Cruel Love (Privilege 6)

“No. But it’s just as good,” Ariana said, tucking her phone away. “It looks like I’ll have no trouble getting into Princeton now, thanks to S and G.”

“Was there ever any doubt?” Soomie asked, spearing a cucumber with her fork. “You’ve got one of the highest GPAs in our class.”

Ariana lifted her shoulders modestly. “Every little bit helps, right?” She held back a laugh and smoothed her hands over her napkin in her lap. “But enough about me. This is Soomie’s night.”

“So where have you been all this time, anyway?” Tahira asked Soomie. “Loony bin?”

“Tahira!” Maria scolded.

Soomie laughed. “No, actually. I was at a spa in Antigua with my mom. And guys? We totally have to go back there together. That place was heaven.”

As Maria and Tahira peppered Soomie with questions about her vacation, Ariana surreptitiously read Geralyn Montrose’s e-mail again, keeping the phone under the table. Her giddiness nearly overwhelmed her. She was going to go to Princeton. She was going to graduate and go to Princeton and have the life she’d always wanted. The life she deserved. All she had to do was get rid of Meloni, and everything would be back on track.

LAST MEAL

“You do realize my birthday is tomorrow,” Ariana said as Jasper led her, blindfolded, through a door and into a quiet room. From the sounds she had heard on their way here, she was pretty sure they were in a hotel—the lobby noise, the soft elevator ping, and the click of the electronic key had given it away—and she wondered if any of the patrons downstairs had alerted the police to her predicament. Of course, if she’d really been in the process of being kidnapped, she probably wouldn’t have been giggling all the way across the lobby.

“I realize,” Jasper said in her ear.

“And you also realize that one of these days you’re going to have to stop blindfolding me,” she joked.

Jasper ran his hands lightly over her shoulders, pushing her coat off and onto the floor. Ariana’s breath caught as the mink grazed her ankles.

“Oh. But it’s so much fun,” Jasper whispered, sending shivers all down her back as he lightly kissed her neck.

He turned her around and walked her a few more paces into the room, then whipped the blindfold off. It took a couple of seconds for Ariana’s eyes to focus, but when they did, her breath was truly taken away. In front of her was a huge, bay window looking out over Capitol Hill. The dome of the Capitol building shone in the distance, illuminated like a bright white beacon. But the view wasn’t the only spectacular sight. Arranged in front of the window was a small dining table with a linen tablecloth and several silver plates, covered by crystal domes. The scents of garlic and rosemary filled Ariana’s senses, and she saw a basket of southern biscuits arranged at the center of it all.

“How did yo

u—?”

“My mother told me how much you missed your mother’s cooking,” Jasper said. “I know this isn’t exactly the same, but …”

“Jasper,” she said, turning to face him. “This is amazing.”

“Happy birthday,” Jasper replied, leaning in for a long, lingering kiss.

Ariana smiled, her lips buzzing. She couldn’t have asked for a more perfect night. There was no place in the world she would rather be than here with Jasper. But as he reached for her hands, her heart pounded suddenly with the unknown. Come Saturday, she was going to start putting her plans into action. After all was said and done, she would be safe from discovery, safe from Meloni, safe from everything. Unless something went wrong. If something went wrong …

She couldn’t even think of the alternative without shuddering.

“Are you cold?” Jasper asked, reaching his arms around her.

She shook her head and looked down, suddenly overwhelmed, afraid her voice might crack if she tried to speak. She simply couldn’t bear the thought of having to say good-bye to Jasper.

Ariana took in a long breath and blew it out through her mouth. “I’m fine, really. It’s just … you didn’t have to do all this.”

“Of course I did,” he said simply, lifting his shoulders. “I love you.”

Ariana swallowed hard and looked intently into his eyes. “How much?”

Jasper blinked, taken aback, but smiled. “I’d do anything for you. You know that.”

“Anything?” Ariana asked.

He adjusted his arms on her waist, drawing her even closer. His forehead pressed against hers. Their noses touched. She could smell the mint on his breath.

“I’d go to the ends of the earth for you, Briana Leigh Covington.”