by Alisha Rai
“You don’t want to know our match percentage?”
“Nah. I don’t believe in it.” She yawned, but then opened one eye. “We scored high though, yeah?”
“Yeah, overachiever, we scored high.” He rolled his eyes, but high-fived her when she sleepily offered her hand.
They lay in silence for a while. Rhiannon had a million things to do, but for the first time in a long time, she felt . . . light. Like she’d gotten closure on multiple fronts, had laid down weights she hadn’t even been aware she was carrying.
He nuzzled her temple. “I’ll probably love you soon.”
Warmth bloomed in her chest. “I’ll love you soon too. And then it’s all over for you. I look out for the people I love even when they don’t look out for themselves.”
“Same.” He pressed a number of kisses on her face, including the tip of her nose. “You said you were the only one who could protect your heart, but I’m going to protect the hell out of your heart.”
Ohhhh. Well, there went said heart, turning to mush.
“I’m also going to make you take a break. Like right now.”
“I’m not doing anything.”
“In a few minutes you would have hopped out of bed to check your phone or email or Twitter.”
“Ugh. You know, I should check my Twitter. See what the damage is.” The dread in her voice must have been apparent to him, because it was loud and clear to her.
“I’ll never tell you how to run your business, but . . . you could not do that.”
“No. I have to. I should—”
“Or . . . hear me out . . . you could not.”
Her smile was reluctant.
“You have marketing and lawyers, right? Let them handle it for now, and take a beat for yourself. Let’s nap. We’ve both had a hectic time lately, clearly.”
“But—”
“What did you just say, about looking out for your people when they won’t look out for themselves? Seems like you should take some of your own advice sometimes. That’s the fair thing to do.”
She harrumphed. “Fine, damn it.”
He kissed her, and after a beat, she responded. “This is going to take some getting used to,” she murmured. Delegating. It’s just delegating.
“We’ll go slow. We’ll talk. Trust me, we can make it work.”
“I like your confidence, buddy.”
“I have enough for both of us.” He touched his finger to her nose. “I’m so glad I swiped right on you.”
Rhiannon smiled and ran her hand over his stomach. “Me too. Now run out and get some condoms.”
“There should be an app for that.”
A flare of interest had her sitting up, and he shook his head. “No.”
“An app that delivers condoms. And food.”
“No.”
“And the person who delivers it is your hookup.” She gasped. “Call it PostDates.”
He groaned, but again, high-fived her.
She liked him so much.
“Not now, Rhi. Make a note, but shelve the empire for a night.”
Rhi. Would she ever get tired of hearing it? Probably not. “Fine. I’ll take over the world tomorrow.”
“Good.” He yawned and hugged her tight. “I’ll hold your purse.”
“I never carry a purse.”
“I’ll hold your sweatshirt then.” His smile was warm, and so was his embrace. “Or better yet, I can be your sweatshirt.”
Acknowledgments
A NEW SERIES can be an intimidating venture, and it’s important to have the support of professional and personal superstars in your corner. Thanks to Erika Tsang and the team at Avon/HarperCollins, and to Corey, Jenice, Zee, Allie, and Lillie for reading early drafts of this book. A special thanks to Sarah Wendell, who is an invaluable source of kindness and inspiration.
All my love to Aly, my emotional support system, who lured me to the best coast and has made my transition such a joy (your glee in introducing me to people is secretly my favorite thing); to Kristin, my first (and finest) roommate and an eternal friend; to Jen, my most steadfast supporter and wine-tasting companion; and to my family, who are so proud of me but constantly ask when my books will be made into movies already. Call me, Hollywood, it would make my mama really happy.
Finally, I cannot thank you enough. Seriously. Every book feels like the hardest book I’ll ever write, and the most satisfying part is when I reach the end and know that soon it’ll be in the hands of readers who need it and love it and get it. To slightly paraphrase the great Jason Mendoza, you make the bass drop in my heart.
We’re all in this together. Much love.*
About the Author
ALISHA RAI is an author and attorney and is frequently sought as a speaker on a wide range of topics spanning publishing, media, and law. Her award-winning novels have been named Best Books of the Year by the Washington Post, NPR, Amazon, Entertainment Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, and Cosmopolitan magazine. In between deadlines, you can find Alisha traveling, tweeting, and hunting down the best place in town to get a taco. To find out more about her work or to sign up for her newsletter, visit alisharai.com.
Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at hc.com.
Also by Alisha Rai
THE FORBIDDEN HEARTS SERIES
Hate to Want You
Wrong to Need You
Hurts to Love You
THE PLEASURE SERIES
Glutton for Pleasure
Serving Pleasure
THE CAMPBELL SIBLINGS SERIES
A Gentleman in the Street
The Right Man for the Job
THE BEDROOM GAMES SERIES
Play with Me
Risk & Reward
Bet on Me
THE KARIMI SIBLINGS
Falling for Him
Waiting for Her
THE FANTASY SERIES
Be My Fantasy
Stay My Fantasy
SINGLE TITLES
Hot as Hades
Cabin Fever
Night Whispers
Never Have I Ever
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
THE RIGHT SWIPE. Copyright © 2019 by Alisha Rai. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Cover design and illustration by Raina Tinker
FIRST EDITION
Digital Edition AUGUST 2019 ISBN: 978-0-06-287786-4
Version 06192019
Print ISBN: 978-0-06-287809-0
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* Unless you’re a man who ghosted me at some point, in which case I am explicitly not thanking you and send you no love, I assume you’re dead, it’s the only explanation for your disappearance. Peace.