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“It’s a lot,” Ryland mutters, for the first time seeming like all of this is sinking in.
“Excuse me, Verity?” a quiet male voice interrupts. I turn and find a mouse of a male has waltzed in behind us. “I’ve been told to show you to your room. Since we were expecting two females, we didn’t make the proper arrangements and your companion will room with you. Is that all right?” He barely gets the last word out without a squeak.
“No problem at all,” I reassure, then put my foot in my mouth. “Ryland and I have slept together hundreds of times.” Instantly, I want to reach inside my skull and sucker punch my brain for making my mouth move before it caught up.
Ryland is a damn traitor and bursts out laughing at my horror. The man who came to escort us has wide eyes and red-tinted cheeks. The cameraman trailing behind me seems way too happy with himself. Why hasn’t it dawned on me that the employees are likely paid to stir up as much gossip as possible? So far, everything seems to be geared to extract the most drama possible, so of course the staff wouldn’t be any different. Real smart, Verity.
The laughter continues as Ryland bends over, hands on his knees, his scent taking on a sweeter note, as if champagne is popping on my tongue. He’s having trouble breathing, and I don’t have a shred of sympathy for him. “Oh, shit, Ver. You have such a talent for putting your foot in your mouth. She didn’t mean it that way, I swear,” he says in my defense. But it’s too little, too late.
Crossing my arms, I focus my narrowed gaze on the mousy butler. The beta’s scent of raspberry tickles my nose. “Are you telling me there aren’t any extra rooms in this mansion, when I know for a fact there are ten omega suites and space for a hundred alphas?”
I’m not upset with sharing my space with Ryland at all—I’m actually glad about it—but the image of purity seems to be more prudent than ever. “Omega suites must go through extensive cleaning to remove all prior scents, which is quite costly, and it wouldn’t be the safest idea to put him with the alphas. I simply follow the instructions I’m given, miss.”
“Fine. Lead the way,” I grumble, motioning for him to walk. The sooner I get to my room, the sooner I can finally have a moment’s peace to process everything. It feels like I’ve lived ten lifetimes, but it’s only been a day.
Fuck. This will be a long three months.
Ryland’s giggles finally grow quiet, and I know he isn’t done with the topic. As soon as we’re alone, he’s going to tease me mercilessly for it. We finally make it to the room we’re staying in, and the mousy man leaves us at the door, right after he lets us know two trays of food will be delivered shortly and reminds me of the golden pull rope to use if I need anything.
I’m not sure what I expected to find when entering the suite. It’s not like they show the bedrooms on camera, it’s one of the few areas I’ve never seen on the show. At least that I know of.
As I’m searching every nook and cranny with my eyes, a thought suddenly occurs to me. With how huge this place is, I suppose there could be other areas where the cameras don’t go. And now that I’m thinking about it… a lot of the cameras have to be hidden in the common areas—out of sight, out of mind. My breathing begins to quicken. Are they watching us right now?
Ryland notices the shift in my pheromones. Planting a hand on my shoulder, he turns me toward him, gripping both sides of my face. “Ver Bear. Deep breaths. What’s going on? I can tell you’re freaking out on me all of a sudden.” His jade eyes suck me in, offering a calm place for me to lose myself, and I follow his lead on taking deep breaths. In and out. In and out.
“Sorry,” I offer after a few more exhales. “My thoughts started to spiral thinking about how many cameras are hidden in the common areas, and how they caught me saying we’ve slept together a hundred times.” He smiles at the memory, but I can tell he knows there’s more. “And I can’t help but wonder if there’s a possibility they have cameras in the room, even if we’ve never seen any footage recorded in there on the show. Who knows, I’m the only omega this year. They might feel like they need the extra footage or something.”
His eyes go wide, probably thinking of the same implications as I am. “Don’t worry, Ver, I’ll go take a look and make sure there aren’t any hidden. Okay?” His champagne scent wraps around me in a calming embrace, further serving to soothe my nerves.
I give him a weak nod. “Thanks, Ry. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
The big smile I always find reassuring splits his face, and he gives me a nudge with his shoulder. “You would have marched in there like a boss and searched for yourself, then you would have thrown anything that isn’t bolted down demanding for them to bring your best friend here, because to hell with the idea of doing this without him.” He gives me a wink and enters the room.
While I wait, I can’t help but wish I had my phone. I can vividly picture it laying on the bedroll where I left it in my tent, right next to the Kindle I dropped when I heard the enforcers calling my name. It would have been nice if Andrik let me go back for my stuff. Stupid ceremony. I don’t even have a way to contact my parents. I bet they are pissed as fuck with me right now. Probably thankful to finally know where I’m at and that I’m safe.
Ryland finishes searching the room and swings the bedroom door open. “Your suite, my lady,” he announces with a sweep of his arm and a dramatic bow, “is bug free. You can run around in your panties and have all the pillow fights your heart desires.” I move to push past him, but he catches me around the waist and swings me around. We burst into laughter. Damn, do we have a blast together.
There’s a snick of the door closing behind us, and my steps come to a halt. I have to give props to Heat Paradise and whoever they got to do their decorating. There’s something about the room that instantly puts me at ease. Maybe it’s the low lighting combined with the fairy lights twinkling around the room, or the purple accents here and there, but I’m finally able to take a deep breath.
The suite is huge, almost the size of a small house. There’s a comfortable lounge area with a couch holding several pillows sitting in front of a giant TV that makes me want to cuddle up and watch something with Ry. There’s also the biggest bed I’ve ever seen, complete with several blankets folded on the end. That’s enough to pique the interest of the omega in me. I’m a sucker for fluffy blankets. Although, I’m not sure why they need such a huge bed in here, but I’m not about to complain when I’m fixing to share it with my bestie.
Off to the side are a couple of doors, and as I eye them, Ryland chuckles under his breath. “You want to go explore right now, don’t you?”
I’m already making my way to the doors before he even finishes asking. “Don’t you?” I throw over my shoulder. The first one goes to a closet that has a few articles of clothing already hanging, but compared to the size of the room, it’s disappointing. I wonder if they are going to bring more clothes on the flight bringing the contestants, or if perhaps this isn’t where they are keeping my wardrobe. Rosey seems like the type to control every aspect of her job. I suppose I’ll find out for sure tomorrow, especially considering it’s mostly night clothes. Several lacy ones capture my eye and I bite my lip, sparing a glance at Ry to see if he’s noticed them as well.
His gaze lifts from their direction, and a smirk tilts his lips. Mischief plays in his eyes and I can feel my cheeks heat. Wanting to avoid whatever thoughts he has, I turn abruptly and move on to the next door.
I find a bathroom, and the excited shriek I let out has Ryland rushing to make sure I’m okay. The bathroom is enormous, it’s honestly a dream. The shower has multiple heads jutting out in all directions, and glass walls. There’s also a giant tub. Alongside it are jars filled with all kinds of salts and bath bombs. Everything an omega needs to pamper herself.
“Great. There will never be hot water when I need to shower,” Ryland grumbles. “Speaking of, you should probably take one.” He moves to my side and runs a thumb against my neck. “You still have mud on you.”
“Fuck. Really? I thought I got it all. Why didn’t you say anything earlier?” I accuse him. He only smiles at me, and my skin heats under his touch. It’s starting to wake up those butterflies again. I can’t help but think something has shifted between us with the question asked during the interview on the plane.
Needing some space, I push him on the shoulder. “Get out, perv. Let me shower and we can settle for the night.”
He gives me a panty melting smirk before shutting the door behind him. Shit! What’s going on with me? Ry and I have always had a sort of push and pull, but things feel different. More real. More heated.
I don’t waste any time getting undressed, but I hesitate before stepping into the shower, a twinge of regret at knowing I’ll wash away the alphas’ scents. The rainfall head feels amazing, and I lose myself in the heat surrounding me. How the fuck did my life change so drastically in such a short amount of time? At least I have Ry here with me, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to survive what’s coming.
