Page 35 of The Billionaire Love Match

“Uh huh. Let me be blunt. When you have physical attraction going at a steady simmer or, in your case, a rolling boil, it colors everything else. You can’t see straight. You’re not thinking anymore.”

“But—”

“Just hear me. Almost done, promise. I’m okay if you don’t agree in the end. Heck, if you come out of this thing engaged, I’ll be the first one to slap you on the back and say congrats. But remember Janice?”

“The one who racked up all that credit card debt and ran off with your coworker?”

“That’s the one,” Ty said. “This is embarrassing to admit, but I would happily hand over my credit card again for another round of kissing that woman.”

“No you wouldn’t. You hate her.”

“I definitely despise her. But that woman’s lips...” Ty groaned. “That despicable woman was the closest I ever came to going back on our commitment to wait.”

“Point taken. I still think there’s more with Casey. I just haven’t had time to uncover everything else.”

“Right. And you could hit the jackpot: she might have all the chemistry and be the girl of your dreams. But this brings me to point two—is the girl of your dreams someone you meet in a bathroom? Who kisses a guy she’s never met before without even knowing his name?”

Colt bit back a reply, explaining about Lucas again. Casey had just been trying to hide. She’d been desperate. Afraid, with good reason.

But Ty was right—who does that?

“I hear you. So what do I do?”

“I don’t know how possible this is being on camera and under your mother’s thumb, but can you get to know her? Is that possible? Give your lips a rest. Try talking to the woman.”

“Talking uses lips.”

“Shut up. I like her spunk. It would be good for you, I think. She’s definitely different than the other women on the show and the ones I’ve seen you with the last few years. Already that’s a big plus.”

Colt felt stupidly happy hearing that from his best friend. It was as close to an endorsement as he was going to get. “She is something. Which brings me to the other problem.”

“There’s more?”

“My mother.”

Ty groaned. “We’re going full circle here. And all your problems seem to be orbiting that woman. So what else is Grace Wood responsible for in this equation?”

“I can’t shake the feeling that if she sees that I actually have feelings for Casey, it’s going to get bad for her on the show. I mean, my mom did not plan this show so I could fall in love. In fact, she was very clear in how she felt about the kinds of women that go on reality TV.”

“But she put her own son on a reality show. Makes perfect sense. As far as Casey goes, I don’t think she could be more popular. I mean, she’s been trending on Twitter for, like, days. I can’t get on Facebook without seeing a video of you two locking lips. Other than the women in the house, everyone loves her. I’m not sure what your mother could do to switch that.”

Colt tried to find a flicker of hope, but a mental image of his mother’s flame doused it. “I don’t know either. And that’s what I’m afraid of. She mentioned that she has dirt on all the women. You know how easy it is to go from top to the bottom overnight. We’ve seen that happen.”

Colt didn’t have to remind Ty how hard it was for him when he was first labeled in the media as a playboy. Given his virgin status and that his last serious girlfriend was in high school, it couldn’t have been further from the truth. The headlines and rumors and images of him with dates left a stink that trailed behind him. He could smell it on himself. After a year or so, the press calmed down, and by then he had resigned himself to the labels.

“I mean it when I say that there’s something more there. I want to get to know Casey. I feel like I have to, on the show or off. But I don’t think I could live with myself if my mother ruined her life.”

Ty was quiet for a moment and Colt watched the clouds. A storm was slowly rolling in from the north.

“Maybe I could just send her home? Get her a message somehow that I’ll call her in five weeks?”

“I thought you said your mother is in charge of who stays and goes.”

“She is, but the ceremony is live, so I could pull something.”

“That might work,” Ty said. “But for the public humiliation bit. I don’t know many women who could bounce back from rejection in front of a live audience of millions. You probably couldn’t tell her ahead of time, so she would just think you don’t like her. It’s like a lie. Trying to come back after that...I’m not sure. I think the average person’s heart or pride couldn’t take that. She’d never trust you again. That’s what she asked from you, right? Honesty.”

“Wow, you really are watching the show,” he said.

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