Ignoring the warning bells blaring in my head, I step into the room. “What do you want?”

“You.” He shrugs. As if it’s so simple. As if he’s asking for a glass of water. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

“Too bad. I’m with Carter.”

He chuckles, shoving his hands into his pockets and nudging those jeans lower. “But you’re not. Not really.”

My stomach plummets. “What are you talking about?”

He turns into the room, and his message is clear. He has the power, and I’m going to have to follow him inside if I want to know more.

I take a deep breath and walk down the short hall and into the room, leaving the door wide open behind me. I can do this.

He sits on the edge of the bed, propping himself on his arms behind him. “Was this really all for me? Did I commit some terrible offense that made you so desperate to be rid of me that you’d create a fake relationship?”

My muscles lock up. He can’t know. “There’s nothing fake about me and Carter.”

“I’ve been doing a little detective work.” He laughs. “Not that it was hard. A town this size, and everyone is dying to talk. And the guys at Carter’s station? Well, let’s just say they shouldn’t be trusted with any state secrets.” His grin is slow and vicious. “One of two things is happening here, Teagan. Either Carter is playing you, or you two are only pretending to be together.”

I will the emotion to stay off my face, but I don’t know if it works. It’s hard not to give away the surge of my stomach to my throat. I screwed this up. Rich knows our lie, and now I can’t even think straight. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I’ll be honest—I was fishing a little earlier. I knew about Myla and the redheaded nurse, but neither would talk to me to confirm anything. But then when Sabrina came to my room crying, I knew, I knew you and Carter weren’t for real. I mean, it seems he has a thing for redheads.”

What? “What about Sabrina?” I think I might throw up on my shoes.

“Sabrina came to town to do a story a month ago.”

“I know she did.” I swallow back bile. It’s all coming together, and I feel like I’ve been punched in the gut. Sabrina’s confusion about how long Carter and I have been dating, her nosing around about the status of our relationship. He slept with her.

And because Carter and I were supposedly dating then, she thinks he cheated on me. It’s not fair that I feel hurt. We weren’t together. We weren’t even pretending to be.

“This is excellent. She didn’t think you knew, and it looks like she was right.” Rich lazily scratches his bare stomach. “And even though your boyfriend’s fake as fuck, you hate the idea that she slept with Carter. You and your cousin are something. Still fighting over men after all these years.”