Page 31 of So I Fell for Bigfoot

“Lars is safe. He’s under twenty-four-hour surveillance. You saw his digs today, even though you weren’t supposed to be in there, you naughty girl.”

“I couldn’t resist.”

I leaned forward. “Tell us what it was like to see him again.”

“Incredible. You know, I could sympathize with what Armand said about forgetting what things looked like, but not the feeling. Because sometimes I wonder if I’m remembering things right. As you know, I have a pretty good imagination.” She giggled. Good. These mudslides were just what the doctor ordered after that night out. She took another sip and closed her eyes for a long blink. “But the feeling of being in Lars’s arms? I could never forget that. So being able to have him hold me again felt incredible.”

“Oh, I love that so much.” I put my hand on my chest. “The good news is that you’re now free to have three incredible dates with Lars. What do you have in mind for when it’s your turn to pick?”

“I was hoping I could show him what it was like to be me, but I’m not sure that’s such a good idea anymore.” She frowned. “Is there a hot tub in that man cave of his? Because when you rescued me—” she made air quotes “—we were just about to take a bath in his private hot spring.”

“I have it on absolute authority that something can be arranged.”

There was a knock at the door. Not totally unusual in The Village, but still unexpected. I put down my drink and chuckled as I rose. I was a bit lightheaded. Those frozen drinks always packed more of a punch than I expected. Or I was just an incredibly heavy-handed bartender.

Hugo was on the other side of the door.

“Well, don’t you look too devastatingly handsome for your own good.” I grinned as the heat rose in his cheeks. “To what do we owe this surprise?”

“I’ve got something you need to see.” He handed me his tablet.

fourteen

Lars

Inside this cavernous studio, it was impossible to tell night from day.The Mating Gamestaff had provided me with a clock that had an app to mimic sunrise and sunset.

Otherwise, nothing ever changed here.

I was finished watchingThe Real Werewives, and the first few episodes ofThe Mating Game. I asked the guys about the forums that were mentioned frequently during the show, and after a quick crash course in how to use the internet, I found myself visitingThe Mating Gameforums with increasing frequency.

The first thing I did every day was a search for Hannah’s name. She frequently posted videos there. They were usually about the episode, often filmed while she was drinking coffee. I had to watch them over again simply because I got lost in the fantasy of her waking up in my bed every morning.

Something that felt further out of reach every moment I spent here.

I could still taste Hannah’s sweet kiss on my lips.

There was a new video. I clicked on it so fast I was surprised I didn’t smash the tablet screen.

“Tonight’s my first date with Armand.”

I growled at the opening line. I should have never let her go. She’d been here. In my arms. I could’ve persuaded her to stay with me instead of playing by these new rules.

Rules had a way of getting me into trouble.

But there was no reason to bask in my own regrets when this beautiful woman was on the screen. She’d filmed it from her bed. Only the thin straps of her top suggested she was wearing anything at all. Her hair was messy, her face bare, and I’d never wanted her more.

“Honestly, I feel like I’m physically unable to go. It’s almost noon and I can’t get my ass out of bed. I haven’t slept this late since I was on tour. I thought my days of partying like a rock star were so over. I know, I should give him a chance. His answers were good enough for me to pick him over Lars, but honestly, you want to know what I think? He was only there to sabotage Lars. Get this—Armand and his pack are back from what everyone thought was dead, but turns out, they’d been cursed by Lars’s brother, who used to be known as the king of this valley. Juicy, right? Of course you remember the Hudaknocker—Wendy found it in her episode, and Marissa tried to lose it in the next. They say its discovery is the reason they’re back, and they want revenge. Bibi still wants me to go, because we’re on a secret sleuthing mission. Security will be insane.”

That didn’t sound like something Bibi would let go to air. But maybe she was taking a new approach to things and hadn’t given me the updates yet.

This was supposed to be our episode, and I’d never felt further away from Hannah than I did right now. Like I kept letting opportunity slip through my fingers.

“If you’re wondering, no, I haven’t seen Lars at all. It’s killing me. Not even backstage after the debacle, which is what I’m calling it now. Even worse? He might think I don’t care about him. And if you’re one of those people in town hunting him because you believe the reports he’s been sighted, that’s—”

She screamed, and the tablet fell into the abyss. I wanted to believe that I heard Bibi’s voice in the background, that Hannah was safe, but she had never posted anything like that before.

A quick scroll of the comments showed the forum regulars were just as concerned as I was.

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