Page 31 of The Billionaire Love Match

Colt looked down.

Chris went on. “Is that why you gave him such a hard time when he came to your apartment?”

“The editing made me seem much more harsh than I was. Though I’ll admit I didn’t give in easily. I had some time to think in the hours before he showed up. I cried a lot. Talked to my best friend. Came to the conclusion that going on a dating reality show was a stupid idea.”

Again the audience laughed. Casey met Colt’s eyes again. She felt oddly relieved to have this time where she could speak truthfully to him. Even if it wasn’t privately. It felt oddly like a very public couple’s therapy session.

“And then Colt knocked on your door.”

Casey licked her lips. Her hands twisted in her lap and she held them tightly. “Yes.”

“And what happened to that resolve not to go on a dating show? Why did you say yes?”

Casey softened her gaze. “There’s something about Colt. As soon as I saw him standing there, I knew that anything he asked me, I would say yes.”

His eyes seemed to be looking at her with longing, but also something painful. As usual, Casey struggled to read whatever he was saying there.

A thought struck her suddenly: she hoped he would be in her life long enough that she could read every one of his expressions by heart.

“Anything he asked?” Chris asked.

Casey felt heat rising to her cheeks. “Of course not anything, Chris,” she said, leveling a gaze at him. “I’m not that kind of girl.”

The audience howled and a blush rose in Chris Haversham’s cheeks. He fumbled with his notecards. Colt smiled and shook his head at Casey.

Chris cleared his throat. “One thing that we have to talk about is that kiss.”

Oh no.

“The episode just aired an hour ago, but already it’s being called the Kiss Heard Round the World. It’s trending and making headlines.”

On the screen behind them, screenshots of tweets and social media posts appeared.

Send ‘em all home. #TeamCasey #KissHeardRoundtheWorld

Casey, if he doesn’t choose you, I’m available. #TeamCasey #KissingCasey

The Sexiest Kiss Ever Aired – Billionaire Love Match Heats Up

Too Hot for TV? The Kiss Heard Round the World

Casey closed her eyes as the headlines and tweets disappeared, replaced by the video of her kiss with Colt in the pool. She had never known the real depths of embarrassment until this moment, watching the intimate display in front of a public audience. Seeing it made Casey’s whole body feel hot. It shouldn’t have been a kiss for a guy she barely knew in a pool in front of a billion people. It was very much a committed relationship kiss. A marriage kiss. The kind that wouldn’t stop with just kissing. Casey felt sick that she had shared that publicly. It felt so cheap.

She looked up at Colt. He wasn’t watching the screen either, just her face. His finger tapped out a rhythm on the arm of his chair. It was long and took her until the end of the clip to understand.

N-O R-E-G-R-E-T-S

Her face broke out into a smile for Colt as the screen went black. Chris Haversham fanned himself with his notecards.

“I mean, WOW,” Chris Haversham said. “There’s kissing and then there’s kissing. I can see why this is already trending.”

“Best kiss of my life,” Casey whispered. But of course, there were mics everywhere that amplified her words.

The audience whooped and cheered, but Casey was more focused on Colt’s hand.

S-A-M-E

Her cheeks felt sore from all the smiling.

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