Page 16 of Room 710 (The Scarlet Hotel #15)

Clark paused, waiting for me to give a nod, then continued. “Ziggy, because Devon picked your brownie as the best, you two are off on a romantic dinner date on the hotel’s rooftop patio.”

“Have fun, you two. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” Marty offered a saucy wink, insinuating there wasn’t much he wouldn’t do.

“Shall we?” Devon asked, offering his arm to Ziggy.

My omega smiled softly—no, not mine , but he wasn’t Devon’s either, dammit. Ziggy tucked his hand into Devon’s arm. “Yes, let’s.”

It felt like the air in my lungs had frozen and I could no longer draw breath. Words got caught in my throat, all the things I wanted to say and knew I couldn’t.

“Aw, they look so cute together,” Bethany whispered to Marc, and I had to cover my growl with a cough.

As they walked out of the room, I swore Ziggy’s eyes darted quickly to me, the look on his face indecipherable. And before I could even begin to guess what it meant, they were gone, headed for the elevator to take them up to the roof.

The next two hours were worse than I could’ve imagined.

Following them upstairs in the elevator, I had to watch their romantic candlelit dinner unfold from 20 feet away.

I listened to them talk about family and friends, the past and the future, all while I absorbed every detail of Ziggy’s life like a thirsty sponge.

I had to tell the cameraman to zoom in on their hands when Devon reached across the table to brush Ziggy’s fingertips.

Had to watch as Devon leaned closer to whisper words in his ear.

I was forced to witness Ziggy’s blush as Devon fed him strawberries by hand.

It was exactly the kind of personal torture I would’ve planned if I were a masochist, hellbent on maximum heartbreak. I rubbed at my sternum, determined to ignore the ache in my chest.

When dinner was done, they stood from the table and walked back toward the elevator, their shoulders brushing with how close they were. I gestured for the boom mic to get closer; I needed to hear what they were saying.

“Sorry if this was a bit awkward. All the drama, the expectations,” Devon said, leaning over to push the button for the elevator.

“It’s practically second nature to me by now having all these cameras pointed as me, being an actor.

I know it takes some getting used to, but I wanted to let you know, I had a good time. Even with the audience.”

“Me too. Thank you for being such a gentleman. You were great company this evening.”

“You know, if this weren’t a dating show, I would probably drive you home now, walk you to your door, and ask for a goodnight kiss.” He inched closer. No… he wouldn’t dare…

Ziggy’s chin dipped to his chest, and Devon leaned in to whisper something in his ear.

I strained to hear through the earphones I was wearing, but I was left guessing what he’d said based only on the twitch of Ziggy’s lips.

He nodded once, tipped his chin up, and then my heart stuttered to a screeching halt as Devon took Ziggy’s face between his palms and closed the final distance between them.

My throat seized shut as he placed a kiss on his lips.

It seemed to go on forever. Was that tongue I saw?

The elevator doors opened with a ding, and they pulled apart, only for Devon to entwine their fingers and draw him into the car. The camera was trained on them as the doors closed.

I distantly heard Bethany say, “The fans are going to go nuts for those two.”

“We need to get down there,” I choked out, racing forward to press the button. I felt like I’d stopped breathing, dark spots dancing across my vision. “Right now!” I was going to be sick. Why didn’t anyone else seem to feel the same level of urgency as I did?

Marc sauntered up behind me, too relaxed. “I hear wedding bells.”

“What?” I snapped. Was that a comment about my fascination with Ziggy? “I’m not…”

He made a face. “What? I was talking about Devon and Ziggy, obviously.”

“Oh. Right. Of course.” I’d been saying that Ziggy was the clear winner for the past month, but when someone else pointed it out, when they phrased it like that , my mind revolted.

The elevator doors opened just a minute later, but by the time we got back down to the seventh floor, the hallway was empty, with only the muffled sounds of a few of the boys laughing in one of the rooms. I hurried over to the camera we had set up to film the hallway. I frantically rewound the footage.

Please, let them go their separate ways. Please…

But there on the camera’s small screen, I watched as Devon led Ziggy quickly down the hall and straight into his room, the door closing behind them. They did not come back out.

It felt like the floor was pitching wildly beneath my feet, and if I didn’t know any better, I’d say it was an earthquake. This was it, my predictions coming to fruition. It was what Lonely Alpha fans wanted, what the show needed to regain its place on top.

I stumbled back a step, closing my eyes in a long, slow blink. Devon didn’t deserve Ziggy, but the reality was, he probably deserved him more than I did, and that truth hit me dead center in the heart. I needed to let him go.

“Does anyone else need a drink?” I asked.