Page 59 of Glamour & Gumballs

He snorted and handed me his folder. “Charlie would kill you if you tried to steal his woman.”

I opened it up, still hugging my new boots as I did so. “Where do you live?”

Even as the question came out, I saw pictures of a gorgeous, coastal home planted right on a beach.

Damn, it was beautiful.

My gaze lingered on the photos of the view from the balcony, where I would be able to watch the ocean at any time. “It’s stunning.”

“Cameron and Molly live a few doors down from me,” he said. “Christina and her husband Charlie do too, in the opposite direction.”

As much as I didn’t like the island, I did love the view. A beach house was tempting.

I itched to ask him to tell me more about what being mated to him would be like, but if he did so, everyone would realize he wasn’t just being dragged along anymore.

So I didn’t.

Beneath the house pictures, I found photos of him with Cameron and a nice-looking older couple. The label above it said they were Christina and Charlie Cassette, the leaders of fae Society.

A picture of him with his parents was beside it.

And beneath those, there was a sheet that had pictures of him guarding in the Bachelorette game show, as well as in Survival.

I wanted to ask what he’d do about work if we mated, too, but couldn’t bring that up either.

Not when we had secrets to keep and a game to play.

So, I just closed the folder and set it on top of the stack of others I’d been given.

“You have a nice house. Too bad you’re not interested in winning,” I finally said.

He gave a noncommittal grunt, and our time was over.

I didn’t hesitate to put on my new coat and boots. I was already soaked, but I wasn’t about to get any wetter when there was another option.

So, I zipped myself up and followed Rhett and the others back to the boat.

I wasn’t sure who was going to get voted out that night, but I figured it was probably a good thing I didn’t. Because I had no idea who I was rooting for anymore.

thirteen

RHETT

Erin started distancing herself from me more than usual after the care package challenge. I wasn’t sure why, but it seemed likely that someone else had said something to make her think they’d be a better mate.

Which made me see fucking red.

I couldn’t admit that, though.

So when the other guys went for a walk and Erin went with them, I leaned over to Kyle and said, “I need to talk to her.”

He and I were sitting in front of our dead firepit while the rain poured down.

He raised his eyebrows. “That’s too risky, Rhetti.”

“She’s uncertain. I need to calm her fears. One of the other bastards might’ve said something to make her want them.”

“I was there the whole time. She didn’t seem interested in any of them.”

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