Page 3 of Be The One

“Where did you meet Brad?” he drawled, his tone teasing and sly.

We’d called it a tie with our impromptu race to the hotel entrance. We’d just caught our breath and waited inside the crowded area outside the elevators.

“Dating app,” I ground out. “We matched, and I thought I might see how it went.”

“And how did it go?”

I turned to look up at him and rolled my eyes. “Awful. He’s really into himself.”

Kenan chuckled, and the sound sent a hot shiver chasing over my skin. “I’ll look forward to his email. I could put in a good word for you. He seems handsome enough,” he offered with a shrug, his tone drier than chalk.

“Oh my God. Do not put in a good word for me,” I muttered. “I donotwant to go on another date with him.Ever. I don’t like dating apps, but I do like how you can only communicate in them at first. He doesn’t even have my number. Now, because you showed up at our table, I’m worried he’s going to try to stay in touch because he thinks I’ll be a good connection with Fireweed Industries.”

“Didn’t he know you worked for us?” Kenan prompted

“I didn’t tell him. I just told him I did corporate law. That was enough information.”

“Hmm,” he replied vaguely.

I was resigned to my fate. Kenan was going to want to get a drink together, and then I’d be stuck with him and wrestling with my annoying attraction to him.

A few minutes later, we stepped into the elevator together. “Which floor?” he asked.

Glancing up, I tried to call on my old indifference. Well, not indifference specifically. Hewasone of my closest friends. I didn’t feel indifferent, but there had been no spark before, like zero, zilch. I had never,ever, expected to feel anything when I looked at my friend. His sharp, perceptive blue gaze held mine.

Kenan was one of seven siblings in the vaunted Cannon family from my small hometown. The Cannons were, by far, the wealthiest family in town. They were all nice. Kenan was smack in the middle with his twin brother, Adam. They weren’t identical twins. Unlike most of his siblings who had dark blond hair and gray eyes, Kenan had inherited his mother’s almost black hair and startlingly bright blue eyes.

Because life was fucking unfair, he was also handsome. He had sharp cheekbones and a straight nose, paired with full sensual lips that always looked as if he was on the verge of a smile.

As if to agree with my point, one corner of his lips kicked up, sending my belly into a dizzying flip. “Quinn? What floor?”

“Seven,” I said, my voice coming out a little raspy.

For God’s sake, the man was making me breathless. I didn’t get breathless. I had all but given up on thinking I’d ever have anything like romance in my life. Oh, I dated, or I tried. I’d struggled since high school to shake the cloak of being the class nerd, too bookish for anyone to notice.

Kenan had been popular in high school. Not an asshole, but very popular and definitely a catch. Somehow, we’d ended up friends. To this day, I wasn’t really sure how. I had enough sense to know my friendship with him likely protected me from too much teasing back then. We had a few classes together, and our parents were friends because my father had been one of the main lawyers for Fireweed Industries back in the day. I’d slipped right into the same role after my father had decided to cut back on his schedule.

“We’re on the same floor,” he said with an easy grin.

“I didn’t know you were going to be down here,” I replied.

Kenan tapped the button on the elevator. “I didn’t either. Rhys was supposed to come, but something came up, so I offered to come in his place. We have two new distributors down here, so paperwork and meetings. All that stuff that you love.”

His grin was sly when he glanced over. He’d been teasing me more than usual lately about working too much. It typically wouldn’t get to me, but I was feeling sensitive about it. I loved my job. I legitimately enjoyed it, but I wanted to start a family. More than marriage, I wanted children. I finally started doing the dating app dance because I figured I had two options. Find a man and have children that way, or try in vitro fertilization via a sperm donor. After tonight’s date with Brad, I was pretty sure I was ready for door number two.

I’d already looked into the process. Surreptitiously, mind you. I had my regular doctor in Fireweed Harbor, and she referred me to the fertility clinic in Juneau. I knew what I needed to do, I just needed to resign myself to starting the process. Maybe it was best. Brad was my latest disappointing date.

I forced myself to focus. “Oh,” I said. “I’m assuming Rhys forwarded you all the information I sent him for that?”

“Of course he did,” Kenan returned with an exaggerated brow waggle. “You know my brother, he’s always on top of things. He’s kind of like you.”

“You’re on top of things too,” I pointed out.

Even though Kenan never spoke of it, I knew he was sensitive about feeling like he wasn’t taken as seriously as his brothers. With his oldest brother Rhys the CEO of their family’s corporation, and the next one in line, Blake, managing the production and distribution arm of the company, and then his own twin being the numbers guy as the CFO, Kenan had a less defined role in the company. I personally knew his job title was executive. As one of the main lawyers for the corporation, all of that stuff flowed through me from human resources.

Kenan did whatever needed to be done. He was sharp, too smart for his own good, but he didn’t realize it. He covered up his uncertainty around that by always keeping things light and funny. I didn’t realize I’d sighed out loud until he prompted, “What was that for? You sound downright weary, Quinn.”

I glanced up at him, ignoring the flutter of butterflies in my belly. “Nothing.” Just then, my stomach growled audibly, and I slapped my palm over it. “Dinner wasn’t great. I just wanted to get out of there, so all I had was a few bites of the appetizer, and that was two hours ago.”

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