Perfect Match

by AG Meiers

Damn, Jayden still seemed scared. But what the fuck had he expected?

  They actually had talked in their one and only call before Jayden’s visit about the fact that Cold Creek was a rough place. Thank God Greg couldn’t keep a secret to save his life. His cousin’s slipup had given Sven some time to mentally prepare and talk to Jayden once, at least, before he showed up on his doorstep. The frightened, panicked kid in front of him didn’t match with the picture Sven had formed in his head after their phone call. On the call, Jayden had been impish, almost brazen.

  Awkward silence descended over the room. The drumming of the rain and the hissing and popping noises of the blazing fire were the only sounds. Jayden seemed to coil into himself. His arms wrapped around one leg, pulling it against his body. He looked miserable. Sven couldn’t suppress a frustrated growl. He should send him back home on the next plane. This was insane. Sven wasn’t even out. Only the people he counted as his family knew that he was gay. In the real world, he lived a lie, and for good reason. So maybe it would be best for everybody if he just ended the farce right now.

  But before Sven could say anything, he caught Orla’s gaze. She wasn’t smiling anymore. Just like Jayden, she’d wrapped her arms around herself as if she was cold despite the blazing fire, and had taken a few steps back. Damn! Her crestfallen expression told him how much this meant to her.

  To Sven’s surprise, it was Jayden who broke the silence. “Sven, I’m sorry. I was so excited to meet you . . . in person, I mean, and I know I’ve made this awkward, ’cause I freaked out. It’s just been such a long day. The plane was delayed, and the cab driver was an asshole— Sorry, ma’am, I mean . . .”

  Orla chuckled. “Oh, don’t mind me. I’ve heard much worse, and if he dropped you at the crossing on a night like this, you should call him worse. That’s almost three miles away.”

  “Felt like three hundred,” Jayden mumbled with a shudder that went through his whole body. The blatant exaggeration made Orla smile again. She pushed Sven aside and gently pulled up Jayden’s chin. “You hungry, sweetie? If you came straight from the airfield, then you haven’t had any dinner. I have some stew left. It’s Sven’s favorite. Want some?”

  Sven watched Orla fuss over Jayden like she had fussed over the lost fawn. Though he’d better stop making the analogy, as the fawn hadn’t survived in the end. The thought sent a shiver through him. Okay, he could do this. If having Jayden around made Orla happy, then he could let it all play out a little longer.

  Maybe instead of wrestling with the whole messed-up situation, he should figure out how to make it work. Especially as they’d paid the agency a small fortune. Sven had been shocked when he—after a lot of convincing—had gotten Orla to show him the final bill. While usually online dating sites charged a monthly subscription fee, Perfect Match had charged his family a hefty one-time “matching fee.” Orla never spent a ton of money on herself, but she clearly had gone all-out for him. So, the one thing Sven could do to thank her was to let City Boy stay for the ten days the agency had arranged.

  He took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. It really wasn’t like him to get so worked up about anything.

  Jayden thanked Orla repeatedly for the offer of dinner with a shy blush, and again it puzzled Sven how different Jayden seemed in person from the guy who had boldly flirted with him on the call, but he pushed the thought aside. Jayden had clearly had a rough day. Walking for an hour in this weather couldn’t have been fun.

  When Orla went to the kitchen to get Jayden some food, Greg, who had hovered in the background, moved in and said, “I’m Greg. Sven’s cousin. I helped pick you out. You like to bake and play guitar? We asked for somebody who can play guitar and bake.” The other men grumbled, but Sven silenced them with a wave.

  Jayden looked at Greg and said with a faint smile, “I bake. Pies, and cookies too. I can bake something for you tomorrow. I’m actually pretty good at it.”

  Greg piped up, “And you have a dragon tattoo? A little blue and green dragon?”

  “My tattoo. What? How?”

  Greg grinned triumphantly. “Cool! Can we see it?”

  “Shut up, Greg,” Sven snapped. “It’s on his ass. He is not going to show his butt to any of you idiots.” Jayden’s gaze lifted, full of emotion, but again Sven couldn’t read his look.

  Orla, who had just come back from the kitchen with a bowl of steaming stew, inhaled sharply and mumbled, “What’s got into you, Sven?”

  Sven raked his hand through his hair, trying not to pull it out, and turned toward the fireplace to rein himself in. Greg, Orla, they meant well. Meddling, but with good intentions. Orla was right to call him out. He had no real reason to be so edgy and jump down everyone’s throat. The room fell silent while Jayden ate his stew, and Orla went to the rooms in the back of the lodge to get some dry socks and a pair of rubber boots.

  After the kid had eaten and drowned another cup of spiked tea, he seemed to be fading fast. Sven saw him failing to suppress a yawn. Orla must have seen it too and said, “Come on, Jayden, I have a bed made up in the guest room upstairs.”

  “No, Jayden’s staying with me. I’ll take him back to my cabin,” Sven said quietly, not leaving any room for argument. Jayden, who’d been thanking Orla yet again, stumbled mid-sentence and went silent.

  Sven didn’t give a damn what anyone thought about him right now. Jayden was a complete stranger, and Orla lived alone in the lodge. He didn’t look dangerous, especially not in his current tired, bedraggled state, but Sven wasn’t going to let him stay in the lodge alone with his mom. Elliot gave him a quick nod of approval. The old man had gotten awfully protective of Orla ever since his brother had died.

  Orla sent Sven a stern glance and started to say something, but Jayden beat her to it. “Of course I’m coming with you. I’m here because of you. For you.”

  Orla gave Jayden one of Greg’s winter coats. The rain was still pelting down, and the wind rattled the shutters of the old building. The storm was getting worse. Elliot, who lived farther up the road, offered Sven and Jayden a ride in his old truck to Sven’s cabin. Sven grabbed the muddy suitcase and dumped it in the back. Meanwhile, Orla bundled up an exhausted Jayden, who seemed a little unsteady on his feet—probably too much tea.

  Once they reached his cabin, Sven hauled the suitcase inside and turned on the lights. Jayden’s eyes widened slightly when he saw that there was only one bed in the tiny cabin, but he recovered quickly and asked for the bathroom after he’d peeled himself out of the boots and jacket. Sven had started to pile up wood in the large fireplace when he came back out.

  “Sit down for a minute. I’ll start a fire, and then we can talk.” Sven turned back to Jayden, who right that moment unbuttoned his wet, stained jeans, showing some pale skin from his belly.

  Jayden seemed focused on getting his wet clothes off, so Sven let his eyes roam. Jayden wasn’t as young as Sven had assumed. Sven vaguely remembered twenty-four from the Perfect Match profile, and that was probably more accurate than his first impression. Jayden’s shoulders filled the soggy light-blue T-shirt nicely. The way it hugged his upper body showed off his lean muscles. When Jayden looked up and caught Sven staring at him, his hands froze.

  Sven quickly turned away and spent more time with the fire than strictly necessary. Finally, when Jayden had gone quiet behind him, he turned to ask a few questions that had been bouncing around in his mind. The words died on his lips though. Jayden was asleep. He’d simply fallen to his side on the bed. One leg was pulled up and the other one still hung over the edge of the mattress. His hands were pushed under his cheek, and his breath was even and relaxed, his full lips slightly parted. In the warm light of the fire, Jayden’s ridiculously long lashes were resting on his cheeks, and there was a small scar cutting through his left eye brow. Sven let out a low curse while his eyes roamed over the sleeping man in his bed. Jayden flinched in his sleep but didn’t wake up.

  This moment felt unreal. Jayden didn’t belong in Sven’s world. Sven wa
s surrounded by foresters and loggers. Brawny, hairy men, who spent most of their day working outdoors. Jayden Calver was nothing like them. His slender build was on the skinny side, but definitely that of a grown man. Now dry, his hair seemed to be a lighter brown with golden streaks—too blond to be natural. Colored hair and painted toenails. Sven couldn’t shake the feeling that if he blinked, Jayden would disappear like one of the magical creatures in Orla’s bedtime stories.

  Jayden let out a low whimper and shivered. There were goose bumps on his arms and legs. Sven slipped out another string of muffled curses and then carefully packed the sleeping Jayden under the quilts.

  All talk would have to wait. Sven was somewhat relieved. He wasn’t one for confrontation, but he had to find out what Jayden actually expected from their time here together. Sven wasn’t in the market for a relationship. But it would be okay to wait until tomorrow, because the terror in Jayden’s expressive eyes when he’d pressed himself against wall of the lodge still haunted Sven.

  His eyes roamed again over the slender body bundled under the heavy blankets. Sharing the bed would be the only way Sven was going to get some sleep tonight.

  Well, shit.

  Perfect Match Commitment #3:

  Computer algorithms will only get you so far. Our proven match-making methodology includes the human touch.

  “If you get in a tight spot, use sex. Men are easy. For most guys, finding a soul mate just means frequent fucking.” Jackson’s advice played in his mind while Jayden brushed his teeth to get rid of his morning breath. Alex Stone was his handler at Perfect Match. Alex’s job had been to set everything up, but once Sven had been hooked, Jayden had been introduced to Jackson Black. Jackson, an expert in Perfect Match assignments, had become Jayden’s coach.

  Jayden wasn’t sure he always agreed with Jackson, but there was no doubt he hadn’t even been here for twenty-four hours and was already grasping at straws. Sven had suggested they talk last night, and Jayden didn’t want to talk. Questions were dangerous.

  Yesterday had been a bad day, but Jayden’s life had been such a clusterfuck recently, yesterday didn’t even hit the top ten list of bad days this year. Of course he had messed up. It seemed he couldn’t get anything right. Alex had told him at least a hundred times that the initial minutes were absolutely crucial. First impressions could make or break an assignment. Alex wouldn’t be happy if he found out that all their prep had been a waste. Jayden had failed miserably last night. He was certain that Sven hadn’t missed the fact that Jayden hadn’t recognized him on first sight. If Jayden hadn’t completely lost his cool, he probably would have recognized his mark, but instead he’d let his fear get the better of him. Maybe he was overreacting, but he fully expected to be sent home today.

  He couldn’t fail. Working for Perfect Match was his best chance to get himself out of the mess his life had become. Before he had started with the agency, he’d been facing a different kind of employment, which would have forced him to give his body to any man who walked in the door. He broke out in a cold sweat every time he thought about the consequences of failing. Yeah, he’d been in worse trouble before he signed, and he had no intention of screwing up any more.

  Incredible as it seemed, for the most part, Perfect Match was a straight-up dating site, but this isolated place Sven called home had made him a difficult client, so Jayden had been turned into his perfect match. The mission was simple enough. At first, Jayden had to make Sven believe that he was simply perfect, and then he had to find or create an overwhelming obstacle to ensure Sven would never want to talk to him again. Once Jayden had completed this first assignment, he’d go back home and do it all over until his debt was paid off.

  Jayden took a deep breath to calm his nerves, and glanced at his hair in the tiny mirror over the sink. Relax, he told himself over and over again. If he could just stop being so jittery around Sven.

  When he’d woken up earlier, Sven had offered him a cup of coffee, but Jayden had opted to escape to the bathroom instead. Before he’d closed the door, he saw Sven do a double take at his meticulously packed suitcase. Yeah, using about fifteen clear plastic bags to keep things from getting mixed up was slightly over the top. Jayden had almost been able to guess Sven’s thoughts. Crazy much? Yes, that’s me.

  Determined not to get lost in those thoughts, he gave himself a mental shove. Dwelling on how messed up he was wouldn’t help him right now. He had a lumberjack to fell, and he’d better get on with it. Stepping back a little, Jayden gave his naked body another glance. He was too skinny. He could see his ribs through his pale-white skin. Not sexy by any means. Nothing he could do about it now. Once again, he went through the mental checklist Jackson had impressed upon him. Take a shower. Check. Wash your ass. Check. Lube. Prep yourself. Check. Check. Jayden’s face heated. He tried to take a deep breath, but his chest seemed constricted by invisible bands that made it impossible for him to get enough air into his lungs.

  “You can do this,” he whispered to his distorted reflection in the fogged-up mirror. Sex with Sven wouldn’t be bad. If they had met in a club, Jayden would totally have gone home with him. Sven was hot. Big. Bulky. Solid. Maybe a little gruff, but not unkind. He obviously had tucked Jayden into bed last night, and at the lodge, even though he’d been grumpy, he’d protected Jayden a few times when the other men had gotten too close.

  “You’re just out of practice, that’s all.” Jayden tried breathing in against the invisible constraints.

  Last minute, before he opened the door with a resigned sigh, he grabbed the towel off the rack again and draped it loosely around his hips. Show time!

  His knees were shaking, but he forced himself to walk into the small living room without hesitation. Sven looked up from his coffee. His cup froze in midair, and his eyes widened at the sight of Jayden’s mostly naked body.

  “Thank you for letting me stay with you last night,” Jayden said when he finally came to a halt in front of Sven. He carefully put a hand on Sven’s arm. The gentle touch jolted the logger out of his trance, and he dropped his cup on the counter with a noisy clang, coffee spilling all over the place. He quickly peeled off his flannel shirt, and Jayden let out an unmanly squeak when Sven wrapped the shirt around him, forced his arms into the sleeves, and had him all bundled up within seconds.

  After a moment of surprise, defeat tore into Jayden, and he whispered, “You don’t want me.” He tucked the shirt tightly around his body, crossing his arms over his belly. The shirt was too big. It hung down over his hips, which was convenient as just then his towel dropped to the floor.

  “What the fuck, kid?”

  Jayden winced. Kid? Not the reaction he’d hoped for, but it wasn’t a complete surprise, either. Jayden rubbed his hands over his arms, trying to brush off the sting of rejection.

  Sven must have picked up on Jayden’s hurt feelings, because his voice softened as he continued, “We need to talk. We’re strangers, and I’m not sure how this is gonna work. We need to sort this out before we can . . . Shit, I don’t mean we will . . . ever . . . You are—” Instead of finishing his sentence, Sven pushed his hand through his hair and turned away.

  Jayden let out a gasp. “Wow!” he blurted and again stepped closer to Sven. “That’s amazing!”

  Sven looked back over his shoulder. Jayden couldn’t stop himself—his hands ghosted over Sven’s skin, tracing the outlines of the colorful dragon tattoo that stretched out from his left shoulder all across his back. Sven made a small strangled sound at the touch but didn’t move away. Instead he said, “That’s why they picked you.”

  Jayden’s fingers stopped their slow progress on Sven’s back. “Who picked me?”

  “My family. Orla, Greg, Pat, everyone.”

  Jayden was slightly confused. “You didn’t pick me at all? I thought you at least were part of it.”

  “No, I wasn’t. You’re my birthday gift. I turned thirty last month, and my family felt that it was time for me to have someone in my life. I had no id
ea. They made the first contact with the agency and they picked you. They chose Perfect Match because they offered full service. Instead of having to search through a large number of profiles, the agency promised that they had done all the preselecting and vetted the candidates personally.” Narrowing his eyes, Sven asked, “How does it work? The matching, I mean. Do you know?”

  Jayden lowered his gaze. Of course Sven hadn’t picked him. Not even the fake him. That was another blow to his already fragile ego. Sven hadn’t even made contact with the agency. From the skepticism in his voice, it sounded like online dating wasn’t something he would ever consider.

  Jayden wasn’t sure he could convincingly argue for Perfect Match’s infallible algorithm, but luckily, Sven wasn’t done with his explanation. “Greg, the redhead—you met him last night—he can’t keep a secret, so I found out just in time to pay the last bill and at least arrange one call. Greg kept going on and on about the fact that we both have a dragon tattoo.”

  The dragon! At this Jayden snorted and said, “You’re kidding, right? Have you seen my tattoo? You must have seen the picture. Yours is fierce and beautiful. Mine is a small cartoon character. A baby dragon, really!” Jayden swiftly turned around and pulled his shirt to the side. “See. It’s tiny, comic-like and—”

  Sven let out a low growl. The deep sound made Jayden realize what he was doing, and he whipped back to face Sven, dropping the shirt. Heat rushed into his cheeks and then spread to his neck and chest.

  “Fuck! I mooned you!”

  A hearty laugh burst out of Sven and then another. He visibly tried to keep it in, but then another cocked sound escaped. The reaction surprised the hell out of Jayden. It was the first time he’d heard Sven laugh since he arrived.

  “Shoot me now,” he muttered, and started to step backward. But Sven didn’t let him go. He put his huge hands on Jayden’s arms.

  “Who are you? Where did you come from?” Sven had stopped laughing, but bestowed Jayden with a most gorgeous smile that lit up his whole face. In the gloomy late-morning light of the cabin, the laugh lines etched into Sven’s tanned skin were visible. His smile transformed him. He looked friendly and kind. The warm expression in his eyes, combined with his large, strong hands wrapped around Jayden’s arms and holding him tight, did funny things to Jayden’s stomach.