I pull up to the Casa Del Mar late in the afternoon. Adrenaline rushes through me when I think of the few salacious minutes Jeff and I shared in my office this morning. God, I need more. So much more.

I pick up my phone from the center console. Eva has sent about fifty texts in the past hour about her dress. I should have been there for her instead of plotting my big promotion at work and planning to demolish the livelihood of her future father-in-law.

Congratulations, Eva and Damon. I’m so very happy for you. I’m sure the first days of marriage will be hard enough without you having to deal with the incarceration of a dear family member. Or two.

Jesus Christ.

And I somehow need to figure out Jeff’s elaborate plan to take down Conlon, so I can beat him to it before I have to arrest him instead.

I drop my keys in the valet’s outstretched hand and shoot off a comforting text to Eva, hoping to pull her off the ledge. I’ll grab the favors out of my trunk later. Much later.

I smooth the front of my shirt and grab my handbag from the front seat. The butterflies in my belly are swarming, but it’s more than just nerves.

It’s proof that I can never allow myself to be normal. My life is a jumble of elaborate lies, and I keep it intact by shutting everyone out. Shades of the truth color my existence, and it’s a damn lonely one. I keep thinking that when I hit the next milestone, things will get better. I’ll feel more empowered, more settled, more successful. I’ll finally be on the path to accomplishing my goals.

And leading this double life will finally be worth all that I’ve given up in the process.

But now that I’m so close, I falter.

Now, of all times, my heart is needling me to take a step back and breathe.

I look up at the hotel. The last time I was here…oh my God. Much as I hate to admit it, being with Jeff was a wake up call; a reminder of everything I’d let myself miss for so long, even I can’t remember. So wrong, but more right. So perfect, yet such utter chaos.

I want that. I need that.

Having parents like I do is a convenient excuse for not getting my heart involved in big girl games, but denying myself something I want when the pull is this powerful just plain sucks. And what’s worse is I have to say goodbye. Not for the time being, but forever. Once he finds out that I am the one who’s about to put him in the middle of a firestorm…no, I can’t even think about that right now. I rush inside and press the Up button. Room six-oh-eight. Those numbers are burned into my memory, along with every other delicious detail from that night. The doors open and my body twitches, ready to leap inside. I stand back, waiting for the passengers to step into the lobby. I tap my toe against the glossy floor tiles, rolling my eyes heavenward. Jesus, it’s like a cattle car.

“Ari!” A high-pitched nasally voice makes me gasp. Bobbie. And Dad. Fucking A, you can’t make this shit up.

“Sweetie, what are you doing here so early?” My father furrows his brow leans in for a quick kiss.

“Oh, I’m just checking out the bridal suite to make sure everything is in order. Eva will be here in a few hours and I wanted to surprise her.” I smile. The lies just roll off my tongue without thought. Occupational hazard.

“Why don’t you join us for a late lunch? We’re headed to the restaurant.”

“Your father thought it would be nice to get away for the night to decompress before the big day.” Bobbie squeezes his shoulder. “You know, before the craziness of the weekend begins.”

Seriously? They live in Bel Air, for chrissakes. They really need a night away? From what? Paradise?

“Nice,” I manage. “But, um, I have an appointment I need to get to right after I do my suite check.”

Bobbie opens her handbag and fumbles around for something. A credit card shaped piece of plastic falls onto the floor and I stoop to grab it. No, no, no…

Room six-oh-seven.

You have got to be fucking kidding me.

My father slings an arm around my shoulders. “Come on, kitten. At least have a cocktail before you take off.”

“Okay, Daddy. Sounds good.” Actually, I can do with about ten of them, especially considering what Eva’s future father-in-law is going to do to me right against your bedroom wall, Dad.

Please let their bed be on the opposite side of the room.

The last thing I need is to hear the two of them moaning.

We walk into the bar and take seats at a high-top table. A pretty brunette waitress with cherry red lips and a low-cut top saunters over to take our order. “Will you be dining with us today?”

“Yes, but after we have a drink here at the bar.” My dad flashes her a toothy grin, and out of the corner of my eye, I see Bobbie stiffen. It’s been a long time, but I’ve never really warmed up to her. She’s a homewrecker, for chrissakes. And I’m enjoying the fact that she’s not on stable ground, either. That’s right, sweetheart, shit happens when you least expect it. So don’t get too comfortable just because you’ve got new tits. He’ll plop down that titanium card for another hot piece just as fast.

It’s catty, I know. But it still stings, after all this time. Dad chose Bobbie. He left all of us. I’m still pissed off at both of them, and a cocktail isn’t about to mend the rough edges of my frayed emotions.

Still, I’m going to need the booze for later.

“Whiskey neat for me, please.” I grin at the waitress, silently thanking her for the cleavage she keeps flashing at my dad.

“How’s business, Ari? Ever planning to use that law degree?”

I take a deep breath. “Yes, Daddy. I use it every day when I review contracts.”

He snorts. “Come on, that’s not what I meant. When are you going to realize that babysitting actors isn’t a respectable career?”

I tap my fingertips on the marble tabletop until the highball glass is placed in front of me. “I have my own company, which I built from nothing. That isn’t impressive to you, Dad?”

“Not as impressive as saying I have a daughter who’s a judge on the Supreme Court.”

“There weren’t any job openings for that gig last time I checked, so I went with Plan B.” The amber colored liquid burns a path down my throat, drowning out the snarky retorts piling in my throat and damn near choking me.

“You have to work your way up to the big time, Ari. I think this is probably the one thing your mother and I agree on. You always had an issue with commitment.”

I slam the glass on the table, whiskey sloshing over the side of the glass. “Did you ever think that my issue is related to the fact that I never had a good role model to demonstrate what commitment actually meant? That permanence kind of escaped me since it was so blatantly disregarded? In short, Dad, did you consider your own actions may have had a teeny tiny impact on my future ones?”

My father’s eyes narrow and Bobbie’s mouth falls open. This isn’t good. Shit, I didn’t need this to happen right now, not when the wedding is a day away. I’m paid to do damage control for my clients, and I really hate when I need to do it for myself. But this has been building for too long. Spewing my true feelings now isn’t ideal, but he’ll have a few more drinks and get laid. That’ll mellow him out. Hopefully.

I grab my glass and guzzle the rest of the double shot. “Look, I’m sorry. I’m just really preoccupied lately. I didn’t want to get into all of this with you. Please just respect what I do, Dad. I know you don’t agree with my choices, but hell, there’s more than enough of that to go around.” I slide off of the bar stool and sling my handbag over my shoulder. “Thanks for the drink. I’ll see you in the morning.”

The stress of this secret job is making me crazy. Maintaining a business and trying to take down mastermind criminals makes for a very uptight Ariana. And the one thing that can help me unwind is waiting for me upstairs.

I stalk out of the bar, weaving through groups of business people standing around in the lobby and head toward the elevator bank. I jump into the elevator as soon as the doors open, my pulse throbbing in my throat. Just a few more minutes until I see him again, mere seconds before his body is pressed against me, taking me to dangerous places where I’d love to get stranded forever. Of course, I’d prefer it if I wasn’t such a liar, pulling the wool of the eyes of everyone I know, and was actually capable of having a normal relationship.

But none of that has kept my emotions in check. Not with Jeff. Much as I’ve tried to keep them locked up, he’s blown open the vault, exposing my vulnerabilities, making me feel things I shouldn’t, for so many reasons. And, as I stand outside of his hotel room door, I realize I need this. I need to feel wanted and desired, yes. But it’s Jeff that has this incredible hold on me. He’s the one that makes me want to break rules and jeopardize things that, in the past, have been most important to me. He’s the one who’s opened me up to the possibility of more, something I’d been very flippant about before we met.

But the lies…there are so many lies. I know so much, too much, that can cripple him. His plans against Conlon, his associates; everything is out there. I can’t save him from what he’ll soon find out.

And while I hate him for being involved with this mess, and destroying any possibility of a future for us, I’m also falling for him. Hard. I have no idea how to lessen the impact of my deceit when everything comes out. What I do know is, regardless of what my heart tells me, this can’t go any further. Tonight can never happen again because I have a job to do.

I knock on the door, and seconds later, he pulls it open, standing the doorway in dark, low-rise jeans and an un-tucked button down shirt. His dark hair is mussed, like he’s been running his hand through it. It falls over his eyes, giving him a sexy, bedhead look, and those half-hooded eyes pierce my soul, oh my God.

My objective seems to have jumped onto the back burner.

I feel my mouth drop open, so I quickly snap it shut. Jesus, it’s not like I’ve never seen a hot older guy before.

“Do you want to come in or continue enjoying the view from there?” His tone teases me, and I should be embarrassed about being so blatant with my eye fucking, but I’m not. I love how he calls me out and reminds me that as much as I want to think I’m in control twenty-four by seven, I’m not. It’s something that would have scared the crap out of me a few months ago, but now, it just excites me. Little hairs stand at attention on the back of my neck.

“I’d like to come in.”

He takes my hand and leads me into the suite. I didn’t really have time to pay much attention to it last time, and my head is in kind of the same place right now. A king-sized bed. I think that’s probably the most important piece of furniture, anyway. It’s the one I’m most interested in, the couch a close second.

“Tomorrow is a big day.” He grins at me, tracing a fingertip down the side of my face.

“Yes. I still have the favors in my trunk and a few other things to handle in the morning.” Logistics. I really don’t want to cover them right now. It’s more important to let him know that things won’t go further than right here for us. All I need to do is say it.

“And Eva didn’t give you a hard time about not being with her tonight?”

“Her dress issues are resolved, so she’s happy. There’s plenty of champagne in the suite to relax her if she needs it.” A soft chuckle tumbles from my lips. “I told her I’d be here early tomorrow morning.”

He steps closer, his spicy scent filling my nostrils. I inhale deeply, drinking him in, making myself dizzy with lust.

I’ll tell him…later.

“It means a lot that you came here, Ari,” he murmurs, his heated gaze still fixed on me. His lips are mere inches from mine, scorching hot and so damn bitable.

I try to draw in a deep breath, but my chest is so tight. Little shivers dance down my bare arms, and I’m so close to swooning right here on the carpet. He pulls me close against his chest, his lips crashing against mine. The heat of his tongue electrifies me, and my frenzied hands are everywhere – his back, his hips, and his hair. I can’t stop touching him, knowing that this is the last time I’ll have the chance. I can feel his hard cock against me, and my knees buckle.

He fists my hair and pulls my head back, exposing my neck to his greedy, hungry mouth. I let out a gasp as his lips nuzzle the area behind my ear, the one that drives me absolutely insane. I fumble with his jeans, yanking them open, and forcing them down with his boxers. I lick the palm of my hand and grasp his dick. The skin is so smooth and soft beneath my fingertips. With long strokes, I run my hand up and down his length. Oh, God, just the thought of his length makes my panties dampen.

He growls and pulls away, pulling off my shirt and unhooking my bra. “I want that pussy, Ari. Give it to me now.” He peels my hand off of his cock and grins at me. “Don’t worry, you’ll get it back again. I just need you naked right now.” His nimble fingers work the zipper on my skirt, forcing it down to my ankles. I step out of it and kick it out of our way.

He pulls off the rest of his own clothes, leaving them in a pile on the floor before backing me against a chair. His fingers hook into the scrap of lace covering my pussy, and he slides it down my thighs as he falls to his knees. “Sit,” he mumbles, his tongue searing the skin of my inner thighs. I sink into the chair and he puts my legs over his shoulders, angling my body so it’s tilted for my pleasure; apparently, for his as well.

His tongue laps at my slit, flicking my clit before plundering me with its heat. My head falls back and I clutch the edge of the chair, my heart leaping into my throat, making breathing nothing less than impossible. Sweet Lord, what this man can do with that tongue.

My hands move to his hair, to the back of his neck, to his broad shoulders. His grip on my thighs gets tighter and tighter and his mouth works me into a frenzy. He lightly sucks my nub through his teeth, his tongue teasing it at the same time. Thrusting my hips forward is impossible since I’m already literally on the edge of my seat. Waves of euphoria crash over me as I climb higher and higher, finally leaping over the edge. The orgasm tears through me, my body quaking uncontrollably as it sizzles every nerve ending. I dig my fingernails into his skin to keep myself from screaming. Good thing for him I’ve already gotten my nails done for the big day, and they’re much shorter than usual. Before yesterday, it would have been a definite Wolverine situation.

“Fuck, Ariana,” he growls amid my cries, plunging three fingers into my soaked pussy. “I love the way you taste, but I need to be inside of you right now.”

Panting, I nod my head. “Yes. Now!”

He pulls out his fingers and lifts me onto the bed only a few feet away. As he leans over me, my breath hitches. He’s gorgeous, but that’s not what strikes me so hard in this moment. It’s the look in his eyes. Before, it’d been about staking a claim, making me his, taking what he wants. This is different. There’s no glimmer of possession in those dark eyes, no predatory gleam. It’s vulnerability. I guess maybe I can recognize it now that I’m feeling it myself. His body slides over mine, never breaking our spell, and he grabs a condom from the edge of the bed.

I put my hand over his as he’s about to rip it open. “Wait, let me.” I tear open the package and pull out the condom, rolling it onto his stiff cock, slowly and deliberately. He pulls me up, wrapping his muscular arms around me, crushing his lips against mine. His hands weave through my hair as he strokes the back of my head and neck, sending tiny shivers slithering all over my bare skin. Fucked. I’m so fucked.

How can I tell him this is the end when I’m desperate for it to be the beginning? And how can I make him believe that the way I feel isn’t complete bullshit when everything I’ve told him up to now has been just that?

He puts a hand on the small of my back, drawing me closer until the head of his cock is lined up with my slit. When he pushes into me, stretching me open, I let out a sharp gasp. My body molds around him like a glove, and he fills me, inch by inch, with everything he has to give. Before this minute, I’d thought that had been literal, but now, it takes on a whole new meaning.

Because it’s not just sex anymore. Not for him, not for me. I can feel it as he plunges into me with deep, hard strokes. I can see it when he looks at me.

I lock my ankles around him, pulling him closer, craving the sensations that spring to life when our bodies are this connected. I clutch his hair as his lips devour mine then move to my breasts, which are heaving, begging for some attention. This man has turned me inside out. It’s as if he hears their desperate cries. He kneads them, one at a time, as he gently pulls my nipples through his teeth, suckling to the point that I have to bite down on my lip to keep from screaming. His cock plunges deeper, harder, and every time he pulls out, I clench to keep him buried inside of me.

I yelp as the explosion gathers force within my core. “Jeff, oh my God!” I dig my fingers into his hips, forcing him to give me the release I crave. His movements increase in speed, and he lifts one of my legs, giving him leverage to launch my body into orbit. I clutch the bed sheets and grit my teeth to keep from shattering the windows with my squeals.

“Open your eyes,” he murmurs. “Look at me. I want to see it.”

They flutter open to see him staring down at me, and my heart clenches as the orgasm rips through me, electrifying every square inch of my body, lighting me up like a damn rocket. Hell, I think I might actually be glowing. He tightens his grip around me as I bodysurf over the waves of euphoria crashing over me. He collapses onto his elbows, his forehead against mine. “That was so fucking beautiful.” He crushes his lips against mine, his cock throbbing with every pulse, until his body convulses against mine. He kisses me hard, deep, greedily, as his own orgasm commands him. He literally takes my breath away. When he finally pulls away and I can breathe on my own, I realize it’s not what I want. At all.

I’m pretty positive that if I wanted to hide anything going on in my head right now, it’d be impossible. I have a great poker face, but Jeff Torres is the exception.

He settles next to me, nuzzling my neck, his lips leaving a trail of promises for our remaining hours.

But where can this possibly go?

Liars. We’re both liars.

What the hell kind of relationship could we have? One filled with deceit and mind-bending sex? How is that not completely and utterly dysfunctional?

Although…maybe that would work for us…

I try to silence the voices, try to lose myself in him, probably for the last time, since he’ll never want to speak to me again, anyway. Not when he finds out the truth, who I really am, what I know, and what I’m doing to stop him. A pang assaults my heart. He doesn’t deserve any of this. The people closest to him have deceived him in the past, and now I am one of them. And I can’t save him. I can’t do anything to blunt the pain, the knowledge that he’s been duped, sent to prison by the doings of his ex-wife, the woman who was supposed to love him and cherish him until death.

Fucking whore. I’ll be visiting you in the slammer, Kate. And orange is a pretty shitty color for redheads, too.

His teeth tickle my ear, making me giggle.

“I didn’t know you were ticklish.” His fingers dance along my belly, teasing and threatening at the same time.

I yelp and roll over to my side. “I am.”

“Good to know. You’re always so intense. I like hearing you laugh.”

Too bad you won’t react the same way to some of the other things you’re about to find out, Jeff.

* * *

I don’t know when we fall asleep. I definitely don’t look at the clock in the room. Part of me wants to forget that this is temporary, that I have to be around her all day without touching her, kissing her, or fucking her.

Because it will be torture.

I also don’t want to think about the bullshit façade I need to put up for everyone at the wedding, so that I can fool them all into thinking I’m some kind of legitimate business person and a halfway decent father.

I want to be those things. I’m going to try, but I just don’t know if I can.

Time creeps past, and soon, the sunlight peeks through the cracks of the curtains. I don’t want this to end. I finally feel whole, after such a long stretch of being so empty. Right now, in this moment, I have everything I want. I just have to figure out how not to fuck it all up, and none of the guys are going to like my new plan.

But I can’t live this life anymore. My son is too important. Ari is too important. I want a new life, and I need them in it. The need for revenge is eating away at my insides, and before it swallows me whole, I have to let it go. I can’t change the world, much as I’d like to. But I can change my own life.

I peer at my phone. Three o’clock am. I scroll down the list of missed calls from Rand. Fuck it, I’ll deal with whatever the hell he wants in a few hours. There’s something much more pressing that I need to deal with…immediately, if not sooner.

My hands roam over Ari’s curves and she snuggles back into my chest.

I’d like to change Ari’s life, too. I don’t know if she’ll let me.

I need her to give me that chance.

The soft skin of her ass rubs against my cock, and it springs to life. Not that it’s ever too far from that when she’s around. I reach around her, my hands creeping below her abdomen and over her smooth pussy.

She lets out a deep sigh, places a hand over mine, and pushes it against her. I dip three fingers inside of her, letting out a groan when I feel how wet she already is. All I can think about is how good that pussy felt wrapped around my cock last night, and how badly I need to feel it again. I nip at her ear, sliding my fingers in and out. She whimpers as my fingers work her clenched pussy, thrusting back into my hand, her tight ass rubbing against me until I can’t take any more teasing. Fuck, she’s so wet. I reach behind me, feeling around for a condom on the nightstand, pulling my neck muscle in the process. I ignore the burning pain that shoots down my spine. It’s nothing compared to the dull ache in my balls. I tear open the packet with my teeth and roll on the condom. My lips graze the back of her neck and she shivers, writhing against me. I grip her hips and plunge deep into her heat, thrusting with the power of all the angst ravaging my body – for the unknowns, what ifs, and threats to any shred of happiness in my future. Her pussy clamps around me, pulling me in, squeezing the head of my dick so tightly, I’m afraid I’ll lose my shit if I even suck in a breath.

“Jeff,” she whimpers, her fingertips digging into my thighs.

I can barely choke out a reply. My eyes are shut tight, teeth clenched, praying I can last long enough to make her come at least once before I let go. Christ, what this woman does to me. With Ariana, I feel like a fucking adolescent, like I can’t control my own body. I tighten my arms around her waist and pull her up as I raise myself to a seated position, my back against the headboard. I thread my fingers through her mussed hair and run my hands down the sides of her torso as she lifts one leg to straddle me. Her eyes are half-hooded, her lips swollen, and my cock is throbbing, begging to sink into her. She hovers over the head of my cock, rotating her hips until her soaked pussy swallows it, inch by inch.

She leans forward, burying her head in my neck, her hot breath making my skin tingle. Squeezing, clenching, pulling – I’m gonna erupt like a fucking volcano at any second. Her thighs are tight against the sides of my legs, pressing them together. My head slams back against the headboard, and I thrust into her until her moans become full-fledged screams. I can feel her pussy quiver as her sweet juices explode out of her trembling body.

Her eyes fly open and she claps a hand over her mouth mid-screech. “Oh, shit,” she whispers.

I stop moving, my dick still throbbing inside of her. “What’s wrong?” I pant, wondering what the fuck could possibly interrupt this moment.

“My dad. He’s staying in the room next door with his girlfriend.” She bites her lip. “And I was just screaming my damn head off.”

I snicker, my movements picking up speed once again. “You know that’s only gonna make me fuck you harder, right?” My cock plunges deeper into her soaked pussy, forcing a loud moan from her lips. “I think you like knowing someone might hear us. I think it makes you even wetter. You’re such a bad girl.” My arms are wrapped tightly around her, my cock pulsating in her depths. I manage a couple more hard strokes before the explosion rumbles through me. I fist her hair, pulling her close, my mouth hungry for anything she has left to give. Our lips crush together, teeth smacking as our tongues fight for control that is seemingly lost for both of us.

And that’s when I finally let go, giving her everything I have. For those excruciatingly intense seconds, I’m blind, deaf, and mute. My world has just been knocked off its axis, and I don’t know if I’ll ever remember how to get it back into position.

Truthfully, I don’t give a fuck. I much prefer it like this.

My breaths are ragged, chest heaving as I trail my fingertips down her spine. She shudders against me, letting out a tiny giggle. “Ticklish, remember?”

Oh, I remember…

“Maybe I just needed to hear that laugh again,” I murmur, tracing lines up and down her torso.

“How about hearing that you’re a total sex god? Is that better?”

I snicker. “Yeah, I like hearing that, too.”

“Good.” She nestles against me. “Anything else you need to hear before we go for it again?”

My fingers freeze. “Yes.”

She pulls away, still breathless, a coy smile on her flushed face. “Really. Well, don’t keep me in suspense. Tell me.”

I can’t believe I’m doing this, but the words tumble out before I can grab them and stuff them back inside my damn big mouth.

“I’m pretty sure I’m falling in love with you, Ari.” I stroke the side of her face, tracing her cheekbone and then the outline of her lips. “I need to hear that you feel the same way.”

She stares at me. Just stares. Doesn’t speak. Actually, she doesn’t make a single sound. I don’t even know if she’s breathing. Fuck, why the hell do I always do this shit? I can never leave well enough alone. I don’t want her to tell me something I want to hear because I asked. Jesus Christ, I’m fifty-fucking-two years old, and I feel like a pimply teenager who’s just professed his love to the prom queen. This is fucked up on so many levels. I’m a badass ex-con who can own any pussy he sees, and this is my big play? Leave myself wide open for rejection? Am I suddenly going for sensitive now?

Her lips slowly stretch into a smirk. “Sex god usually does it for most guys.”

“I’m not most guys.”

“I know,” she whispers, her lips grazing mine. “And that’s one of the reasons why I’m falling in love with you.”

“So, the sex god thing…?”

“Obviously, it’s another one of the reasons.” She bites her lip and looks away. Her teasing tone doesn’t match the look of apprehension clouding her gaze.

“You’re afraid of what your family will say?”

“Aren’t you a little worried about that?”

“Well, I think your mom may be a little annoyed, but…”

She gives my arm a playful swat. “Oh my God, stop! I can’t!”

“Hey, we don’t need to do anything you’re not comfortable with, okay? I’ll handle it however you want.” I cup her chin. “But Ari, I’m in this. I know it’s not perfect by everyone else’s standards, but you’re perfect for me.”

She nods, and I can see the conflicting emotions shadowing her face. “Can this really work, Jeff? These feelings, can they overpower the odds against us?”

I furrow my brow. “I’d hardly consider our families odds.”

Is she just talking about family? Or is it something else? Her eyes float closed for a few seconds, and I feel a pang in my chest. Much as I hate to acknowledge it, maybe it’s intuition…some kind of suspicion that she’s holding something back, that maybe we’re not in the same place.

“I hope you’re right,” she finally whispers, opening her eyes. Something is still lurking in the depths; I can feel it. And I don’t stop feeling it, even after we drift off to sleep. Our bodies are entwined, but there’s a distance between us, one I can’t close, no matter how tight my arms are wrapped around her.

* * *

I crack open my eyes. Sunlight slithers into the suite through the sheer curtains, blinding me. It’s a harsh reminder that the massive snowball at the top of the mountain is about to start its devastating descent, and if I don’t remove myself from it’s path, I’ll be crushed.

I shift under the bed sheet, running my hands over the Egyptian cotton sheets. Twelve hundred thread count. Pure luxury. And I’d enjoyed every second we were tangled in them, in between the multiple bottles of wine and professions of love, of course. Dammit. My temples throb. All I want to do right now is shove my head in a toilet bowl… for multiple reasons.

“Morning, beautiful.”

A low, gravelly voice approaching my ear sends chills shimmying down my spine. Even in my current state, I welcome the idea of having Jeff’s taut body sprawled on top of me again, feeling his magical fingers exploring every orifice, experiencing his hot, hungry tongue tasting me from head to toe—

“That alarm of yours has been going off for about ten minutes.”

I let out a groan and flip over. “I can’t move.”

“I think I can come up with a few ways to solve that problem.” He smooths back my hair.

A smile lifts my lips. His deep brown eyes twinkle, making me forget everything for a blissful, fleeting minute. And then it all comes rushing back, like an all-consuming wave, ready to pummel me into the shore. My throat tightens, and the nausea is back with a vengeance. “No time. I have to go. Eva is probably flipping out that I’m not already upstairs.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” The twinkle fades, the perfect white smile now forlorn. He has to know. I’m as transparent as a fucking clear glass window.

“I had a really great time.” I rise, clutching the sheet to my bare chest. I want to tell him I’m crazy about him, that he’s all I can think about, but it’ll only make things worse.

“Ariana…”

I put my hand over his. “I really have to get ready now. Hair and makeup are on the way. You know what’ll happen if I don’t get back to the suite.” Bile rises in my throat as I throw my legs over the side of the bed. I can’t stay here for another second. I can’t tell him I’m a fraud, or that despite the fact that I love him, I’m a fucking liar, and this whole sham is about to crumble around us. I can’t tell him he’s been deceived by the same person he claims to love, not when he’s about to have his whole world shattered.

“Don’t go. We need to talk. Last night, you told me—”

I slip into my tight, black dress from the night before and slide into my heels. “I know what I told you. And I meant it.” I manage a weak smile and run my fingertips down the front of his chest.

“Then why do you look ready to bolt? If I pressured you, I’m sorry. But at least be honest with me.”

He grabs my wrist and my throat tightens. Be honest. Ha. The truth would crush him. I can’t do that, not today. I have to figure out how to cushion the blow. God, I fucking love him, and seeing that look of dejection in his eyes is shredding my heart. “It was all true, Jeff. Everything.” Tears spring to my eyes and I grab my handbag.

“Then why are you pulling away? I don’t understand what changed from last night, but this isn’t over, Ari.” The pained look on his face tells me, in no uncertain terms, that he thinks I’m full of shit. How ironic that he doesn’t even know the whole sordid story.

“Yes, it is. See you at the altar.” My lips brush against his forehead for a brief second. I squeeze my eyes shut, but it’ll only hold the tears at bay for so long. I pull open the door handle and dart from the room without a backward glance. Because I know if I look back, I won’t be able to drag myself away. It’s what I need to do, what I was supposed to do long before I ended up in his bed, and what I should have done last night. But fate…she’s a bitch with a sick sense of humor.