by Jody Holford
She wore an oversized sweater, and her hair was up in a loose bun, tendrils of dark hair framing her gorgeous face and highlighting her worried eyes. He pressed his forehead to hers and just closed his eyes, taking a moment to breathe her in.
“Dec,” she whispered.
He reached deep, found his courage, and straightened. He wouldn’t admit, even under the threat of bodily harm, that he’d actually practiced this on the way over.
“Do you believe the speed dating thing will actually work for people?”
He knew he caught her off guard by the way her perfectly shaped brows arched, then came together.
“I do. They have a very high success rate, and I want you to know I’m not looking to bring gimmicks into your pub. I think it’ll draw a new crowd, intrigue the existing crowd, and I also think it’ll work for some couples who might not have met otherwise.”
Exactly what he hoped to hear. “So, tell me how it works. I looked it up, but I want your understanding of it.”
Her mouth formed a little O that was so fucking adorable he wanted to kiss her, but he needed to get through this now that he’d started.
“You looked it up?” She leaned back a little, and though he didn’t like it, she shifted, putting a bit of space between them. Her shoulders went stiff, and he bit back a smile at the way she pulled herself up and turned on her professional demeanor. “I didn’t realize you wanted to talk about work. Okay.” She huffed out a breath.
Only to start, sweetheart. “Is that okay?”
Her chin lifted. “Of course. That’s what we should be discussing. Like Dan told us, they have a chance to meet each other, converse, see if they hit it off. The initial chemistry will be there or it won’t.”
Oh, it’s here. In spades. More than it ever has been before. He nodded.
“If they want to exchange information, it’ll be passed forward for both parties by Match More. From there, it’s up to them.”
“Right. So, what would happen next?”
She frowned and turned her body to face him, pulling one of her legs up to tuck it under the other. “Then they’d carry forward as people do at the beginning of a relationship, I guess. It’s an opportunity to meet people who are in a similar place to you.”
She sounded so annoyed he wanted to pull her into his arms, but he’d planned out how to do this. She was doing her best to make practical decisions and set her life up right for her and her kid, and he couldn’t think too much about it right this second, but he knew he wanted to be part of that. Somehow.
“To recap, they meet, chemistry sparks or it doesn’t. They exchange particulars and maybe text back and forth, flirt a little. Maybe they have dinner together, kiss, maybe more. See if they’re compatible in more ways than one. The speed dating cuts out some of the legwork, right? They both know they want something with someone, and they’re looking for that hit of attraction neither of them can deny, and then they move forward and see where it takes them.”
Mouth open, she pulled in a breath and let it out slowly. He knew he had it bad when he felt like he could lose track of time just looking at her. She was breathtaking.
“Yes. That covers it. That’s how dating works, and yes, Match More facilitates the introductions to make that process smoother. If you’d like, I can sign you up.” She started to stand even as her temper bubbled. He grabbed her hand and tugged her down gently, this time onto his lap.
“I don’t want to sign up. Not formally. But I want to do it. I want to speed date you.”
There. He’d said. It. But the worry that kept jumping into his brain distracted him. “How far along are you?”
Sophia frowned. “What?”
“Sorry. We’ll go back to the other in a sec, but how far?” He put his hand over her stomach and felt her breathing pause. God. She was growing a baby in there. He thought of Charlie, remembering how tiny he’d been when he was born. How amazing it felt to watch him have his firsts. How awesome it was to hang out with him now.
She put her hand over his, looked down at her stomach, which still felt flat to him. “Around three months. What are you doing, Declan?”
Both of them lifted their heads at the same moment, and he felt a wave—okay, maybe a tsunami—of desire to kiss her. “I know you said you’re done with your ex. But are you over him?” Ignoring her question for a moment, he braced for the answer.
The emotion in her gaze nearly undid him. “I was over him before I found out I was pregnant. When I told him about the baby, it was only so he knew and could decide what role he wanted to play. As a father. Not as my partner. I felt selfishly relieved when he made it clear he wanted no role at all.”
Declan knew full well that sometimes what a man thought he wanted could change. Even when he was positive it never would. But he also knew that kind of hurt—the damage he’d likely caused to Sophia’s heart—couldn’t be forgotten. She was one of the strongest women he knew, and she’d do what was best for the baby, regardless of what her ex wanted. Which meant, he wanted to see where this road led. Because he couldn’t imagine not.
“I want to be with you. To date you. You’re pregnant. You’re my friend’s little sister. You’re my employee. That’s three strikes.”
Her brows rose, and he swore. “Not what I meant. I’m sorry.” He took one of her hands, and just like that, his pulse settled and he was able to pull in a deep breath. Fuck. That was a lot of power for one woman to have over him.
“By that analogy, I should be out,” Sophia said. He appreciated her attempt at levity.
“Definitely not what I meant, but maybe it works anyway. Because even knowing those things, I can’t get you out of my head. I feel like you’ve wound your way around my heart, and as much as it terrifies me, feeling this much before we even go out for dinner, it tells me that there isn’t a roadblock big enough to stop me from wanting you. Will you admit there’s an attraction?”
She laughed. “I’m not dead, so, yeah. I’m attracted to you, Dec. I have been probably since before I even knew what it meant.”
His cheeks heated, shocking the hell out of him. He did not blush. “Uh. Wow. Well, that’s flattering.”
“I doubt you’ve ever gone long without flattery.”
Now he frowned. “Nothing in the past matters, Sophe. You’re not who you were, and neither am I. But who we are now? That’s what I want to explore. I came up with my own version of speed dating. I’m laying it all on the line here because I figure we’re working on an accelerated timeline. What I feel when I look at you is more than just thinking you’re hot. It’s more than wanting to sleep with you. Don’t get me wrong. I do, and I want to. But there’s something else. Something deeper. The kind of thing that people say you’ll know when you feel it. I can’t label it, but I can feel it. So, my idea is that we date. That guy from the bar said you have about four minutes to decide if you’re interested in knowing more. I took one look at you giving the back door to my bar the stink eye and all but fell at your feet. I want to know more. I want to know a hell of a lot more.” He took a breath and noted that Sophia’s eyes had widened.
She didn’t talk, so he kept going. “On their website, they suggest an initial date, a short one, to see if you’re still interested. We’ve more than covered those bases, so we’re ahead that way.”
“Ahead?” She looked so confused and flustered he nearly laughed. Instead, he pressed a kiss to the furrow in her brow.
“Yeah. If we met at the speed dating event, we’d practically be ready to live together by now.” He grinned and tapped her nose with his index finger. “And technically, we’ve done that already, too.”
She kept staring at him, and nerves muscled in on his confidence. Get the rest of it out.
He shifted uncomfortably. Not that she didn’t feel great against him. If anything, she felt too good. “If you believe the speed dating thing can work, then we could, too. That’s all I’m saying. It’s worth a shot. I’ve been out with a lot of women, Sophe.”
Yeah. She wanted this. He just had to make her see it his way. Cupping her cheek, he brought them nose to nose. “Not once have I ever felt the level of attraction and want I do for you. Not once have I ever been so sure I need to see something through.”
She blinked, and it punched him in the heart when tears shimmered in those brown eyes.
“I’m pregnant.”
He nodded, their foreheads brushing, and a strange tightness surrounded his heart muscles. “I know. I’m not going into this blind. I want you.” He placed his hand over her belly again, feelings tumbling around in his chest like a drunk trying to walk a straight line. “I was freaked at first. But I can’t stop thinking about it. The baby. You. How amazing you’ll be as a mother. How lucky this kid will be to be adored by you. How much I want to be a part of this because it’s you.” The words came out like a harsh whisper. He hadn’t meant to say them, but that didn’t make them any less true.
Her hand slid over his shoulder, her fingers playing at the nape of his neck, making him shudder with need. “It’s so complicated, Dec.”
“I’m asking you to put aside all those things and just go with your gut. Spend time with me, let me take you out, let’s get to know each other and see if there’s anything here. Because if there is, and I think there is, then we’ll figure out the rest together.”
“What worries me is the idea of getting attached and having you realize that you’re just confusing lust and caring.”
Declan nodded. That was a good point. The smell of the lasagna trickled in from the kitchen, and his stomach growled. He wouldn’t be able to eat until they figured this out.
“Three dates. We treat tonight like the speed dating event. You can ask me anything you want that could make or break whether or not you’d want to go on the first date. But if by the end of the night, you’re willing to go on a real date with me, you agree to three dates. We’ll know, Sophia. We’ll know if after three dates we both want more or it’s just heat.”
She grinned and slid her hands into his hair, her nails scratching his scalp, and his body shivered involuntarily.
“Three dates, huh?”
He nodded, his fingers curling into the soft flesh at her hips. He did his best not to imagine what it would feel like to have his hands on her skin. Running his mouth along all of the smooth, soft parts.
“Three dates. We don’t think about the complications that we’ll need to make our way through after that, but if you think about it, there’s no relationship out there that doesn’t have its share of potholes, so I don’t see why we’d get off easy.”
“Did Declan James just say the word relationship?” She whispered the words playfully.
“Sophia.” He was done playing.
“Three dates. We push everything else aside and take the time to see if there’s something more than heat between us.”
“Exactly.”
“But there is heat between us. Enough to light a house on fire.”
His throat dried again, and his tongue felt thick, so all he could do was nod.
“Three dates might not prove to us that we’re MFEO, but we’ll definitely still want each other.”
His brows furrowed, and he tried to follow her train of thought. “MFEO?”
Sophia grinned and then, shocking the hell out of him, shifted so her thighs opened around his waist and she was on her knees. Straddling him. Fuck. How was he supposed to think now? Declan swallowed audibly.
“Made for each other. Never seen Sleepless in Seattle?”
“Is it about sports, craft beer, Lego, or motorcycles?”
She shook her head.
“Then, no.”
“I agree to your three dates. But, if we decide, nope, we’re not good for the long haul, which in my case, and this is serious Dec, includes a kid, we part ways as friends.”
“I love kids.”
“I’m glad you do. If things don’t work out the way you think they will, I’d love for my child to have the influence of a good man like you.”
“Babe.” He didn’t want to think like that, dammit.
“If after the three dates, we part ways, as friends, you agree to sleep with me anyway.”
Declan nearly choked on his own spit, which was saying something, since his mouth was drier than desert sand.
“Excuse me?”
She inched closer, pressing herself against his stomach so the only thing between them was clothes and maybe some air.
“After three dates, if we’re all in, we’ll want to tear each other’s clothes off anyway. Hell, I’m pretty sure we both want that now. But if we figure it won’t work long-term, I still want to know what it’s like to be with you, Dec.”
He didn’t have words. He absolutely did not know what to say. But he thought about walking away from her like he would any casual hookup, and irritation fueled his speech.
“You want me to sleep with you even if we decide not to stay together? Then just walk away? I’m not an ass, Sophia. I can’t do that.”
Sophia pressed her lips to his cheek, her hands sliding down to his shoulders where she stroked up and down. “I know who you are. That’s the thing. I trust you. I want you. And I’m thinking with our work schedules, three dates, even if we carve out time soon, is going to take a couple of weeks. By then, I’ll be showing. No one is going to want to date me then. And truthfully, I didn’t think I’d be interested in dating anyone for a good long time. If it wasn’t you, I’d have no trouble dismissing the idea. But if I’m going to get three dates with you, three nights of good-night kisses, maybe you holding my hand and making me want more. If I’m going to say yes to getting all worked up that way, this is what I want. To have one more memorable night before my life changes completely and is no longer about me at all.”
He took her face in his hands, ignoring the ache settling into his knees. Her hands went to his wrists.
“You’re crazy if you think I’m walking away after three dates. I’ll agree to your terms, but it’s because I already know, by that third date, I’ll convince you we can have more.”
“How can you be so sure?” she whispered.
“Because the thought of it going any other way terrifies me more than any of those complications we talked about.”
The timer dinged on the oven, startling them both.
One side of Sophia’s lips quirked up. “Your four minutes are up. I’d like to see you again.”
Pressing a noisy kiss to her mouth, he stood up, stared down at her, and felt a happiness he was unfamiliar with.
“Brat.” As he went to the stove, he realized that he’d just given himself a timeline. He had three dates to make Sophia Strombi see that he was not the man she thought she knew. Hell, he wasn’t even the guy he thought he knew. But somehow, listening to her get the plates behind him, inhaling the scent of her shampoo that permeated the air and knowing they were going to share dinner together, he liked this guy a lot more.
Chapter Seventeen
Sophia held Declan’s hand as they waited in the dimly lit reception room. He’d brought her to a freaking spa.
“You okay?” He leaned in to whisper in her ear.
Okay? She was fan-freaking-tastic. “I can’t believe you brought me to a spa.” When she turned her head, their faces were so close together, his eyes looked darker and more intense. Her heartbeat kicked up several notches.
“I wanted something you hadn’t done with any other guy,” he said.
The sweetness of those words overwhelmed her. “Mission accomplished.”
She turned back to stare at the cascading rock waterfall so she could gather her emotions. So much for her belief that she’d be able to keep a little perspective during their speed dating trial. Candles burned low, and soft music hummed with the gentle trickling of water, adding more ambiance. She looked around and wondered how the hell she was supposed to not fall for him after this.
Glan
cing at Dec out of the corner of her eye, she saw he looked as he usually did. At ease. Too freaking hot for his own good. The little bit of growth he sported from not shaving today was sexy and had her fingers itching to touch. She quelled the urge by squeezing his hand.
“Can I get either of you water, coffee, or tea?” the receptionist asked. She had pale blond hair swept over her forehead and pulled up into a ponytail. Her voice was barely above a whisper.
“I’m good. Sophe?” Declan looked at her, and her stomach danced. Not nausea, she realized. Just happiness.
Her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth. “Uh, water would be great. Thank you.”
“My pleasure.”
The woman turned and walked down a long corridor out of sight.
“You ever had a pedicure?” Declan asked, looking at her feet. She was bundled thanks to the weather, but he stared anyway. He always looked at her like he could see beneath the surface. That scared her less today than it had a month ago.
“Not a professional one. I have two sisters. We painted each other’s nails all the time when we weren’t arguing. Marcus’s, too.”
Declan met her gaze and laughed. “Oh yeah?”
“Yup. Though he’d probably tape my mouth shut for telling you that. How about you? Ever let anyone paint your nails?”
He frowned. “That would be a hard no.”
Pretending to swoon a little, she batted her eyelashes. “And yet, here you are, for me.”
Declan’s eyes widened. “For you to get a pedicure. I’m watching.”
Now she arched her brows. “Wouldn’t have pegged you for a foot fetish guy. Not judging. Just saying.” She held her hands up and bit back her smile.
He gave her a mock glare that made her laugh but didn’t respond, since the receptionist came back with Sophia’s water and she was followed by two women. One was what Sophia could only describe as burly. She was portly and short and reminded Sophia of her nonna. Her dark hair was streaked with gray, and the much younger woman beside her seemed to defer to her when they approached.