Chapter 7: Silas

Well,Silas had officially fucked it.

He didn't consider himself to be a particularly petty person. But that girl—Eloise—had been wearing the saddest crush he'd ever witnessed all over her pretty face. He'd seen the look before. The blatant hope in someone's eyes as they built up an asshole more than they deserved. The expressions never lasted long—not when the object of their worship inevitably failed to return the sentiments.

In his mind, he thought it would be beneficial for her to snap out of it sooner rather than later, especially once he'd watched the fucking Ken doll pant after Ice Queen Barbie. The asshole hadn't said a word to Eloise before he was following the blonde across the backyard. Not a nice to meet you, we'll catch up later. Not a thanks for chatting but she's more my type. No, he'd just let his tongue loll out and put his fucking legs on autopilot.

And like that wasn't enough to make Silas hate the dude, he'd had to watch Eloise school that flawless face of hers, brush her hands down a figure he'd have dreams about, and stick out her porn-star tits. Not for Silas, but for him.

What the fuck had that other guy done to earn that?

So, yeah. Maybe Silas was a little jealous. Maybe he wanted her attention on him. But it also pissed Silas off that Ken could have had an absolute bombshell and he'd treated her like she was second rate.

So what had Silas done?

He'd called her desperate. Clearly, he was a real champion of her honor.

Fucked it, indeed.

And then she'd spun and stomped back into the manor and Silas had had to watch her ass through that scrap that passed for a skirt. Signing up for this show had been his worst idea to date.

Another girl, this one somehow even shorter than Eloise, chased after her and it struck Silas that that should have been him. He'd hurt her and it was his responsibility to make it right. And what would they say about him when the redhead did catch up? He couldn't imagine they'd be singing his praises. And then what chance in hell did he have with her?

Silas huffed out a loud fuck and followed the girls into the manor. It wasn't difficult to catch up to the one in purple but Silas still wanted to give Carter a fistbump when the showrunner stopped the girl's pursuit. It would make things easier if he and Eloise could have a moment alone.

The first of many, he hoped.

He rounded another corner, pretending not to notice that she didn't know where the hell she was going. None of them did. The producers hadn't exactly given them a tour of the property—a tactic, he was sure, they'd employed so they could get all the contestants" reactions on camera. Her escape, though, had brought them to a dead end, leaving them in a sunroom towards the front of the house, the far wall spilling light through the many bay windows.

Eloise looked like an angel in there.

Silas was sure he sounded his very own version of pathetic when he breathed, "Eloise…"

She didn't notice or she didn't care. "Did you follow me so you could insult me some more?"

She was angry but, right now, her confidence was at least ninety percent forced. He'd really hurt her. Fuck.

How did he make it better, though?

Silas didn't think she'd be very receptive to an apology in the form of a kiss, much as he wanted to taste her. God, her lips were so fucking pink. They looked soft, too. Like she'd been slathering them in chapstick for a year to prepare for this show. He wondered if her lip balm was flavored but, really, he hoped it wasn't. He didn't want anything blocking out the flavor of her when he finally got the opportunity.

Finally, as if he'd been pining after this girl for the better part of his life instead of the better part of five minutes.

Wasn't that how this always went, though? He'd see someone he wanted and he'd pursue. He'd slake the urge and he'd move on. Maybe that was how he'd get out of this—give each of them enough to move on and then avoid her as long as they were both there.

As clean as that sounded, though, Silas knew it wouldn't be that easy. This…attraction didn't feel like every other had. It didn't feel like simple lust. Like a task to complete and conquer. It felt possessive and predatory. It felt like he wanted to hold onto her and hide her from every other man, not just enjoy her for a night.

Not once had Silas ever felt like that.

Perhaps he could chalk it up to his decision to come on this show. The push he'd given himself to quit fucking around and start a life. It felt safer, somehow, to do that on television. Like, if he failed at this, then it didn't really count because it was all for the cameras.

Still, whatever realization he had about his intentions or the foreign feelings, he couldn't bring himself to walk away from Eloise. He'd already followed her. It was too late to double down.

"I wanted to apologize," he admitted. "That was uncalled for."

Eloise pursed her lips. "But not untrue."

Was it untrue? Silas didn't think so, if the way the other dude had dropped her for a woman who looked like she ate hearts for breakfast was any indication.

"Look," he said, "guys like Ken?—"

"Killian," Eloise corrected.

Like he gave a shit. "Okay. Killian. Guys like Killian probably already have women falling all over them, right?"

She crossed her arms and almost killed Silas. "He is handsome."

"Great, so he's handsome." Silas rolled his eyes. "And he's got his pick of the fucking pack. But he's here. He's not with those women. He doesn't want them."

"Maybe it just didn't work out. We don't know what he's got going on."

Her argument was weak and Silas could tell Eloise knew it. But what was he even trying to do about it? Just trying to save her some time and some heartbreak?

"Killian wants an eat-your-heart-out type," Silas said for some fucking reason. "That's not you, Eloise."

Her jaw dropped. "In case you forgot, you don't know me, either."

"Yeah?" He raised an eyebrow. "You a little maneater?"

Of course she fucking wasn't. At least not in the way he was thinking of.

"I could be."

"But you're not," Silas reminded her. "And you're not going to become one for him."

"Why not? Maybe that's why—well, why not?" she asked again.

"You really want to become someone you're not for a guy you just met?" he demanded.

Whatever calm he'd found in the last few minutes dissipated entirely. He was getting pissed again. Rationally, he knew he had no say in what she did or how she did it. But he liked what he'd seen so far. The total sincerity of her. It would be a fucking shame to change it all for some dick who hadn't given her the time of day.

Couldn't she see that Silas was practically falling all over himself just to get to this girl?

No, he supposed, she didn't. It wasn't like he'd given her any indication.

Elosie shrugged, writing Silas's concerns off. "Maybe a personality transplant is exactly what I need to get someone to notice me."

"It isn't," he snarled. She blinked and Silas hurried to correct. "You're not going to get anywhere if you go back out there and play hard to get. He already knows you want him."

"He does?" she squeaked.

"The whole manor does."

She threw her head back, letting her hair fall down her back. Silas imagined it in his fist, holding her in that exact position so he could look down at her. Tilted like that so he could dive in for a kiss. Or maybe even on her knees to suck. Good God, what would she look like on her knees? She was too fucking pretty to have a cock in her mouth but that was exactly why Silas wanted to see it.

But only if it were his.

Oblivious to his thoughts, she whined, "Then what do I do?"

Nothing. Forget about him.

"Why don't I—" Silas hated the suggestion before it even fully left his mouth "—help you out?"

"What does that even mean?"

So she hadn't said no. Didn't Silas want her to say no? Didn't he want her to tell him that she didn't need any help getting Ken's attention because she didn't want it anymore?

Or did he want her to agree? Did he want her to agree to his help so he had half a chance of sticking around her? Of spending time with the woman who'd caught his attention?

Something inside of him said if they'd met out in the wild, Silas would have run from this. He'd have left Eloise in the dust of his departure. But what else did he have to do in this manor?

What about actually finding love?

If it wasn't in this room, was it even worth finding?

"I know guys like him," Silas said. "I've known guys like him my whole life. I know what they want."

Eloise took stock of herself, her nose still scrunched. "Which you've made clear is not me."

"But I can—I don't know—coach you, I guess. Help you get his attention."

"Why would you do that?"

Silas didn't fucking know.

"Look, I feel like an asshole?—"

"You were an asshole."

He smirked. "Past tense?"

"Fine." Eloise rolled her eyes. "You are an asshole."

Sure, she'd corrected herself, but was it foolish of Silas to hope she'd begun to warm up to him?

"And I'd like to make up for that," he said seriously.

Again, she didn't immediately refuse him. "How?"

"By helping you get his attention?"

She swatted at his arm and he had the fleeting thought to never let another person touch him so he could always say the last person who'd done so was her.

Fucking hell, he was stupid.

"You already said that," Eloise told him, with great patience. "I'm asking how."

Was he supposed to know that already?

"How about this," he stalled. "When we switch partners, you'll couple with me. It'll give us a chance to work together. Figure out how to go about this."

She raised an eyebrow. "I thought you said you knew what guys like him wanted."

It seemed Silas just couldn't stop digging.

"It's not a formula, maneater," he admonished. "He's still a person."

Eloise's skin flushed, traveling down from her cheeks to her chest, and it took absolutely everything in Silas not to follow the path. She nodded, kinda like she was trying to shake that thought out of her head. "Right. Of course. Sorry. You're right."

"So you'll choose me, if the ladies choose," Silas prompted.

Wished it were true.

"But do you think that's a good idea? Doesn't that just give him time to fall for someone else?"

"Do you trust me?" he asked, like an idiot.

"Not really."

"That's…fair. But don't you think I know what I'm talking about?"

She studied him and so what if he flexed, just a little bit. "I think so," she said slowly.

"Then trust that we can't rush my work."

Had Silas ever been this deep in the shit before? Surely not. Was he going to get himself out of it anytime soon?

A smile broke out over Eloise's face, clearly coming to a decision. Before he could ask what that decision was, though, she was launching herself at him. Wrapping her arms around Silas's waist. Tucking her head against his bare chest He felt every inch of her pressed against him and, if she didn't let go soon, she'd feel every aching inch of him, too.

But the absolute rightness of the way she fit against him overshadowed his juvenile excitement. He returned the hug, draping his arms over her shoulders and squeezing. She gave a happy little sigh and he knew he wasn't getting out of this anytime soon.

Maybe that desperation he'd claimed to smell was coming from him.