Page 12 of Grudge Match

Elodie licks her lips and then wipes the excess maple syrup from the corner of her mouth. “It’s more than a good time. We’re supposed to fall in love. If we fall in love and prove her match is a success, she gives us a trip of our choice. I’m not sure I can fall in love so fast. Do you? Don’t you think she’d know if we were faking it?”

I nod and reach across the table to wipe the syrup on her chin. If she’d allow me to lick it off, I would. I don’t give a damn who sees me. “I’m not faking anything. And I didn’t start falling today. I’ve liked you for a long time. I don’t expect you to fall so fast, but I can move things along.”

Elodie’s blue eyes widen, and her rosy blush covers her cheeks. “How would you do that?” She swallows so hard, I hear an audible gulp.

“I have my ways, sweetheart.”

Chapter Thirteen

“Can you believe Sabrina has fallen madly in love with her match, some dude named Stavros who looks like a Greek god’s hotter older brother. He’s forty, ripped, and mouthwateringly sexy. Plus, he’s the only son of Christos Nikolaidis, the billionaire shipping magnate. How does she do it? I told you that girl was a witch,” Ramona rants while she helps me dress for my date. She thinks if she complains about her archnemesis, I’ll stop asking her why she was missing in action when I returned from my first date with Deacon, Valentine’s evening. It’s been three days and she’s been as silent as the grave.

“Were you with Soren?” I ask for the umpteenth time. It’s the only explanation. I’m almost certain I’m her only friend. “Did you take dictation on his rock-hard abs?” I don’t know why she’s being so cagey. We always tell each other everything. Deacon and I only made it to first base, and I told her as soon as I walked through the door.

Ramona gasps out loud. “What do you know about his abs? Have you been checking out his social media?” Her eyes narrow with suspicion as she finishes ironing her dress. She hasn’t said where she’s going tonight, either.

“I don’t know why you’re sneaking around like teenagers. If you and your boss are playing hide the salami, you might as well admit it. I spent two hours going from store to store picking out the perfect pair of panties for my third date with Deacon, my ex-boyfriend's older brother. Who the hell am I to judge?” I pace in front of our full-length mirror, testing out shoes to go with my dress. Thank goodness I don’t have to worry about the height of my shoes around Deacon. He’s 6’5”. I could wear platform stilettos and still look tiny standing next to him.

“I just prefer to keep my private life private. Besides, my tea isn’t hot enough to share.” Ramona struts into the bathroom to finish dressing, and I finally decide my favorite pair of slingback pumps goes perfectly with the tight black dress I bought on sale. The woman who sold it to me assured me it screams take me now, but I’ve never been good at reading men. Two nights ago, I mistook a smoldering gaze for anger and almost demanded Deacon bring me home. I swear, I don’t know what that man sees in me.

“Where is taking you tonight?” Ramona asks as she re-enters the room, discreetly spraying perfume into her cleavage and behind her knees. She must be in love. She’d never risk her career over a fling.

I just hope Soren Nielsen doesn’t break her heart.

“He’s taking me to a Broadway show. We’ve got box seats to a musical; I forget which one.” I grab my evening bag and take one more look in the mirror. “Will you be here when I get back?”

Ramona’s expression tenses as she puts the finishing touches on her makeup. She hesitates, her mind seemingly spinning to conjure a believable lie. After a few minutes, she answers, staring at me through her vanity mirror. “Chances are low, but I’ll text you if I won’t. Don’t worry about me.”

That’s impossible to ask of me. Of course, I’ll worry. We’re so new to the dating game that one of us is bound to suffer severe consequences for behaving so naively. And right now, it's anybody’s guess which of us will wind up with a broken heart.

“Skank,” I tease as I head for the door, wishing she’d tell me if she had sex with Soren. I need pointers. Tips. I’d settle for a veiled anecdote with a few words of direction. Deacon is seven years older than me and as hot as he is, there’s no doubt he’s experienced. I’d hate to make a terrible first impression.

“Tramp,” Ramona responds, always giving as good as she gets.

“It’s just a show. I’m not having sex on the third date, for heaven’s sake,” I holler from the kitchen, trying to convince her as much as myself. It’s in my nature to be prepared, but that doesn’t mean I’m interested in giving away the milk so soon.

Although I’m not opposed to offering a tiny sample.

Chapter Fourteen

“Walk with me. Hold me tight. Love me beneath the starlight. Won’t you? Please won’t you love me beneath the starlight,” Elodie sings snippets of her favorite song from tonight’s performance and hums through parts she can’t remember. Tap-dancing as she walks, it’s safe to say she enjoyed our evening.

I still can’t believe I’m walking by her side. Everyone who passes us on the sidewalk believes she is mine, and I want to make that a reality.

I take Elodie’s hand and bring her fingertips to my lips. A shiver runs through her limbs, prickling her skin and turning her cheeks rosy pink. She’s such a breath of fresh air; her warm smile and infectious laughter make the busy world disappear. In a city of eight million, she’s the only person I see.

“Am I embarrassing you?” Elodie asks, placing her delicate hand on my chest. Her fingers brush against the buttons of my shirt and glide down the smooth fabric of my silk tie. Her eyes find mine, and her heated gaze remains locked as she says, “I had a wonderful time tonight. But that’s nothing new. You’re three for three in the date department.”

My heart soars, carried on the wings of endless possibilities. I want to be with Elodie and I’m almost sure she wants to be with me. I didn't expect to be here so soon, holding Elodie's hand, on the verge of taking things to the next level. But The Match Queen made this possible. Why would I squander this golden opportunity?

“Let me ask you something, Elodie. And I beg you to answer as honestly as possible.” I suck in a shaky breath to calm the beat of my thundering heart. Her answer may disappoint me, but it won’t knock me out for the count. This is the start of something bigger than us and there’s no doubt in my mind that this is meant to be.

Elodie nods and her bright smile disappears. Worry lines form on her brow, and she turns away as if expecting the worst. She sinks her teeth into her trembling bottom lip and whispers, “I’ll try.”

I close the distance between us and pull her into my embrace, pinning her tiny figure against me. Elodie belongs in my arms, every contour blending seamlessly, as if we were sculpted from the same stone. “I’ve known since the day we met that we’d find our way to one another, and when we did, nothing would ever come between us again. Nothing describes my feeling for you better than confessing I’m madly in love with you. How do you feel about me?”

Elodie’s eyes grow as wide as saucers, tears flooding them as she stands motionless, either stunned or appalled by my revelation. Her fingers clench around my lapels, and she holds on as if that’s the only thing keeping her on her feet. “Why didn’t you ever say anything? For years, you let me believe you couldn’t stand me.”

She's right. I never corrected her assumptions because it was easier than facing the truth. But I regretted it every day. “How could I tell you I wanted to be with you? How could I do that to my little brother? I knew you didn’t belong with him, but I needed you to figure it out on your own.”

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