Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 75770 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75770 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
“Getting nosy are we, Em?” she says with a playful splash of water my way.
But I don’t back down. “Can you blame me? We won the cook-off together, and I’m just curious.”
She looks at me for a moment, sighs, and then runs her fingers through her wet hair. “All right, Emily. I’ll tell you why.” She takes a deep breath and moves her hands from her hair into the water, twirling her fingers among the bubbles. “This whole event is… Well… It’s kind of twisted, isn’t it?”
She’s far from wrong. In fact, I agree with her, so I nod, my curiosity piqued.
“No more twisted than a reality TV show where one woman or one man is expected to find his soulmate among a sea of potential matches,” Heather says, rolling her eyes. “But I’m wondering as well, Misty. You basically told Sienna that River was yours, and the rest of us should keep our hands off.” Then she smiles slyly. “Not that we listened to you.”
Jealousy twists in my gut once again. Yes, Heather and River had something. I know nothing more. I should not care.
I do not care, damn it.
Misty goes rigid.
Aha! She does still want River. So why did she choose Brett then?
“I chose Brett,” she begins slowly, looking down at her submerged hands, “because I… I screwed up with River.”
Her admission is like a small bomb going off in the hot tub. Heather’s eyes widen. June sits back and sips her champagne, a questioning look on her pretty face. I swallow hard, trying to hide my surprise.
“Screwed up how?” Heather blurts out. “You ended up in my suite that night, saying River did something to you, that he wanted you to leave. But surprise, Misty, you’re still here.”
Misty gives Heather a look that could freeze boiling water. And maybe she has that power, because Heather recoils slightly under her gaze.
“That,” Misty says distinctly, “is none of your business.”
“But you brought it up!” Heather protests.
Misty shakes her head. “I’ve said enough for one night.” She rises from the hot tub in a swirl of steam, droplets of water cascading over her taut body.
Heather, June, and I watch in silence as she grabs a towel and wraps herself in it, her gaze icy as she eyes us before she walks off toward the changing area.
“What the hell did she do?” June wonders out loud.
I simply shrug.
I’m not sure what Misty did during the date she had with River last night, but whatever it was, it drove him into my bed. Not that I’m complaining.
I rise from the tub and grab another towel.
“You just got here,” Heather says. “Where are you off to now?”
I look Heather in her dark blue eyes. “I’m not letting her get away with this. She owes us all an explanation after basically forbidding us to go near River.” I glance at Heather and say dryly, “Not that you listened.”
Her blue eyes sparkle. “He’s a hottie for sure, but to be honest, I’m not sure he’s my type.”
My heart shouldn’t soar at that admission. River’s far from my type as well, and he certainly can’t fulfill the needs that drove me to this event.
I draw in a breath. “Ta, ladies. Enjoy yourselves.”
“We will.” Heather giggles as she tweaks June’s left nipple.
Seems I may be a third wheel after all. Good riddance to the Brit. I walk toward the changing area.
Misty is going to get real with me if I have to force it out of her. After demanding that I sabotage the others during the cook-off—which I’m not actually sure I did—she owes me that much.
I find her buttoning up her denim shorts, her lips pressed into a tight line as she avoids my gaze. The dim lights cast long shadows over her figure. I lean against the door frame, waiting for her to acknowledge my presence. Her movements are slow and deliberate, as though she’s working up the courage to face me.
“Misty,” I say in a low voice, testing the waters.
She doesn’t respond but continues to get dressed. A tension hangs between us, like a thin veil waiting for a harsh word to cut through it. No time like the present…
“What happened with River?” I ask bluntly.
Her hands falter on a button of her shirt before she regains her composure and fastens it with a sigh. She turns around to face me. Her eyes are guarded, but behind them, I see an uncertainty that matches my own.
And I hate with a vengeance that I’m feeling uncertain. Uncertain about the feelings I’m developing for a man who won’t be able to give me what I need. What I came here for.
But the uncertainty in Misty’s blue eyes morphs into something dangerous. Something almost lethal.
“I may have screwed up with River, and I may have, on a whim, chosen Brett for my date, but make no mistake about it, Emily. I will have River Barrett. I’ll do anything to make that happen.” She pauses a moment, narrowing her eyes. “And I mean anything.”