I was so confused. And not because he’d slightly changed the wording of that catchphrase. “But I thought I was done tonight. I’m not supposed to be moving on,” I whispered.
“There’s been a change in plans,” he said through gritted teeth.
“But Jada said?—”
“I don’t give a shit what my sister told you,” he snapped, shooting a withering glare off camera to his right. “This is my decision and mine only. Not hers.”
What the— Jada was his sister? His own sister created...this?
She groaned from the wings. “Travis, please. We’re rolling.”
“Then cut and edit the footage later,” Travis replied. His expression softened when he turned back to me and held out the charm. “May I?”
I clasped my hands behind my back, moving the bracelet out of his reach.
Not so fast, buddy.
I wasn’t about to let him off the hook and fawn at his feet. I didn’t care that he was a fancy movie-star and always got his way.
“You were a real jerk back there at the first-meet. And you showed zero interest in me during the cocktail party, basically giving me the cold shoulder. You’re bad boyfriend material, Travis, and I deserve better than that.” I cringed inwardly at the wordboyfriend, but this was Date-A-Wolf, and I wasn’t about to pussyfoot around. “Why in the world would I want to date someone like you?”
I lifted my chin and steeled my spine, expecting him to react poorly. After all, no one likes to be called out for being bad at something. Particularly a man when you’re talking about his dating prowess. They think they’re hot shit and hate it when you point out they’re not.
I was surprised when Travis threw his head back and howled with laughter.
“What? So, you’re mocking me now?” I seethed. “Like this is some sort of game to you?” Which it was, but that was beside the point.
“Not at all. I’m sorry, Daphne,” he said, wiping his eyes. “Really. You’re absolutely correct.”
He said it with such sincerity, but he was an actor, so I wasn’t sure if I trusted that assessment. He couldn’treallybe agreeing that he was bad boyfriend material. Could he? It wouldbe a strange admission for someone who was the prize in a dating contest.
Travis pulled me away from the cameras and prying eyes, which I really appreciated, then turned to face me on the other side of a nearby potted palm. “Listen, Daphne. You were the last person I expected to see paraded in front of me tonight. Especially after what happened at the hospital with you not being ITK.”
That sounded like a personality test—INFP? ESTJ? I’d taken plenty of online quizzes, but that acronym didn’t ring a bell. Why would he be bringing it up now? “ITK?”
“In The Know. A human who knows about the supernatural world and creature folk. I realized at the hospital that you were clueless.”
I bristled. I didn’t appreciate his word choice.
“I figured this was a mistake—or someone’s idea of a joke. And to be perfectly honest, I wasn’t sure how to handle the whole cocktail-and-mingling thing. It was so...awkward and confusing.” He swallowed hard before continuing. “Jada said you wanted to go home, so I was trying to respect that and focus on getting to know the other women instead. But I shouldn’t have flat-out ignored you. It was a dick move on my part.”
I couldn’t argue with that.
An angry glint flared in his eyes, and I was glad it wasn’t directed at me. “I’m so pissed at my sister. None of this—” he spread his arms wide “—should have happened to you. It wasn’t fair or right for her to put you in this situation.”
We were in agreement there too. “Then why are you choosing me? Why not just let me go?”
“Let you go?” He frowned, as if the idea was preposterous to him. “Because I want you to stay.”
One minute he couldn’t stand that I was in the contest andnow he wanted me to continue? His sudden reversal was giving me a serious case of whiplash.
“I don’t know how it works in your world, Travis, but in mine, dating is a two-way street. What ifIdon’t want to stay?”
He looked taken aback. As if he couldn’t fathom someone not wanting to date him—a hot-as-hell, famous celebrity, desired by women everywhere.
“Fair enough,” he said, squaring his shoulders as if he thought I might punch him. “You’re absolutely correct.” Then he looked at me—reallylooked at me, as if peering through the shadows around my heart. “But I really wish you would.”
I’d like to say that I weighed my options carefully, that I assessed the pros and cons with a calm and rational mind. Rewarding bad behavior was never a good thing. It ensured you’d get more of the same.
