Page 25 of A Perfect Match
"Oh my god.Can you please—" She lowers her voice to a hiss."Can you please just go back to your side of the building?"
"Fine."I take a sip of the coffee.It's good—better than whatever we've been brewing in our kitchen."But we should talk about this."
"There's nothing to talk about."
I lean in, dropping my voice low enough that only she can hear."If you want to take this back to the fence, just say the word.Nobody has to know."
Her mouth falls open, and I can see the exact moment her brain short-circuits.It's delicious.She looks like she wants to leap over the counter and either slap me or rip my clothes off.Maybe both.
"You're impossible," she finally manages.
"But I could make something else possible if you want."
"Go.Away."
"Thanks for the coffee, Piper."I give her a wink and turn to leave, but not before I see her reach for a nearby tray.I imagine she’s weighing whether throwing it at my head would be worth the mess.I escape unscathed—and still as horny as she left me last night.
Back at my restaurant, Pat is still reviewing the day’s plan with the camera crew.I duck into the kitchen, away from their lenses for a moment of peace.My brain is still buzzing with Piper—the curve of her lips, the flush on her cheeks.She wants me.I know she does.This push and pull between us is just foreplay, and we both know how that story ends.I just can’t figure out why she’s still insistent on acting like last month in Cleveland never happened, and it’s driving me fucking nuts.
Truth is, I shouldn’t care.I don't have time for this.I've got a restaurant to open, a show to film, a reputation to build.The last time I let a woman get under my skin, I nearly lost everything I'd worked for.I still haven't fully recovered from that tailspin.
And yet.
There's something about Piper Keegan that makes me want to throw caution to the wind.The memory of those two nights in Cleveland, when neither of us knew each other's names but somehow understood each other perfectly, haunts me harder than a Victorian ghost in a dilapidated mansion.Or maybe it's because she's the first woman since Vanessa who's made me feel like there might be someone worth risking my heart for again.
I'm still contemplating this when my phone buzzes in my pocket.It's a text from Maverick, checking in on me.
MAVERICK: Cameras are getting good stuff?Producer called me for a cameo.
KRU:Everything’s chill today.Getting final shots before we open.
MAVERICK: Glad to hear.
KRU: I did visit my neighbor…
Three dots appear immediately.
MAVERICK:Trouble in paradise?Or maybe just pure paradise…
I laugh out loud at that.He heard all about what happened at the fence last night.He and Scarlett are rooting for this match, but I’m not sure it’s the wisest thing.I want Piper, but part of me thinks I should be smart…and single.
KRU: If paradise includes a hostile marshmallow maven.
MAVERICK: That could be a cool new restaurant concept…
I laugh again and shove the phone back in my pocket without answering.
He's getting me back on track, even if he doesn’t realize it.I can't afford to get sidetracked, not when I'm this close to everything I've worked for.The restaurant, the show, my name on the map—it's all happening.A girl with killer curves and a talent for marshmallows is not part of the plan.
Even if she kisses like she was made for me.
Even if I can't stop thinking about her.
Even if I haven't felt this alive in years.
Pat comes barreling into the kitchen with the camera crew, interrupting my doomed train of thought.It’s time to get back to work.
We spend some time with me inspecting the gleaming corners of the freshly installed kitchen—pointing out equipment, opening cabinets, entering the walk-in fridge.We move into the front of house, inspecting the wooden chairs, pointing out the grain on the tabletops, highlighting the pieces of art and why I contracted Wisconsin artists.After a few stints on the patio and some retakes along the way, we’ve got our content for the day.
