Page 54

“Glad it’s decided it’s all your fault. Now I’ll be able to look Lily in the eye.” She laughs before stopping abruptly, like she said something she shouldn’t have.

“Who’s Lily?” I ask.

Courtney shuts down instantly and I can practically see her rebuilding her walls as fast as she can before she shrugs me off.

“No one. Anyway, I’m gonna go get dressed. Think if I show enough leg, the production staff will show us mercy and keep us on?” She laughs halfheartedly.

I decide to let it slide. Clearly, she doesn’t want to talk about this Lily person, and I know I wouldn’t want anyone prying into my shit.

An amused chuckle escapes me. “Can’t hurt. Pull your tits out too, just for good measure.”

She clicks her tongue and points at me. “Good thinking. Make sure you whip your cock out when the time is right too.”

I shake my head, letting out an amused breath through my nose as Courtney makes her way down the hall. My entire reason for being here flashes in my head. I can’t accept that this is it. There’s still a chance, a small one, that we can stay. That means I’ll be actively rooting for Kiera and Dallas to be eliminated, though.

Not sure why I thought of that like it’s a bad thing. I’m more than happy to do that. She’s been stuck up and rude to everyone in the house since she got here, and he’s kind of a cocky prick.Hopefully, production agrees, or maybe they like the way they have to physically break up Courtney and me. That’s the kind of trashy shit reality TV likes, right?

There’s something ominous in the air tonight. It’s like the ocean got the memo that two people were getting fucked and sent some insane wind as a send-off. All the guys are sitting on the couch when the girls begin walking out one by one, all in nice dresses and heels with their hair and makeup done flawlessly. When I see Courtney, though, I nearly swallow my tongue.

One because fuck, I don’t think she’s ever looked so good. The main reason, though, is because she really said hold my beer to my suggestion. She’s wearing a red minidress that’s so short I can practically see her cervix. Several guys lean forward as if they’re trying to confirm if they can or not. I smack the back of Connor’s head since he’s closest to me, and he quickly sits upright, earning himself a nasty glare from his girl. Courtney’s tits are also out, like so goddamn out I’m wondering where or how her nipples are hiding, there’s that much tit out in this dress.

She’s a gorgeous woman, there’s no doubt about that. She wouldn’t be here if she wasn’t. My God, though. I didn’t realize she was a fucking knockout. If the production team are thinking with their dicks at all, we might actually stand a chance at staying.

Each girl sits by their guy, and when Courtney takes a seat beside me, I whisper into her ear, “When you show up, you really show up.”

She looks at me curiously. “Is that you trying to tell me I look nice?”

“It’s my way of saying you look fuckable. Let’s hope these guys are in the mood,” I say, nodding towards the crew, all ofwhom are having trouble keeping their mouths closed and their eyes off her.

One guy is actually starting to irritate me the way he’s blatantly gawking.

Fucking tool.

Settling my arm around the back of the couch, because I need to stretch obviously, I give the guy a pointed look. He quickly gets the hint and busies himself with some kind of equipment. Shaking my head, I see Alex come up the side stairs, and unease settles inside me as he greets us all.

“You all look stunning as always. Today’s challenge was a testament of some of your bonds, but for some, it was quite themess,” he says, heavy emphasis onmess.

Jesus Christ. Whoever writes this shit for him needs to be fired immediately.

“Kiera and Dallas and Courtney and Landon, can you all join me up here, please?” Alex asks.

Kiera and Dallas stand up, hands held as they cross the patio to Alex. Then Courtney and I stand up, and I reach down to lace our fingers together. She gives me a questioning look, but I nod at her to go with it. Thankfully, she does, and we stand in a line facing the rest of the group. Luna and Shane are looking at us with concern, and even Noah is watching Courtney with his brows pulled together. Like that asshat gives a shit about her.

“The results are in, and two of you are unfortunately going home. Now, it’s time to find out who’s staying locked in… and who’s gettinglocked out.”

Alex waits for several seconds, and I can already imagine the dramatic music they’ll weave into this moment in editing. I keep my head held high and my posture straight as I mentally prepare myself for either scenario, though I’m praying to any and every god willing to listen to let us pass this time. Cut us this break and… well, shit, I don’t have much to offer, ifI’m honest. So I guess all I’m hoping for is a little bit of luck. Something I’ve never really come by, unfortunately.

Courtney is practically shaking, and I can feel her pulse thundering even through her hand. She looks to me as I glance at her, and we both nod at the same time. Not sure what either of us mean by it, but it brings me a small amount of peace, or something like it, when Alex speaks again.

“And the couple who’ll be going home is…”

Chapter Twenty

Courtney

My heart is jackhammering out of my chest. I can’t handle the suspense and the unknown any longer. If Alex doesn’t spit it out quick, I’m going to throw up all over the place. That will for sure get us voted off.

“And the couple who’ll be going home is…” Alex starts, holding for an annoyingly long time before finally speaking again.