Page 107 of House of Deceit

“Where did he go?” he asks, frowning down at me.

Choking back tears, my emotions all over the place tonight, I tell him everything.

“Okay,” he says wrapping me in his arms. “I’m not going to ask about it anymore because there’s still a lot of night left before you can leave, but just know, the offer to kick his ass is still on the table.”

“Parker,” I pull back, looking up at him, “I just want you to know I’m so glad I met you. I’m always here, anything you need.”

“I thought this show would change me, but really it was you,” he tucks my hair behind my ear and the touch is nice. “I’m ready to take a step forward in my life and I couldn’t do it without your friendship.”

With a final hug, he leads me back to where Courtney leans against the bar, talking to a member of production.

I feel eyes on me as I make my way through the crowd. I guess being watched doesn’t stop at the threshold of the mansion.

The hotel room door has barely closed before Courtney is on me.

“Tell me,” she demands, but I take my time.

On the desk is the itinerary for my day of interviews following my win. Skimming over it, I notice I have to be awake in two hours for my cross-country flight. I strip out of the sparkle dress, buying myself time, excited to get the itchy fabric away from my skin.

“Tell you what?” I pause at the footie pajamas in my bag, my hand hovering in the air, before I grab the pajamas I wore at the beginning of the competition.

“Don’t play dumb with me. What happened in that house, Charles?”

“More than I have the time or desire to tell you right now.”

“Okay, answer me this then. Did he hurt you?”

“There was definitely some spanking involved, if that’s what you mean,” I say, trying to avoid the real question.

She snorts a laugh and levels a finger at me.

“You’re not diverting my attention with your sexcapades. What happened?”

I roll my eyes at my best friend who will never let this go. “I fell in love with him, Court, and he used me.”

Her eyes soften. Out of everything in the past forty-eight hours, this is what causes the damn to break. Tears come out in a flood, even after I swore not to cry over this man again.

“The wrangler? What did he get out of it?”

“His dream.”

“Okay. Charlotte, serious voice, serious moment.” She moves me to the bed, sitting us down without removing her arm from around my shoulders. “I am telling you, with a hundred percent certainty, he did not do it for the game. That man is so desperately in love with you, he probably didn’t know what to do about it with the game coming to an end.”

“No, he has been working toward that goal for ten years. I was just his ticket in.”

“Charles, did you notice neither Parker nor Jayden had friends or family here?”

I dry my eyes looking at her.

“What?

“I wasn’t supposed to tell you this, but Alec called me. He told me that he had to leave, but he didn’t want you to not have someone here to celebrate with in case you won. Or lost, really. He bought my plane ticket. He arranged everything.”

I feel my mouth drop open at this revelation.

“He called you?”

“I’ve had a ticket since the end of week ten. I’m telling you, that man loves you. I don’t care what else he’s done, he loves you.”

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