Page 76 of Brave Enough (Love In Montana)

He gave me a lazy half smile. The kind that only lifted his lips at one end…and made my lower stomach heat in the most delicious of ways.

“I was waiting for you.”

Chapter Seventeen

HUNTER

What a fucked-up night it had turned out to be. Never mind Travis stuck in my ear nearly the entire night, telling me to enjoy myself, dance more, talk more. I thought these were supposed to be dates on my terms, not the damn producers’. I didn’t want to be in a damn Las Vegas nightclub. I wanted to be in Montana. Alone.

I sighed and pushed a hand through my hair. That was a lie.

I wanted to be with Kipton.

I wanted to watch her smile, hear her laugh, and dance with her again. My feelings for her were growing stronger by the day, and I wasn’t sure how much longer I could do this…pretend my breath didn’t catch every time she walked into a room. Act like my body didn’t come to life when she stood near me or touched me in the slightest way.

“Fuck,” I whispered as I sat down on the end of the bed with Paul sticking a camera in my face.

“You’re on in twenty,” Travis stated.

“Where’s Jack?” I asked.

“He’s taking care of an issue he caused.”

“What kind of issue?”

Travis ignored me. “Five, four…”

I wanted to roll my eyes. Instead, I glanced down at my hands. I did that every single time I was about to do one of these stupid truth things.

The red light was my sign. I looked up and exhaled. “I had fun tonight on the group date, but…it didn’t allow me to get to know any of the girls any better. I’m a simple country boy who would rather get on a horse and ride for an hour with one girl than act like some playboy at a nightclub in Vegas. Other than some dancing and decent drinks, I didn’t get much out of tonight. I vote for no more group dates.” I glanced away, then back at the camera. “And I think it’s time for Sarriah to leave.”

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me! There were no swipes tonight,” Travis growled as I pulled the earpiece out.

I stood and walked out of the bedroom. We were in a penthouse suite, so I walked straight over to the fully stocked bar and poured myself some whiskey. I wasn’t much of a whiskey drinker, but tonight, I would be.

Larry took off the mic while Paul and Louie wrapped things up quickly and started to leave. “You want me to tell them you’ll be down in a bit?” Paul asked.

“Thanks, Paul. I won’t be long.”

He and I had become friends these past few weeks, and I appreciated him giving me the time I needed to get my head back on straight. Travis had wanted me to ride back to Montana in the plane with the girls, and I’d flat-out refused. If we weren’t filming, I wasn’t spending time with any of them. It wasn’t that I didn’t like some of them. I did. Kimber was fun, and someone I could see myself hooking up with if I’d met her outside of the show. I liked Lynn; she was shy, and I had to admit, I found myself wanting to know more about her, but not because I was attracted. She was just a nice person. I could see us being friends.

But none of them were Kipton. None of them made me feel like I was losing my damn mind but…in a good way.

“We need to leave for the airport in about an hour,” Paul reminded me “Make sure you grab something to eat.”

I smiled at him. “Thanks, Dad.”

He shot me the finger and shut the door behind him.

Walking over to the sofa, I sat down and closed my eyes. My mind instantly brought up the image of Kipton in the club, wearing a dress that instantly made everyone else in the place vanish.

She looked so beautiful…but the expression on her face gutted me. She looked disappointed. Hurt. Angry. Hell, maybe all three, I wasn’t even sure.

The night had been painful enough, with me trying to act like I was enjoying myself, Travis yelling in my ear every few seconds, two cameras following my every move. When that damn song started, and the women got less inhibited, I decided to hell with it. Seven beautiful women were trying to get my attention, and what harm was there in having a bit of fun? I knew I wasn’t going to kiss any of them because that was just a dick move. I honestly thought it wasn’t fair to do so when I could only think about kissing one woman.

Kipton.

But by letting my guard down, I’d encouraged them in a way I didn’t intend. And Kipton had to witness women dancing up against me while I wore a stupid smile. I’m sure I appeared to be enjoying it. I wasn’t turned on, but from where Kipton was standing…

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