can do that.
I make a show of turning my back on him and rejoining the conversation. But before I can even pick up the threads of it, I feel his eyes burning into me. He's a damn eclipse, too obvious to ignore.
Dammit.
"I'm going to the bathroom," I mutter, shoving my chair back so suddenly that everyone turns to look at me.
I don't wait for a response before hurrying off. I don't look at Jareth again, either. He can stare at my back disappearing into the dang bathroom!
Five minutes later, I've splashed water on my face, given myself a pep talk, and I'm still no closer to getting the infuriating man off my mind.
"This is impossible," I groan to my reflection in the mirror. My cheeks are flushed the same damn way they have been all day, and I can read the confusion and desire mingling in my eyes. Which means everyone else probably can too. But there's nothing I can do about that now.
I take a breath and spin toward the door, ready to go back out and pretend I don't notice Jareth. I don't even have a chance to take a step before the door pops open. I glance up…right into Jareth's eyes.