Mr. Accidental Cowboy_Jet City Matchmaker Series_Dylan
Page 14
Laura crossed her heart.
Shirley nodded. “Six chocolate bars—any significance to that?”
Laura frowned and looked at the stack. “How did you count them so fast?”
“I have a good eye. I’m a good estimator. I see a stack of chocolate bars I know what I’m looking at. Premium stuff, too. Locally sourced.” Shirley waited.
She was good. Her lips didn’t even twitch.
Laura looked to me for help. She thought Shirley was a bit crazy.
I shrugged.
“Well?” Shirley said. “This your first date?”
“No, it’s—”
“Need more time?” Shirley said. “Why would you need more time? He looks like a keeper to me.” She winked at Laura.
“It’s our sixth date.” Laura looked at me again.
“Six exclusive chocolate bars. Six dates. Must be a momentous occasion.”
“It could be,” I said.
Shirley winked at me. “I’ll give you two a minute to decide.” She leaned over Laura and whispered, loudly enough for me, and everyone around, to hear. “Don’t keep the man waiting too long, dear.” She smiled at me. “I’ll get you some waters and be back.”
Laura was threatening to break out into laughter now. “Six? The number of dates we’ve had. Exclusive chocolate. Are you hinting at something?”
“Ashley has rules—”
Laura smiled. “Yes, I’m fully aware.”
My mouth was dry. I reached across the table and took Laura’s hands. “Odette, we’ve known each other forever, and very briefly, at the same time. Despite that, I believe we’ve met the five-date minimum as required by the rules of the dating game established by my matchmaker. I know what I want. It’s what you want that’s the mystery and driving me insane. I’ve had a fantastic time with you today and at the ball. So fantastic that the thought of you going out on matches with other guys makes me jealous. I don’t like feeling jealous. What I’m trying to ask is—will you be exclusive with me?”
Her face lit up. “I thought you’d never ask. Yes. Yes, I will be exclusive with you.” She leaned forward and whispered, “With everything that entails. I’d like more of what we had at and after the ball.”
“I love you.” The words just popped out. But they’d been brewing since I’d met her again.
“I think I’ve loved you since we were young.”
“We still are.”
Her smile was radiant. “Then kiss me before we get any older.”
16
Ashley
I met Knox for coffee for our usual weekly matchmaking meeting and date postmortem. I was hoping this match was the one. We sat at our usual table with our usual beverages.
“Nothing? No sparks? You had no sparks with her?” I was having a hard time believing it. I’d been so optimistic.
Knox shrugged. “Chemistry. What can I say?”
“We won’t give up. I’ll just have to work harder.” I pulled up a file on my tablet. “Anything I can fine-tune?”
Knox held his hands up. “Sorry.”
I blew out a breath. Lazer wasn’t happy with me keeping Knox on the client list. We’d had another disagreement over it. But I couldn’t let Ruck’s best friend go. I couldn’t do it to Knox, or Ruck. It was just more motivation to get him happily matched quickly. Before Lazer ran out of patience.
Knox reached across the table and grabbed my hand. “What’s wrong?”
“Lazer’s been on my case about you. He wants you in the successfully matched column. Now that I’ve gotten Dylan—one of my worst offenders—matched, you’re one of the main ones bringing our average down.” I tried to sound light and jokey, but there was an element of truth to it. Only an element.
“Sorry.”
“Knox—”
He cocked his head. “What?”
I shook my head.
“Come on,” he said. “Out with it.”
“We’re old friends.” I didn’t know how to phrase this. It was so ridiculous.
“Yeah.”
“So I’ll just be frank.”
“All right, Frank. Hit me with it.”
I laughed. He was still the same old Knox. “You have to try harder. Lazer wants me to cut you loose as a client. He has this ridiculous notion that you’re…interested in me.” I laughed like it was silly.
Knox’s expression became serious. He squeezed my hand and let it go. “Lazer is an astute guy. I’ll give him points for that. A worthy adversary.”
I frowned. My hands shook. “What? No—”
I couldn’t believe it, but Knox didn’t look like he was joking. Yes, he’d hinted. Yes, he’d flirted. But he knew it was impossible. He knew I was in love with Lazer, that I was engaged to Lazer. It was just a game Knox played.
“Don’t tell me I’ve been too subtle. And you a matchmaker…”
I went cold. All right, I had suspected. It was flattering, but…no.
“You have noticed.” He paused. “Ashley, even Ruck knew I was in love with you.”
Shock rippled through me. “No. You couldn’t have been…” I took a second to process my thoughts. “You and Ruck were best friends.”
“Which was why he tolerated it. Look, he pressed me. I told him flat out. He said he could trust me. He counted on me to keep you safe when he was away and keep my hands, and feelings, to myself. But he knew.”
I hadn’t known. Or had I and just denied it to myself?
“And I’ve had the feeling, all along, that you feel something for me, too.”
I didn’t rush in to deny it. I had to think of a way to handle this. This new revelation about Ruck—
“I made Ruck a promise. He asked me to look after you if anything happened to him.” Knox took a deep breath. “He picked me out as your second husband, Ashley.”
If I had been cold before, now I was ice. I simply stared at him. “What are you saying, Knox? We can be blunt with each other.”
“I’d like to be your second husband, Ashley. Why do you think I came back?” His eyes were dark. His expression was serious.
“You’re asking me to leave Lazer? To break my engagement?”
“I’m asking you if you’ll consider marrying me? If you’ll give me a shot. If I have any chance at all?”
*
NEXT UP: Ashley unwittingly matches Cam with his rival.
Get MR. ACCIDENTAL RIVAL. Cam’s love story. Book 3 in the Jet City Matchmaker series.
Also by Gina Robinson
The Jet City Matchmaker Series
Mr. Accidental Hero
Mr. Accidental Cowboy
The Jet City Kilt Series
Almost Jamie
Almost Elinor
Simply Blair
Simply Austin
The Billionaire Matchmaker Series
Lazer Focused
Harte Strings
Pair Us
Dating Lazer
Match Point
The Billionaire Duke Series
The Billionaire Duke
The Duchess Contest
The Temporary Duchess
The American Heir
The Switched at Marriage Series
A Wedding to Remember
The Virgin Billionaire
To Have and To Hold
From This Day Forward
For Richer, For Richest
In Sickness and In Wealth
To Love and To Cherish
The Billionaire’s Christmas Vows
Gina Robinson’s Contemporary New Adult Romance Series
The Rushed Series
Rushed
Crushed
Hushed
The Reckless Series
Reckless Longing
Reckless Secrets
Reckless Together
About the Author
Gina Robinson is the bestselling and award-winning author of the popular Switched at Marriage, Billionaire Duke, and Billionaire Matchmaker romantic comedy series, featuring a billionaire in a surprising
marriage of convenience, a billionaire who inherits a British dukedom, and a billionaire who partners with a matchmaker, the Reckless and Rushed contemporary new adult romance series, and the Agent Ex series of humorous romantic suspense novels. Her books have delighted readers and received praise in Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and Romantic Times Book Reviews.
*
Sign up for her mailing list at www.ginarobinson.com and be the first to hear about new releases, contests, and giveaways.
www.ginarobinson.com