When Harper excused herself from the dinner table, I got worried. I knew she was still pissed at me and I haven't had the chance to really talk to her yet. When I caught her looking at me a few times during the rehearsal, I thought maybe there was a chance once I tell her how I feel.

After Harper left the room, I sent a questioning look to Ryan. He met my gaze and simply shook his head, letting me know to stay put while he went to go check on her. Better him than me right now. If I tried to follow after her to make sure she was okay, I probably would have gotten punched in the face.

We were all supposed to stay here at the mansion until the wedding. I was hoping I would be able to find a few minutes alone with her to tell her that I was in love with her.

Ever since I realized I was an idiot for doing what I did, and also for not accepting how I felt sooner, I couldn't stop smiling. I was dying to tell her. I couldn't wait to see her expression when she found out the truth.

I didn't want to be with anyone else. I only wanted her and she needed to believe that.

I saw Ryan come back inside and he gestured towards the foyer for me to follow him. I got up from the table immediately and walked over to him. The first thing I noticed was a red mark on his face.

"What the bloody hell happened to you?"

He looked away sheepishly. "Anne smacked me."

My spine stiffened has dread started to fill me. "Why would she smack you, Ryan?"

"I told her that I told you how she felt and that I told you to end it with her that it was my fault."

"Are you out of your fucking mind! We had a plan, Ryan. Why did you even tell her that?" I had no idea what possessed him to do that. I was completely baffled by this whole thing.

"I was trying to help you, Jackson."

I covered my face with my hands before I looked at him again. "Where is she?"

"She took off."

Panic overrode me. "Its pouring outside," I said like Ryan had no idea.

"I know."

I needed my keys. That's what I needed. I needed to go after her. I started feeling my pants pockets and cursed under my breath when I realized I didn't have them. Where the hell were they?

"What are you--" Ryan started before I cut him off.

"Give me your keys," I commanded. "I'm going after her."

I knew he could tell by my expression that I wasn't going to back down. She could be hurt out there. He handed me the keys and told me to be careful before I ran out of the mansion and straight for his truck.

I left the mansion and started driving slowly, trying to look out for her car. After driving about four miles, I saw a car that was parked on the wrong side of the road, completely sideways. Something inside me told me it was hers. My chest tightened with fear as I pulled over and jumped out of the truck.

I yanked the door open and sighed with relief when I saw she was conscious. I tried to assess her for injuries, but it was hard to see.

"What are you doing here?" She asked with a shaky voice. My eyes met hers and I saw the mascara that started to run down her face. She had been crying.

"Princess, let me take you back to the mansion. It's not safe here."

"I don't want to go back there," she bit out.

"I'll take you anywhere you want to go." I just needed to get her off the side of the fucking road. Not only is it dark outside, but cars speed by on this road and it's pouring rain. I could barely see when I was driving.

She glanced away from me. "I don't want to go anywhere with you."

"Princess, you have two options. Come with me willingly, or I'll snatch you out of this car and throw you over my shoulder."

She rolled her eyes before getting out of the car and climbing into Ryan's truck. I started driving away from the mansion and she didn't say a word.

I understood why she was upset and I hoped once we got somewhere we could talk, I could clear everything up for her. But here, in the truck, was not the place.

I saw a decent hotel a few miles up the street and pulled into the parking lot. "Let's go," I said before I got out of the truck and opened her door.

She hesitated before she got out and followed me into the lobby. When I told the receptionist we only needed one room, Harper scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest.

We finally made it inside the room and she turned to me with narrowed eyes. "You aren't staying here with me."

"We have more important things to talk about than our sleeping arrangements. Ryan told me what happened."

"So? Maybe he broke my trust by telling you how I felt and told you to end it, but you panicked and went along with it."

I was quiet for a moment. "You're right. I did panic. The thought of getting that close to someone, of letting them in, terrified me."

"You don't think it scares me to love someone? At least I was brave enough to admit it to myself."

"That's why I wanted to talk to you." I glanced away before taking a deep breath. "I've done a lot of thinking, and the biggest mistake was kissing that girl, who meant nothing to me, just to push you away."

I saw her eyes water and it nearly killed me; but I continued with what she needed to hear. "If I could go back, I would. But I can't. You need to know the truth. All of it."

She let out an exasperated sigh. "The truth about what?"

I took a few steps closer to her. "The fact that I am completely, unbelievably, in love with you." Her eyes widened as her mouth dropped open slightly. "Princess, I love you. So much it hurts and it scares the bloody hell out of me. But I do, I love you. I want to wake up next to you every day and go to sleep next to you every night. I only want to kiss you and take pleasure from your body. No one else. Only you."

She held my gaze and I knew I shocked the hell out of her. As the minutes passed on, I closed the distance between us and wiped her tears away. "Please, Princess, say something."

Say something? How on Earth could I say anything right now? Jackson was standing here in front of me, telling me what I never thought I would hear. He loved me. He actually loved me.

I didn't even know what to say to him in that moment. I didn't even know what to think. So many things were racing through my mind, it was hard to differentiate. Even as I felt overwhelming joy at his words, I still felt a hint of fear. What if something like this happened again? What if he got scared of his feelings and pulled away from me again? I don't think I could keep going through all of this.

Even with all of that running through my head, I couldn't stop what I did next. I gripped the back of his neck and brought his lips to mine. His hands immediately wrapped around my waist as he groaned into my mouth. He pressed me back until I was against the wall. Never breaking away from the kiss, I went to work unbuttoning first his shirt, then his pants. I pushed the shirt from his shoulders before he grabbed the bottom of my dress and pulled it over my head.

He quickly took off my bra and panties before scooping me up in his arms and carrying me to the bed.

If he wasn't inside of me soon..."Jackson, fuck me," I moaned and he chuckled as he started kissing down my body.

"Oh, I will. But not until I taste you," he growled before taking me into his mouth.

I gripped the bed sheets as my back arched and I instinctively threw my leg over his shoulder. I moved my body against his mouth, trying to take as much as he could give me.

"Oh, God..."

When he slid two fingers inside me, I came apart and couldn't stop moaning his name. Before I even came back down to earth, I felt the hard length of him as he thrusted his cock inside me.

His mouth was on mine, his tongue delving deep, twisting with mine. My cries of pleasure poured into his mouth as he fucked me hard and rough. There time for slow and savor was later. Right now, it was raw emotion.

He pulled away from my mouth and said in a deep demanding voice, "You understand that you are mine, now and forever. Don't you, Princess?"

"Yes," I moaned, unable to deny him anything.

"Say it," he demanded as he quickened his strokes. "I want to hear it."

"I'm yours," I moaned. "Forever," I vowed as he continued to fuck me so hard the headboard was slamming into the wall.

"And I'm yours," he said against my lips before he pulled out of me.

I whimpered at the absence of him inside me and he lifted me up and ordered me to get on my knees. I smiled to myself as I though about our first time together. Just as I gripped the headboard, he slammed inside me, deeper than before if that was even possible.

He kissed a trial down my spine and I couldn't do anything accept take the passion he was giving me. His hands tightened on my hips as he went faster and I knew we were both getting close.

Once more he pulled out of me and laid on his back. "Ride me," he ordered. "I want you on top of me when I come inside you."

I did as he instructed and straddled his waist. I lowered myself onto him slowly before I started moving my body up and down. My pace started to quicken as he gripped my thighs and started lifting his hips, thrusting deep. I was so close to orgasming. I sucked my bottom lip between my teeth. He sat up off the bed and wrapped his arms around me, taking my mouth in a deep, hard kiss.

The 'I love you, Princess' he said against my lips sent me over the edge. Even when I felt his hot release inside me, he continued thrusting...sending me over the edge again and again.