Page 53 of The Billionaire Love Match

Chris laughed his host laugh, which was about as real as his hairpiece. Colt’s face brightened for a moment and he shook his head, flashing her a smile.

“Bring it on, Chris. I want that solo date.”

The next sequence of events happened like the turning of some giant dial.

One

Colt’s face lost all color and his mouth dropped open, his eyes fixed somewhere behind her.

Two

A hand on her bare shoulder, the feeling making her pull away before—

Three

“Miss me, gorgeous?”

Four

Her head craned as though in slow motion to see Lucas towering over her.

Her entire body froze in place.

No. Not this.

Sweat beaded on her lip and Casey didn’t dare to wipe it away. She could feel the fabric of her dress, the prettiest blue one she had saved for later in the show, become drenched, sticking to her back.

Lucas sauntered to the other side of the pool, never breaking eye contact with her. She couldn’t look down or away any more than you’d take your eyes off a rattlesnake that made its way into your living room. He stopped to stand by Colt, who had plastered on his best Mr. Casual face. Though Mr. Casually Furious was more like it.

Lucas looked away then and Casey exhaled, feeling her chest constrict. She hadn’t been so afraid of Lucas, thinking him annoying but harmless, until he hit Colt in the bathroom. That’s when the pieces landed together of exactly how bad of a dude he really was.

Alarm sirens were screaming in her head as Lucas met Colt’s cool stare. Lucas scratched his face, right where Colt had sported the black eye for a week. Then Lucas put his hands in front of him, clasping them together. She realized he was in a suit, a Pink rose pinned to his lapel.

“Casey.”

She dragged her gaze to Chris Haversham. She felt like Alice, fallen through the looking glass.

“To earn your two hour dinner with Colt, no cameras, your challenge is this: have drinks with your ex. It seems like there is some unfinished business between you. Getting rid of that before you think of moving on with Colt would be a good idea, don’t you think?”

Casey could not dislodge words from her mouth.

Chris, after a longer pause than necessary and a sigh of annoyance, turned to Lucas and Colt. “Lucas, tell us about your relationship with Casey.”

No. Please no. Whatever came out of his mouth was sure to be a fabrication. He had a huge ego and there was nothing he had bragging rights to in their relationship. He had told her more than once in their brief relationship that it was humiliating that she would only kiss him.

Before he even spoke, she met Colt’s eyes, pleading, tapping on her thigh.

L-I-E-S

“Casey’s a firecracker. In and out of the bedroom, if you know what I mean.”

And suddenly, Casey wasn’t scared. Or, she was, but her anger just threw down a trump card.

“I don’t know what you mean,” Casey said, surprised at the strength in her voice.

“What?” Lucas said, a half-smile on his face.

“I don’t know what you mean, since we never had sex. I know—pretty embarrassing for a guy like you whose ego is bigger than his brain. You don’t get to speak for me. Or about me.” She turned to Chris. “I’m sorry I can’t accept this deal, Chris.”

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