“What will we need to do to earn that?” There is no way that this is going to be an easy earn, and I need to know what they’re expecting of us.
“Oh, well, that’s the question, isn’t it? Your challenge should arrive soon.” Her Cheshire grin is practically burned into the screen as the TV turns back to the show’s logo.
We’ve barely had time to look at each other before a knock sounds at the door.
“I guess I’d better get that.”
I snag Ariana’s forearm as she tries to pass me. “No, I’ll get it. We don’t know what it is, and if it’s heavy, I don’t want you to have to carry it.”
I’m not particularly muscular, but I am stronger than I look.
She sighs in relief and falls back into her chair.
I rip the door open, blinking against the morning light before registering what I’m looking at.
Chapter Thirty
“And you didn’t lether know that you’ve met me, did you?”
Marlie’s voice is snippy through the phone.“No, I didn’t, and I hated it. I hate lying to her.”
I pull my glasses off and pinch the bridge of my nose. “You agreed that this is one of those times where a little lie is worth it. That it’s better for her not to know what we’re doing. Do you not feel that way anymore?”
“Maybe it’s my guilt over putting her into this situation to begin with.”
Marlie has been beating herself up over applying for the show for Ariana, and, in the process, exposing her to her scent matches, but how would she have known? She was trying to do right by her best friend.
Besides, she’s doing what she can to help me make it so that Ariana never feels trapped with the guys or me.
“It’ll work out. She’ll understand.”
“I just can’t believe she forgave me. I don’t know if she’s going to be able to give me any more leeway.”
I rub my temples. We’ve been going around in circlesabout this for ten minutes, and it’s giving me a headache. I don’t have time to manage her spiral. I have things to do. They’re out of the show tomorrow, and I need to be ready. The movers should be dropping the temporary storage pod off today, and I’ve hired a real estate agent to get the ball rolling on putting our house on the market.
We don’t have a permanent place to live right now, but that’s okay. The vacation rental agreed to let us stay here for three months, and hopefully, by then, we will have figured out our next steps.
It’s too much to hope that Ariana will let us move in with her, but an Alpha can dream.
And after our call last night?
I was so hard I thought I would fall into a rut. Listening to her sweet, breathy sighs as she touched herself to my words? I must’ve gotten off three times since then.
I’m getting hard again just thinking about it, and now isnotthe time.
“Are you still there, Derrick?”
I clear my throat, trying to shake off the dregs of arousal. “Yeah, sorry. Got lost in thought for a second. If Ariana gets upset, blame me. She’s going to need you when she gets back. Especially when the show airs.”
Are we going to have to sequester ourselves entirely so we don’t spoil how the season ends? Or will it be enough to ignore everyone on social media?
After all the episodes air, there is a live reunion show where we sit in front of an audience and talk about our experience.
I hope to have earned her bite by then.
But it’s not going to be easy. Nothing worth having is.
I’ll get there. I’m determined to earn her forgiveness.
