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, really? Then why are you trying so hard to convince me that Connor is your boyfriend when we both know that the man is gay?"
I choke on the bite of pasta.
"Shit." Jareth drops the fork, snatching up the glass of water and pressing it into my hands. "Drink this."
I take a drink, cough again, and then manage to catch my breath. I wipe tears from my eyes with shaking hands, trying to think. What does he know? How does he know? Did Nadia tell him? Did Connor? No. Connor may be the worst fake boyfriend ever, but he wouldn't rat us out like that, not without discussing it with me first. Neither would Nadia.
"I don't know where you heard that, but you clearly don't know what you're talking about," I finally mutter. It's as close to a denial as I can get without flat-out lying. I don't want to lie to him, especially since I intended to tell him the truth the other night. But Connor's sexuality isn't my news to share, either.
"Right," Jareth says, shaking his head. "He just spends all his time anywhere but with you for the hell of it."
"Like I said, you don't know what you're talking about."
"You've never slept with him."
"So? That doesn't prove anything. There are plenty of virgins in the world."
"Yeah, I am one," Jareth growls.
"Seriously?" I gape at him.
"Is that so shocking? I told you before you came all over my face that I'd never done that before."
"I thought you meant that specifically, not all of it."
"You thought wrong. And you're still full of shit. Connor is gay."
"Whatever you say. Can we please just get on with this tasting so I can get back to my boyfriend?" My head is spinning. Jareth is a legitimate virgin. I did not see that coming.
"Hell no," he snaps, his eyes flashing with deadly intent. "Your man is right here."
I open my mouth to argue with him and then snap it closed with a shake of my head. "It's too early in the morning to argue with you, Jareth."
"We wouldn't be arguing if you'd admit that you're wild about me already."
"You know what?" I growl, tired of denying it. Tired of fighting it. Just…tired. I am so damn tired of resisting this man when it feels futile. When he feels inevitable. "Maybe I am. Maybe you're all I think about anymore. And maybe it's driving me freaking nuts! But it doesn't change anything."
"Why not?"
"Because I'm leaving in ten days!" I cry again. "I go back home, and you'll be here. And eventually, we both end up heartbroken. Is that really what you want?" It's better to just end it now before I get in even deeper and can't get out. It already hurts knowing I'm leaving in ten days, Nadia was right about that. But I cannot deal with falling harder, just to lose him later. I wasn't built for that. And maybe that makes me a coward, but I'll wear that label because the way this man makes me feel scares the hell out of me. He feels vital to me. I can't lose myself in him and then lose him. I'll end up right where Nadia was for the last six years, and I've already seen what that's like. So, no thank you. I'm opting all the way out of that pain.
"You aren't hearing me, Zoya," he says softly, his gaze locked on my face. "I want you. Whether you're here, in Tennessee, or on the other goddamn side of the world, I want you."
I groan, burying my face in my hands. He's relentless. And I'm so damn weak because every time he says something like that, my defenses crumble. I crumble.
"This is going to end in disaster," I mutter.
He pries my hands away from my face, pulling me into his arms. "Or maybe it ends up being the best risk you've ever taken." His lips brush my crown. "Stop fighting me, baby. I know it's fucking killing you to pretend you don't want this."
"It is," I admit, my heart in my throat. "But…Connor."
A displeased growl rumbles in his throat. "Fuck, Connor, Zoya. You don't belong to him."
"He's important to me, Jareth."
His eyes flicker across my face before his expression softens. He groans, pulling me into his arms to kiss me. "You're lucky you're so goddamn beautiful, princess. You have until the end of the day to talk to him before I do it myself."
"Thank you," I whisper, not entirely sure what I just got myself into here.
Please, God, don't let him break me.
Ispend all day trying to slip away to talk to Connor, but every time I think I'm in the clear, I get pulled into another wedding-related activity. It's like the whole world is suddenly conspiring against me again, only instead of trying to throw me into Jareth's path, it's trying to keep me out of Connor's.