Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
tyler
PRESENT DAY
What the fuck just happened?
Tyler spins in time to catch one more sight of Winnie before she disappears through the mansion door.
He groans at the flash of her fully exposed back in that ridiculously sexy red dress and shakes his head, still not entirely sure if all of this is happening in his own mind.
Because that’s what it feels like—a wild dream.
There’s no way Winnie is actually here. No way she just kissed him.
He’s got to be hallucinating. It’s the only explanation.
Any moment now, he’s bound to wake up. But until then—
I need to talk to her.
Tyler snaps out of the daze and charges toward the door. Keith Holson steps smoothly into his path with a toothy grin. “Well, she’s a woman of few words, isn’t she?”
Five years of media training has taught him exactly what he should do.
Stop. Answer the man’s question. Take a moment to catch his breath.
Figure out a plan. He can practically hear his agent’s voice in the back of his head.
Don’t be an idiot. Calm the fuck down. You have about a hundred pounds on this guy, and if you murder him, we’re definitely going to lose a shit ton of money.
On the other hand…
Winnie.
He holds himself back—barely—and brushes Keith aside with a gentle yet firm swipe. The man’s shouts follow him into the mansion.
“We need to film the entrance! There’s a speech! Protocols!”
Screw your protocols, you assholes, springing her on me like that.
On some level, he knows he’s feeding into their plan as cameramen rush to follow him and producers scramble around the edges of the room. They’re practically salivating at the overreaction, capturing every second for the entire world to dissect.
He can’t bring himself to care.
Women in ball gowns snap their heads in his direction, excited at first, then confused as he sprints past them in search of that red dress he couldn’t burn from his thoughts if he tried. And he’s not trying.
Where the hell did she go?
She was thirty seconds ahead of him, a minute tops.
A flash of crimson catches his eye.
Tyler charges through the door, then screeches to a halt.
He grabs the frame to steady himself. She’s silhouetted by a roaring fire, her every curve illuminated by the flames, so beautiful it hurts.
That deep, familiar pain sharpens in his gut as he studies the arch of her spine, itching to sink his fingers beneath the hem of her gown, slide them over her waist, and pull her against him.
She spins as if he spoke those silent desires aloud, the awareness in her eyes quickly snuffed by bright panic.
She wrings her hands, then dips her chin.
The floor suddenly becomes the most interesting thing in the world, judging by how hard she’s staring at it.
A lock of black hair falls out of place and she hastily tucks it behind her ear, tossing him a quick glance. “Hey, Ty.”
Hey, Ty, he thinks. HEY, TY!?
As if it’s just another Tuesday at the Rusu house. As if she didn’t just show up out of the blue, kiss him, and turn his world completely upside down.
While he struggles to formulate a response, floorboards creak and heels click on wood, a reminder that they are so far from alone it’s laughable.
Thirty women wait for him in the other room.
An entire crew of people stares at them.
Cameras record, ready to share the most intimate moment of his entire life with millions.
Now is not the time to be having this conversation.
But now is all he’s got.
“We need to talk,” he says gruffly and closes the distance between them.
Patio lights shine through a glass door.
He takes her hand and guides her outside into the warm California night.
Stars twinkle overhead. A private cabana surrounded by lush foliage rests ten feet away, as if sent by the heavens in his time of need.
More likely, it was set up by production just in case this exact moment came to pass.
A Trojan horse. A trap. That thing is probably more wired up than a CIA interrogation room, but it’s the best he can do.
At least I can pretend we’re alone.
Tyler holds one of the billowing curtains to the side and guides Winnie inside to sit. His fingertips burn where they brush her skin. It takes all his self-control to pull back.
Soft chirping fills the silence. They both burst at once.
“What are—”
“Ty, I—”
Two deep breaths. Two pauses.
“I—”
“You—”
Tyler laughs under his breath. Winnie rolls her eyes. Unspoken comfort permeates the air as they both seem to remember at once that they’ve been friends most of their lives.
“Just be quiet for a minute,” she orders. “You’re usually really good at that.”
He snorts, but acquiesces. She’s adorable when she’s so demanding. It’s always been his favorite side to her. She’s usually so timid with people. Seeing the sass she so often keeps hidden makes him feel like one of the chosen few.
“I had this whole speech prepared, and I was going to tell you before, but then, well, it doesn’t matter.
What I was going to say is— What I’ve been trying to tell you for years is— Actually, what I’ve been trying to ignore for years is— God, I just have to spit it out.
I just have to finally say it.” She stops, takes a deep breath, and turns the full force of her penetrating hazel eyes on him. “I’m in love with you.”
Tyler sucks in a sharp breath.
He’s in complete shock, but not in the way she must read. Not in surprise. Not as if this is coming out of the blue. More as if he’s been dreaming of it for so long, he can’t actually comprehend that it’s real.
Winnie loves him.
Winnie loves him.
“When?” he asks, the word slipping out unbidden as the years roll over him.
He almost hopes she says it’s brand new, that being selected for the show made her feel differently, because he can’t stand the waste.
All that time pining and wishing and hoping, when he could have been with her if he only just spoke up.
“Since I was thirteen.” She laughs in a self-deprecating way that he hates and rolls her eyes. “You remember that day with the frog—”
“And Liam Reyes,” he interrupts, practically growling the name. Her eyes widen just a bit, as if she’s amazed he remembers. But of course, he remembers. When it comes to Winnie, he remembers everything.
“Yes, and Liam. That was the first time I felt different around you, the first time I got that flutter deep in my gut. And maybe I’m still that silly thirteen-year-old pining after her brother’s best friend.
Maybe none of this is real. Maybe it’s just some schoolgirl crush I never grew out of.
Maybe we’d be horrible for each other. I have no idea.
I just know I can’t pretend anymore. I need to know how you feel.
Because if you don’t feel the same way, I get it.
Trust me, Ty. I understand. And I’m not asking you to do anything you don’t want to do.
If all you’ll ever see me as is Alex’s little sister, that’s fine.
I’ll move on. But if there’s even a chance you could maybe see me as something more, we owe it to ourselves to explore that, don’t you think?
And I know this isn’t really the ideal time—you starring in a reality dating show, and me competing with thirty other girls to win your heart—but I couldn’t sit by and watch you fall in love with someone else, when maybe, just maybe, you could be falling in love with me instead. ”
He doesn’t need to fall in love with her.
He’s already there.
Head over heels, tumbling into the abyss, stomach in his throat, gone for her.
The only difference is that now, for the first time, he feels as if maybe there’s a safe place to land.
All the questions that once held him back are still there.
Will Alex forgive me? Will Alexandru? Will they feel betrayed?
Will I lose them all? He can’t bring himself to care.
Not when she’s sitting there, staring at him as though he has the power to fulfill her every desire.
Maybe they won’t work in the real world.
Maybe he will lose the only stable home he’s ever known.
Maybe they aren’t meant to be.
But what if they are?
“Winnie, I—” He stops a moment to catch his breath and takes her by the hand, weaving their fingers together.
He’s not sure what to say, how to begin.
His heart races a thousand miles ahead of his brain.
In situations like this, it’s especially difficult for him to find the words.
The wires disconnect. Everything fires on overload.
He knows exactly how he feels, how he’s always felt, but saying it out loud is another thing entirely.
“One date, Ty,” Winnie murmurs, a hint of desperation in her tone as the light in her eyes dims. “One chance, and I dare you not to fall in love with me, too.”
She doesn’t need to ask.
She doesn’t need to dare.
She’s misreading everything, because for Winnie, the words have always been the easiest part.
They come fast and free, rambling and disorderly at times, but always there.
They never fail her. They never fall silent.
He knows her well enough to understand that words have always been her beacon in the dark, but to him, they’re the monster under the bed, a foe he can’t wrangle to the ground no matter how hard he tries, an enemy he doesn’t know how to tame.
He curses himself and his fucked-up head.
“No, Winnie, you don’t—”
A small cough interrupts. A beautiful blonde woman brushes the curtain to the side and invades their space. He recognizes her. He should remember her name. In any other instance, she’s the sort to stop traffic. Tyler couldn’t care less.
He turns back to Winnie.
She’s staring at the intruder.
“Do you mind if I steal him?”
Winnie jumps to her feet as if it’s the escape she’s been looking for and hastily mutters, “Yeah. Of course.”