She still wasn’t.
His eyes widened in pure surprise at seeing her there. So this wasn’t planned. Oh, no, this was some sort of crazy God universe thing who liked to laugh and torture her. What were the odds? And how the hell did he know Wolfe? She tried to squeak out something, but it took a few times before words took hold. She didn’t need to worry. He said the exact thing she would’ve bet he’d come up with no matter what the situation was.
“Hey.”
The worst part was the softening of her heart at the familiar greeting. “Hey.”
Wolfe looked back and forth between them. “You know each other?”
“Yes,” they both said together.
Nate explained further. “Kennedy is my matchmaker.”
“No way. You’re hooked up with Kinnections? Dude, you never told me.”
“Small world,” Nate murmured. His gaze roved over her, hot and hungry and . . . knowing. He knew she loved when he nibbled and bit the crease where her neck met shoulder. Knew the exact pressure to use on her nipples to bring them to a point of pain/pleasure. Knew how to curl his fingers just right when he slipped inside her to bring her quickly to orgasm.
Knew way too much.
“How do you two know each other?” she asked.
“Nate saved my ass showing me how to golf. I’m courting a big client for Purity, and the only way to get close is on the course. Of course, I sucked, and he took pity on me. He’s got this scientific thing with figuring out a swing.”
“Yes, he’s quite the teacher.”
Nate remained silent.
The air between them grew heavy and thick with unspoken words and arousal. Wolfe seemed to catch something weird going on, because he kept shifting his glance as if trying to figure out what it was. “Nate’s been a wonderful client. I’m excited about his new match.”
Nate crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Yeah, Mary does seem perfect. Too bad I’m still stuck on that last woman I was with. Don’t you think I need some time to get my head straight? Or convince her to take a chance on us?”
She shook her head hard. “You need to look at the big picture. Mary is more suited to you; this other one will break your heart.”
He took a step in. “How do you know?”
“Because she’s a mess.”
“Maybe I like messes.”
“Maybe you don’t know what’s good for you because she fogged your head with sex.”
Wolfe whistled. “Way to go, Nate.”
Nate continued, staring Kennedy down with everything he had. “Maybe she should give me more credit to know what I want and see the situation clearly. Maybe she’s so terrified of taking a chance on a real relationship because she’s never had one before.”
“Maybe she’s the only one seeing things clearly and trying to protect you.”
“Maybe she’s full of shit.” He took another step in. His eyes gleamed with a fierce light that shot sparks of fury and frustration. “Maybe she just doesn’t want to know the truth.”
“What truth?” she asked.
“That I love her.”
She gasped. Her heart stopped. Then took off at heart attack pace. The room spun and the glass almost slipped from her numb fingers.
“Uh, dude, when I told you to admit your feelings, I meant to the woman herself. Not your matchmaker.”
They locked gazes and ignored Wolfe. “Don’t say that,” she whispered. “It’s not true.”
“You don’t get to tell me what I feel. You can throw a bunch of women at me, hide away, pretend this is something it’s not, but I’m done with the lies. I love her, and it’s not going away. Go ahead and make me date Mary, or Sue, or any other woman you toss in, but it won’t change the outcome. I love her.”
Her body shook with mini convulsions. He had said he loved her. He thought he loved her. But how could he? How could he know all her secrets and still think she was a good match for him? Men loved her body, her face, her persona. They loved the way she looked on their arm, and her power career, and that she didn’t need a man to make her happy. They didn’t look into her damaged soul and love the hidden parts. How could they when she didn’t even love them herself?
Coldness seeped into her skin and bones. She couldn’t do this anymore. He’d already become way too important, and she was slipping under his spell. She had to cut him loose.
“You’ll get over it.”
The words dropped like stones between them. He jerked back as if slapped, and her heart crumbled into tiny pieces that she feared would never be able to be sutured back together.
“Is she that much of a coward?”
“She’s that much of a realist,” she said brokenly. “You need to go out with Mary.”
Wolfe cleared his throat. “Okay, this is way over my head. Why don’t I leave you two alone?”
Nate clenched his jaw. Disappointment, and a deeper emotion she didn’t want to name, emanated from his defeated stance. “No, Wolfe, that’s okay. We’re done here.”
He turned and paused in the doorway. “I’ll text Mary and take her to dinner this weekend. Thanks for the advice, Ken. You truly are an excellent matchmaker.”
Her knees trembled as she watched them walk out the door. She stumbled to the bench to grab on to her composure, trying to settle her nauseous stomach. What had she done?
The right thing. The only thing. Right?
Feeling faint, she placed her head between her knees and dragged in long breaths. She heard her name being called from a distance, but she didn’t look up, just concentrated on getting oxygen in her lungs. When she raised her head, Kate knelt in front of her.
“Sweetie, did you drink that much champagne already? You need to pace yourself better. We found Gen, and she’s with David. Are you okay?”
“No. Something happened.”
Her friend’s face lit with alarm. “What?”
She gulped. “I slept with Nate Dunkle.”
“Oh, my God. When? You didn’t tell us. Was it good? Are you happy? Is he off the client list?”
Kennedy mashed her fingers against her mouth. “No, it’s terrible, well, the sex was off-the-charts amazing, but this whole thing is terrible, I made a big mistake, and now I think I screwed him up. He needs to fall in love with Mary, not me. Oh, please let him fall in love with Mary this weekend so I can go back to my normal life.”
Kate sighed, rummaged for her phone, and tapped the screen. “This is too much for one of us. I’m going to Skype Arilyn in so we can discuss.”
“But she has the flu.”
“She can talk from bed. She probably needs a distraction anyway, she was so upset she couldn’t make Gen’s party. Hang on.”
Ken waited. After a few minutes of back-and-forth texting, her screen flashed on. Arilyn was propped up in bed, her nose bright red, glasses on, her hair a bird’s nest of a mess, and a grim expression on her face. “Tell me nothing dramatic happened. Did Gen call off the engagement?”
Kate frowned. “No. Why? Did you suspect something?”
“Gen hasn’t been happy lately. I got a bad feeling. What’s up?”
“Kennedy has a crisis. She slept with Nate Dunkle.”
A coughing fit mixed with a gulp of surprise. “The rocket scientist?”
“Aerospace engineer,” Kennedy corrected. “Yes. Him.”
“Once? Twice?”
“About fifteen times over last weekend.”