Page 38 of Glamour & Gumballs

“Not even a little.”

“You loved her.”

“I loved not being alone.”

“You were lonely?”

“Tremendously,” he admitted. “I’ve never handled being alone well. Cameron was my closest friend, and he’d started fading. I was on my own too much. She pursued me, and the attention felt like what I needed. It wasn’t until after she ended it that I realized how much I preferred the loneliness to being with the wrong person.”

“And you don’t think I’m another wrong person.” It wasn’t a question—it was a statement. The same one he’d made, but rephrased.

“I think you’re the right person, actually.”

“Why?” I wanted to hear his reasoning. Hell, I needed to if I was going to consider letting things go any further between us. Let alone agreeing to mate with him for the rest of our lives.

“You don’t pretend to be anything you’re not, and you don’t take anyone’s shit. On top of that, you’re stunningly beautiful, as well as fearless, Chaos.”

I rolled my eyes, though the gesture was half-hearted. No one had ever complimented me like that. It felt nice. Really nice. “I’m not fearless.”

“Maybe not, but you don’t let your fear control you. Any of the men in the game would be lucky to have you. What you should really be asking, is why you should want me.”

“Tell me, then.”

His lips curved upward. “Since my engagement ended, I’ve worked for the Society in keeping the peace. Before the war, when there was a fight, they sent me in. When a new compatible mate was found and chaos broke out, they called me. After the game shows began, they did the same. I kept the peace through season after season of Bachelorette before Survival began, and naturally, was brought in for this game considering its volatile nature.”

Rhett continued “I don’t hurt anyone unless I have to do so to protect someone else. I don’t lose my temper. Everyone on the island would vouch for that. Yes, I would be intensely possessive if you were mine—but that would ensure your safety above anything else. No chaos required.”

I bit my lip.

His gaze landed on my mouth, and lingered for a long moment. “I’ll even tell you something, despite knowing it will lessen my chances with you.”

“What is it?”

He chuckled, lifted his head, and murmured into my ear, “It’s not possible for a male fae to physically hurt his bonded mate, or the other way around. Mated fae live for each other.”

My heart beat painfully. “Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

Well…

That changed things.

A lot of things.

I didn’t need to cause chaos at all if the men would be equally unable to hurt me. I could choose a mate based solely on his personality.

Assuming my damn heart let me consider anyone other than Rhett. I still didn’t know why I was so interested in him. Maybe because he was so good at snuggling.

nine

ERIN

“You said Kellie never touched your wings,” I said, changing the subject so I didn’t have to talk about choosing a mate anymore. That shit was stressful. “Are wings sensitive?”

“They are.”

“How sensitive.”

---