Page 74 of The Billionaire Love Match

He stepped up on the dais, taking her hand and kissing it, but there was something missing in his lips and in his eyes. Underneath the don’t-care exterior, he seemed to seethe with anger.

“Casey,” he said.

“Colt.”

Despite everything she now knew and her decision not to cry and not to care, Casey felt all her defenses stepping away from their positions around her heart. She cared deeply for this man. He was hurting. She could sense that hurt paired up with the anger in a dangerous cocktail, all covered by his too-casual look. What was going on?

H-I, she tapped out on his palm.

He did not respond and that’s when she felt a cold hand grasp her heart and squeeze.

“Casey,” he started, and she steeled herself for what was coming. Make it quick, Lord. Quick and painless. “We’ve had some good times. Crazy times, but good. Mostly we have this insane physical chemistry. I can see what Lucas saw in you.”

Her eyes filled at Lucas’ name, which was tossed like a grenade in her lap. So much for painless.

“Hey,” she said. “Why are you—”

He held up a hand. “Can I finish? Thank you. We have great physical chemistry, but that’s where it ends, unfortunately. That became clear the other night when we had our one-on-one time. We have nothing else in common. No soul chemistry.”

He must know about the money.

That’s all Casey could think about to explain the barbed words he was using. The shift from the other night to now.

He wasn’t just being casual, but casually cruel.

“There have also been some red flags throughout the relationship—how you didn’t get along with the other girls in the house, the way you seemed to be attracted to other guys, how you seemed to manipulate situations to get more time with me.”

Casey could not speak and just stared at Colt. She wanted to be angry, but could not access anger. Instead, she felt like a bruise. Everything tender and aching.

“So, I’m sorry. I don’t feel that you’re my Potential Love Match. Now, if you’ll excuse me, there’s someone else I need to see,” he said.

Tessa. Or—Anastasia. Was she telling the truth that he was wrapped around her finger? Was he going to propose to that actress and let her bleed him dry? No matter how mean Colt was to her, she couldn’t let him walk into that without warning.

“Colt, wait,” she said, pulling his hand back as he tried to walk away.

A-C-T-R-E-S-S, she spelled out on his hand. Then, T-E-

He jerked away. His casual mask was gone. Now he just looked furious. “Goodbye, Casey.”

Too late, she realized that starting with Tessa’s name would have been better. Now he thought Casey was an actress. On top of the money hungry girl, or whatever he thought.

“Colt!” she called out. She felt like a fool, but then, that’s what she had been on this whole show? Foolish.

Colt walked away without so much as a glance, leaving Casey standing alone with the beautiful view, feeling emptier than she had ever been.

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