Page 20 of Miss Matched

I stand now, forcing her to look up at me. Our bodies are inches from touching as she cranes her beautiful neck. I’m realizing it’s a risk to stand toe to toe with a woman who clearly prefers to hold the power. One look, and she could end me.

“My reputation isn’t the only one that’s taken a hit recently,” I point out. “You know I’ve seen the article.”

Kennedy pulls her bottom lip between her teeth, and every part of me wants to be that lip.

“Not saying I believe it, but I’m sure it’s put you in a bad position.” I tread carefully. After all, she gave me the benefit of the doubt, so it’s owed in return. “What if I could help? Imagine what they’d say if you took billionaire Zac Vincent off the market.”

“By finding you a wife?”

Part of me hates that she clarified it, but all I say is, “Yes.”

Her head bobs a little as she thinks it over. We’re so close I can feel her breathing, the in and out pulsing between us.

“I can help you, Kennedy.” My voice is softer now, careful as I navigate the frozen lake she’s placed me on. One wrong step and it might give. “All you have to do is agree.”

For a woman who is generally straight to the point, there are layers of mystery beneath the surface. Fleeting expressions I can’t pinpoint. Sudden movements that set me on edge. Eyes that see everything.

Was that disappointment that just flashed in them?

“All right, then,” she says.

“All right?”

Kennedy nods, and I take her hand as a cautious smile creeps onto her face. Pressing my lips to her knuckles, I’m brought back to that same feeling I had Friday night. Electricity hums across my skin. I feel a soft buzz of excitement mixed with something I’m not prepared to put a name to just yet.

She pulls her hand away, and I wonder if she feels it.

“It’s a deal,” Kennedy says, finally taking a step back to put some distance between us. “I’m going to find you the love of your life, Zac Vincent.”

The trouble is, deep down, I believe her.

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