Page 7 of The Billionaire Love Match

Of course he was.

He had changed out of his bloody T-shirt and into a suit, but his eye looked even worse, puffy and starting to bruise. He grinned and waved to the audience, then blew kisses to the women, who shrieked even more. As his eyes passed over the group, Casey caught a flicker of something when he saw her. His smile dimmed and his eyes seemed to darken. Or was she imagining it? Because the next moment he was back to being Mr. Casual—flashing that easy and gorgeous smile.

Casey felt her stomach turn and was hit with a wave of dizziness. She had to make it through this. It couldn’t be harder than the Army. She tried to channel her dad, who was her hero. Injured in the Vietnam war, he had walked with a limp ever since, but never complained. He was simply glad to have served his country, even if he didn’t particularly support that war. Whenever she was struggling with something that was physically or emotionally exhausting, she tried to think about him making it through basic training. Which was a ridiculous comparison, since this was a dating show, not service for her country. Still, channeling her dad made her feel stronger and more sure of herself.

She realized suddenly that she had hardly given a thought to what her parents would say about this. They already thought she was crazy for moving to LA to be a writer, working in coffee shops for barely enough to cover her expenses. They gave her lots of encouragement and support, but also hinted that she could come home to Houston anytime she wanted. What would they say about her being on this show?

Maybe she still wouldn’t be. Only an hour or so before, she had gotten the billionaire bachelor clocked in the men’s bathroom. No way he’d pick her. Then again, that kiss...

Casey felt all melty and starry-eyed just thinking about it. She didn’t have to worry about locking her knees when she thought about that kiss. They practically went slack.

“So, tell us Colton—can I call you Colt?”

Mr. Casual ran a hand through his hair. “I prefer Colt,” he said, flashing a sexy grin. A few of the girls whistled.

“Tell us how you got that wicked shiner. Save any lives lately?”

Colt ducked his head, looking almost shy for a moment. When he looked up, it was right at Casey. “I’ll just say that I was in the right place at the right time. This—” He pointed to his face. “—was totally worth it. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

Again he seemed to look right at Casey, whose heart felt like it was going to explode right out of her chest. But was he looking at her? The other women seemed excited any time he looked over, so maybe he was just looking at the whole group. Only one way to find out.

I’m sorry, she mouthed to him, grinning. His eyebrows shot up, then he regained his Mr. Casual composure and looked away.

He was thinking about her. Getting punched by Lucas was worth it to him. He would do it again. Casey felt positively giddy. Suddenly she realized with shock exactly how much she wanted him to pick her. But what if he didn’t? Casey knew without hesitation that if he did not, she would break the one rule she had made for herself—she would not be able to hold back the tears.

Right on cue, Chris Haversham was going over the way the show would work. Tonight, Colt would pick fifteen of the thirty girls just based on a mix of their profiles and their looks. Until tonight, he only had access to the spreadsheets that did all the matchmaking, picking compatibility and rating each girl. He could use those scores or their looks or a mix of both. Either way, half the women would be sent home. If he called your name, he would light a candle (with a match, of course) and hand it to you.

Where you were supposed to hold it without setting your hair and dress on fire, Casey thought. She wished that she was watching with Amanda at home. She knew exactly what her best friend would say. Both of them would be rolling their eyes and making gagging noises at this. But Colt seemed to be taking this all very seriously. Chemistry between them or no, Casey didn’t know if she could handle a guy who thought this sounded like fun.

“Are you ready to get started?” Chris Haversham asked Colt.

He took a deep and dramatic breath. “This is going to be hard, but yes.” He took a step closer to the women, pacing in front of them, rubbing the back of his neck with the hand that wasn’t holding the microphone. Stopping in front of them, he looked from one side to the other. Casey’s heart hammered in her chest. Her armpits were sweating and she kept her arms stiffly at her side. Black should hide it, but she didn’t want sweaty pits showing on live TV.

“I can’t pick everyone,” he said. “But know that if you are not picked, it isn’t because you aren’t beautiful. Or special. I’m choosing based on who I think I could have a real connection with. Something lasting and true.”

With this last sentence, his eyes rested on Casey. She knew she wasn’t imagining it this time because he was standing so close. His eyes looked sad. She felt like there was a message in their depths, something he was trying to tell her. But then he turned and was crossing back over to the table with the candles. What was he trying to tell her? That he too felt the connection and it was more than a TV show? Again, dizziness washed over Casey. Hopefully it would end soon.

But the choosing dragged out. Casey could recognize that it only felt slow to her. To the audience in the room, they didn’t need to hold up signs anymore. Everyone cheered and whistled and said aww whenever he asked another woman to consider being his Potential Love Match. Carefully he would light one of those tall, real wood matches, lit and burning. Dramatic...but with every handoff she feared a woman’s hair would also go up in flames.

With every handoff, Casey also felt worse. Physically, she was weak with hunger and emotionally, she felt like she might vomit as Colt picked woman after woman. Her friend in the purple dress was chosen and gave Casey’s hand a quick squeeze before she crossed the stage to stand smiling before Colt.

Most of them gave him a kiss on the cheek or a hug, which was awkward with the whole lit flame aspect, but no one caught fire yet. One woman with amazing blond hair and a killer body grabbed Colt and kissed him right on the mouth.

Hussy!Casey thought as her stomach lurched and the audience whistled and cheered. Colt stiffened, then relaxed into the kiss before pulling back and smiling.

Just as he had with Casey in the bathroom.

So maybe it wasn’t a connection they felt earlier. Or it was only one-way. She had to hand it to him—he was a great actor. Casey waffled between feeling angry and heartbroken and—still—a tiny bit hopeful. She wished she could shut down that hopeful part. But she simply was an optimist. Trying to be a realist or be cynical about this whole, stupid thing wasn’t helping her a bit.

Finally there was only one match left.

Casey’s mouth felt dry. Chris Haversham stepped closer to Colt and put a hand on his shoulder. Colt looked mournfully down at his shoes. Casey noticed for the first time that they were Vans, just like the shoes she wore to work at the coffee shop.

Who cares! Millions of people have those shoes, Casey told herself. She had to stop thinking everything was a sign. Show or no show, this could not work with him. Not ever.

“Are you ready to give out the final candle to your Potential Love Match?” Chris asked Colt.

“I’m not sure,” Colt said. The audience gasped. Casey wanted to stride across the stage and punch the other side of his face. He just needed to pick someone. Now. Whether it was her or not, Casey got the very clear feeling all of the sudden that it didn’t matter. This would never work out. Her with a billionaire? They called him a bad boy. What was that all about? She didn’t follow celebrity gossip, but Amanda did. Casey wished she could text her right now.

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