Page 28 of Miss Matched

Kennedy

“Allright,here’show this is gonna work,” Zac says, a bowling ball in each hand, the weight of them drawing out his thick, corded forearms. His dress shirt sleeves are rolled up, and a few buttons are popped open at the top, revealing the ridge of his muscled chest.

It’s painfully obvious why women obsess over him. One look, and my heart might as well be performing a drum solo.

“I’m still trying to get over the fact that you have a bowling alley in your penthouse,” I tell him.

Four lanes, complete with a ball return and a fully stocked bar. Private and nicer than any bowling alley I’ve been to.

“What can I say, I like bowling.” He grins.

I roll my eyes and try my best to seem unimpressed. The last thing I want is to come across as another girl with stars in her eyes, fawning over his many expensive things. They shouldn’t impress me anyway. I’ve seen enough extravagant client homes to know the rich will waste money on just about anything. But where most of them enjoy flaunting their lavish estates, Zac’s choices feel oddly personal to him.

“Here.” He hands me a pair of bowling shoes, because apparently owning a bowling alley means you also carry a pair in almost every size.

My eyes follow him as I slip off my flats and lace up my bowling shoes. If I didn’t know better, he’d almost seem like any other man in this setting. Prepping our game, picking out bowling balls. Cool, relaxed. In his zone.

Zac sits at the monitor and types my name in as “Cupid”on the scoreboard, and damn it if my heart doesn’t betray me by racing a little. Nicknames are personal and I don’t want him getting the wrong idea that this is anything but business.

“We’re going to need drinks,” he says matter-of-factly.

I might have turned him down earlier, but that was when this evening still held some semblance of professionalism. If I’m going to survive the night, and get Zac to open up so I can do my job, I need to relax.

“Vodka soda,” I say as he rounds the bar.

He whips his neck to throw his hair off his forehead and grabs a glass. “Coming right up.”

With drinks in hand and late 90s rock blasting through the speakers, I have to remind myself this is business, not a date.

“All right, where are we at?” I reach for a bowling ball. “Nonnegotiables—”

Zac shakes his head and slowly starts to undo the buttons on his shirt. “Let’s make this a little more interesting.”

I’m too distracted by him peeling off layers to process his words. With his dress shirt tossed to the side, he stands before me in an undershirt that clings to every rippled muscle of his torso. Round shoulders and a trim waist make me want to climb him like a tree trunk.

“Everything okay, Kennedy?” he says with a wink that lets me know he caught me staring.

“Fine.” I shake my head.

Besides, two can play that game. I set down the ball to strip off my own sweater, realizing I’m left with a black skintight spaghetti strap tank and leggings that make me look like a cat burglar. His eyes rake over me, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat.

“You all right, Zac?” I ask with a smirk. He forgets that it’s my job towing the line with men like him. I have no problem keeping him on his toes and reminding him that he won’t get to me.

He coughs and brushes his palms together. “Of course. I’m more than all right, Cupid.”

I drop down into the seat in front of him and cross my legs.

“Here’s the game,” he says, making his way toward me and clouding my head with his sandalwood scent. “Never Have I Ever Bowling. When it’s your turn, you get to ask a question. When it’s my turn, I ask one. If the other person has done it, they take a drink. Simple.”

“But this isn’t about me,” I tell him. “I’m supposed to be asking you all the questions.”

“What are you scared of?”

“Scared?” I laugh. “You seem to forget you’re not the one at the wheel here. This is a business meeting. You signed up for my matchmaking services, did you not?”

Zac might be smoother than most of my other clients, but behind his expensive suit and decked out penthouse, his cockiness is proof that he’s just another man with too much money who is used to getting his way.

“Kennedy.”

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