“Twice?” She tilted her head, pieces of blond silky hair falling across her bare shoulders. “That I’ve saved your ass or that you’ve made an ass out of yourself?”

I laughed. “Aw, my jackassery is interchangeable!”

“Probably not something to celebrate.” Becca winked and opened the door to the small bathroom, closing it behind her, leaving me in the hallway with a stupid grin on my face and a slight tingling in my chest.

What the hell?! I coughed.

I hit my chest.

The tingle remained.

Well, damn.

“You okay?” Rex came up behind me and offered me a drink.

“Just fine.” I threw back the entire drink in one swig and waited for that annoying little feeling in my chest to go away.

Nothing.

And four minutes later, after I’d found my seat, the feeling returned tenfold when Becca made her way down the aisle back toward her row.

Turn around. Just turn around.

And she did.

But instead of blowing me a kiss, winking, flirting, really doing anything that would establish that I was the catch in this scenario and not her—she turned and smiled. The smile. The patronizing smile known worldwide as the friend smile.

I’d just been zoned.

And that feeling in my chest?

It was there to stay.

Damn crushes.

“Try to get some sleep.” Rex walked by me and winked. “We’ve got a long day ahead of us.”

“Sleep,” I mumbled. “Right.”

“Oh, here you go.” He slipped me a pill and nodded. “It will help with the nightmares.”

“Um, nightmares?” I examined the pill.

“Not really FDA-approved, but . . .” Rex chuckled. “You’ll need the strong stuff to be able to sleep at night.”

I gulped. “Is the pill a temporary thing or—”

Rex laughed nervously and wiped some sweat from his brow. “Only two of our Bachelors have ever had to see the psychiatrist past the recommended year.”

“A YEAR?” I shouted.

Rex nodded. “Twenty-five women.” He swallowed. “The way I see it, a year’s getting off easy.”

“Swell.” I popped the pill in my mouth and swallowed.

“Good choice.” Rex patted me on the shoulder again, only this time I barely felt it. Holy shit! I was flying, soaring through the air. Superman. I’d just turned into Superman. If Reid could see me now!

I fell into a dream-filled sleep—where I saved damsels in distress and kissed girls named Becca. It was nice.

Until I woke up.

CHAPTER TEN

BECCA

“He looks weak,” said Gina, who was sitting to my left.

Um, how about anyone would look weak standing next to her? She looked like she’d just finished competing in the CrossFit Games and had decided to kill her male competition for the extra challenge.

“I think he’s hot.” To my right, Stormy giggled.

Ugh. On one side I had a man-eater and on the other I had a giggler, someone who when nervous decided the only way to break the awkward tension was to fill the air with the sound of her laughter.

Only I wouldn’t call it laughter.

Stormy made me want to never laugh again. Seriously, she was a joy stealer, who almost ruined the experience of being happy for everyone just because she was so terrible at expressing it.

“Whatever.” Gina clenched her pine nuts in her hand. “I’m going to win the money regardless.”

“So you’re here for the money? Not for Max?” Stormy asked. Holy crap! No giggles! My mouth dropped open in shock, and then the giggles came. “He, he, I just think, te, te, te, te, he’s way hotter than the quarter of a million dollars they’re throwing our way. Besides, if you find love with Max you both get the money!” More giggling, more blushing. I wrapped my hands around my seat belt so I wouldn’t do the same thing to her neck. Wow, two hours on a plane and I was already getting violent.

“I’d crush him with my bare hands.” Gina popped another nut into her mouth. No worries, the visual wasn’t lost on me. Poor Max wouldn’t last a day in her clutches, which was probably why I felt the need to save him.

I was that girl.

I rescued dogs.

Slammed on my brakes when ducks crossed the road.

And freaking bawled my eyes out like a baby when I saw How to Train Your Dragon in theaters.

My poor nieces went home and announced to my sister that I’d cried so loud in the theater that the manager came and tried to offer us our money back—he thought I was upset.

I’d made up a story about how I’d just broken up with my boyfriend. Lies. All lies. But I didn’t want the hot theater manager to know I was actually just really crushed that Toothless had almost died.

Yeah, needless to say, I’m not the first-choice aunt to go to movies with anymore.

“It’s a competition.” Gina cracked her knuckles; I scooted toward Stormy and winced as Gina continued popping body parts. “And I’m going to win. You girls don’t stand a chance.”

I swallowed. “Right.”

“Some of us are here for the right reasons, Gina.” Stormy sniffed and looked away, ending the conversation and making me feel so tense I wanted to jump out of the plane. I’d always hated the middle seat anyway. Where the heck do you put your arms? Both girls were taking up so much space that every time I decided to inhale it was a tossup between sucking in the air that was permeated with the odor of pine nuts or the air that smelled like baby powder.