As I spiraled back to a somewhat vague sense of normalcy—whatever normal was now—he had a dark grin on his face. “There, little prey. I think you’re ready for me. Now, where did I put that condom…?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Travis
At the ranch a few days later, I watched Jadacaligra-fya Date-A-Wolf date card as I bounced my little niece on my shoulders. Although I was still frustrated with how things had ended with Daphne in the cabin, I tried not to snap at my sister. I didn’t want to be a grumpy-ass uncle in front of the girls.
But Jada had the nerve to tell me I was spending too much time with Daphne and that I should give the other women a chance. So, I had to remind her I always made a point to talk to everyone at the various Date-A-Wolf mixers and cocktail parties, to which she said, “Yes, but the whole time, you can’t keep your eyes off of Daphne. It’s like she’s a magnet, you’re a pile of iron shavings, and everyone else is an afterthought.”
Okay, so thisreallyirritated me. And not because she compared me to a pile of anything instead of something manlier like an iron anvil.
“It’s really very simple,” I told her as I trotted my niece around the room, trying my hardest not to use any swearwords. “I don’t have the same feelings about the rest of the women that I have for Daphne.” Jada started to protest, but I stopped her. “Last time I checked,I’mthe Date-A-Wolf bachelor who gets to pick whoIwant to date.”
Jada capped her pen and blew on the date card to dry the ink. “It’s because she’snotlike the others, Travis. That’s literally my point.”
“Who are you dating, Uncle?” my niece asked, resting her chin on the top of my head. It surprised me she even knew what that was, but given all this Date-A-Wolf chatter, Jada must’ve explained it to her at some point. “Is she pretty?”
“Very.”
Daphnedefinitelywasn’t like the others, and despite this ridiculous contest, I had developed real feelings for her. It had started well before the cabin, I just wasn’t ready to admit it then, but I liked who I was around her. Calmer, less chaotic, more grounded. And I liked how she made me see my world in ways I’d never noticed before.
When she’d been in danger, it brought out a side of me I’d never felt, either. The primal urge to protect her, fierce and unyielding, had surged through me—drowning out every pack instinct, every duty—as I raced to get her to safety that night. In fact, I hadn’t even thought of them as my sole focus had been on her.
“You’re right,” I told my sister, setting my niece down who ran off the instant her feet touched the ground. “They’re dating Drake, the character, while she’s dating Travis, the man.”
Jada thought about that for a moment. “So, when Drake played by Travis leaves her after the ceremony and goes back to his life on the set ofSecret Shadows, who’s going to pick up the pieces?”
I tried to tell her I’d never hurt Daphne, but she was having none of it.
“And don’t tell me she won’t remember any of this when sheleaves. That’s cruel.” A pit formed in my gut at the thought of causing Daphne any pain, and my sister continued. “Do you have any idea how she and her fiancé broke up?”
I didn’t.
“He left her at the altar, Travis. She trusted a man, and he let her down in a very spectacular way. So, don’t you dare do that to her too.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Daphne
Isat on the sofa in the drawing room of the hotel with the remaining contestants, camera crew on the periphery. I was trying not to act too depressed, but Sarah didn’t get a charm last night and I missed her already.
Mia jumped to her feet and ran to the mail slot in the door. “It’s a date card. My bet is that someone has a one-on-one tonight.”
There were only four of us left now: Mia, Lauren, Alice and me. Although I wasn’t as friendly with them as I had been with Sarah, they all were nice enough. Mia, however, did have her moments. But if any of them caught wind of what had happened with Travis and me in the cabin, things probably wouldn’t be as cordial. I bit my lip to keep from thinking about how things had ended.
Mia waited until she got the nod from Jada, who stood just off camera. Then she ripped the envelope, like a child opening a big shiny present on Christmas morning. As she held the card up and read it, all the joy and excitement drained from her face.
“What does it say?” asked Lauren.
Mia’s voice was like the edge of a knife. “Roses are red, violets are blue, grab your hiking boots, Daphne. I’ll see you in two.” She tossed the card on the table in front of us. “Good. I hate to hike.”
Travis was taking me hiking?Again? A shot of excitement coursed through me that we were going on our first actual one-on-one. The other night didn’t exactly count. At least, not as far as the contest was concerned.
Alice reached forward and picked up the card. “Whew. ‘Hours’ is in parentheses. I was afraid it was two minutes and I was gonna be like, Girl, you gotta go now!”
Two hours later, Travis and I were strolling through downtown Darkaway, camera crew in tow. As it turned out, I didn’t actually need the hiking boots. That was just for the poem. Comfy walking shoes were all that was required.
I wore tennis shoes, a denim jacket and a handmade dress from a cute store in town that I found during one of my morning pilgrimages to Unholy Grounds. I also brought with me my determination to keep things casual and easy-breezy with Travis.Yeah, good luck with that.
