Page 85 of Failure to Match

“So you claim.” His eyes dropped to my mouth.

The wicked temptation to lick my lips and add fuel to whatever fire was burning in his gaze struck me like lightning. Then came the stark realization that I very much wanted him to kiss me again.

I didn’t even notice we’d moved until my back hit the wall. Didn’t notice how close we were until the tips of his shoes nudged mine. His hand was braced beside my neck, my head was slanting ever-so-slightly to one side, and I could feel the heat of his breath on my skin, but I couldn’t remember how we got here.

I needed to push him away.

“Then there’s... this,” Jackson murmured. He tipped my chin up, and my breath hitched. “I definitely think we should explore this.”

“You’re full of horrible ideas today,” I breathed.

He was caressing my skin again. It was so confusing.

“You’re not curious about this?” His thumb brushed my lip andfuck me. I was drowning in butterflies. “That was a damn good kiss, Jamie.”

Shut it down.

SHUT IT DOWN.

“I’ve had better,” I said as evenly as I could manage. That was a blatant lie, meant to discourage further flirtation. It failed spectacularly.

“Mean.” He was positively beaming. “I don’t believe it for a second, but still mean.”

“God, you’re arrogant.” And damn it, the breathiness of my voice made it sound like I was fawning. I glared up at him defiantly, hating the way his eyes thawed with warm amusement.

“This could be fun, don’t you think?” he teased. “You, me, the blistering sexual tension, and twelve months of a marriage neither of us wants.”

“Blisteringis a bit of a stretch,” I said as the fire reached the tips of my fingers, consuming me whole. “I’m not going to marry you, Jackson. We’d make a horrible fake married couple and you know it.”

“I know no such thing. We’d be great together. I’m even starting to like you, and I don’t like anyone save for my household staff.”

“You don’t like me,” I said firmly.

“Oh, but I do. I might evenlikelike you.”

Incorrect.

“Jackson, listen to me. You don’t like me. You just think you do because I don’t want your money and I’m a little mean.”

“That’s not all of it.”

“If I flipped the switch and started kissing your ass and showing interest in your money, you’d revert right back to hating my guts.”

“Shall we test it out?” His smirk was so cocky, it was almost lewd. “Say something nice to me.”

“Wellnowit won’t work. Not if you know what we’re doing.”

He shrugged. “Try it.”

“You just want me to pay you a compliment.”

“Perhaps.” His smile grazed his eyes. “But if your theory is correct, then at least some of the attraction should dwindle. On my end, I mean. You’ll continue to find me irresistible.”

I almost took the bait. The mean little quip made it all the way to the tip of my tongue before I caught it. Being outwardly unimpressed by him was what’d gotten us into this mess in the first place. Reining in my desire to sass his ego back in check, I batted my eyelashes up at him instead.

This already felt stupid.

“I’ll admit you aren’t...unattractive.”

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