A Date for the Hunt (The Dating 4) - Page 25

And just like clockwork, Ryan walks into the dining room with a mischievous smile on his lips, followed by his camera crew. Oh yeah, something’s up. He stands at the edge of the room and taps a fork against his glass.

“Gentlemen, nothing is at it seems. Each of you have a box. Inside the box is an opportunity, a chance to switch things up. The question before you is this—do you want to stay with your match or swap? If you want to swap, open your box now.”

The room falls silent and I’m in shock. Is this what Erin was talking about when she mentioned switching things up? Under normal circumstances, I would’ve been all for Hudson getting rid of me, but now? The thought of him being with one of the other women infuriates me. I don’t like it. There are mixed feelings throughout the room. Some of the men look as if they’ve won the lottery while some of the women are livid. In all reality, I don’t care what any of them decide. My only concern is Hudson. I’m afraid to look at him. I don’t want to see the excitement in his eyes about being with someone else like some of the other men. I search out the room for Makayla and once her dark red hair comes into view, I focus on her face. She’s upset. It’s obvious the douchebag she’s with wants to be with someone else. His hands are on the box and he starts to open it. The same goes for four of the other men. When they open the boxes, there are eggs inside with their names on it.

Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath and open my eyes back up, slowly sliding my gaze toward the dreaded box on the table. I half expect to see Hudson’s hands on the box and the look of contemplation on his face … but that’s not what happens. The silver box has been pushed to the side of the table with the ribbon perfectly intact. When I meet his gaze, he smiles at me with that devilish smirk of his.

“Worried?” he asks, grinning wider.

The knot in my stomach eases and I breathe a sigh of relief. “I hate you right now.”

He laughs quietly, but abruptly stops when arguments erupt in the room. A couple of the women storm out, their heels clanking on the marble floor. The four guys who opened the boxes stand together with Ryan while Makayla and one of the other women whose guy picked the box instead of her sit together quietly in the corner.

“I feel terrible for her,” I whisper, nodding over at Makayla. “She’s really nice.”

Hudson glances over at her. “The guy she was with is a jackass. She deserves better.” That gives me some relief, but I still feel bad. It has to be embarrassing to be dumped on TV with millions of viewers watching. “Did you think I was going to trade you in?” he wonders, picking up a piece of his steamed broccoli. He takes a bite and smiles while he chews it. I’m about to speak when he takes another bite, obviously amused with my reaction. “You should know I wasn’t about to let you go. I look forward to showing off my back tattoo with you by my side. Besides,” he says with a wink, “I had a good time today. I’m wearing you down.”

Playfully, I roll my eyes. “Whatever. Keep telling yourself that.” We both laugh quietly and watch the drama unfold across the room. Ryan and the others walk out, leaving all the remaining couples in the dining room. “Guess we finish eating?” I say, taking a bite of my mashed potatoes.

Hudson sits back in his chair. “I can’t wait to see what tonight’s episode will look like. Guess they’ll be showing off the new couples.”

I dread watching it. I have no doubt the camera guys caught all of my expressions. Hudson’s definitely going to see how scared I was, and no doubt, give me grief about it. I like that we can banter back and forth; it’s actually kind of fun. Every guy I’ve dated was serious, and in return, I guess I had no choice but to be that way too. I like being playful and mischievous. Hudson has definitely brought out that side of me.

Once everyone has finished dinner, none of us know what to do until my sister enters the dining room. She waves at everyone and winks at me before addressing us all. “Hey guys. I know we threw you for a loop tonight. We thought we’d spice things up a bit and I think we achieved that. But I am excited that most of you are happy with your partners. That’s the main goal of our show. Hopefully, our new couples will be able to find happiness as well.”

Tags: Heidi McLaughlin The Dating Romance
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