Page 11 of Matched By Mistake
She wanted him.
She wasn’t sure that was wise. For all the reasons she’d listed in her mind too many times. But this dinner was making her somehow believe she could have him, placate her father and help her friend.
She shook her head and thought wryly that there was only one reason why she was contemplating this and it had nothing to do with her family or Misha, though she loved them both. It simply came down to Jericho Winters, son of her family’s rivals and the only man who’d made her feel feminine and alive in the last two years.
She had no idea if the feeling was genuine or just some by-product of the fact that she’d finally decided to try dating again and the app had picked him. And somehow relying on anyone who wasn’t herself seemed smarter than trusting her gut.
She had gone quiet, and he appreciated that the two of them dating was going to cause a lot of tension in their families. He wouldn’t have put either of them through that just for a financial boon for his brother. But he liked Maggie. The more time they spent together, the easier it was for him to see the woman she was.
She was funny and smart. She laughed easily and wasn’t afraid to talk about the things that mattered to her. He glanced around her house, which on the outside was a cookie-cutter suburban subdivision home but inside had been curated to reflect Maggie. There was richly colored Mexican tile on the kitchen floor and the walls had been painted a vibrant yellow. She’d incorporated a few paintings on the walls as well as plates and wooden serving pieces to create a space that was uniquely Maggie.
It was earthy, cultured and passionate. And as much as she was a passionate woman, he realized how much of it she kept hidden. She limited herself to showing him only the tip of her interest in any subject. She’d mentioned her broken engagement earlier and he wondered if that was at play here or if it was simply his last name.
“Does me being a Winters make you not trust me?” he asked bluntly.
Well, hell, he usually tried to be much more subtle than that. But it was getting late and he was going to have to leave soon and he needed to know as much about Maggie Del Rio as he could before he responded to his family.
“Yes. I’m sure me being a Del Rio doesn’t help matters for you.”
“It doesn’t. But it’s simply a wrinkle and I want to find a way around it. Do you?” he asked. To be honest, this evening had been a chance for them to decide what they wanted to do away from their families and the public. For himself he still wanted her and as much as he wanted her in his bed, he was a grown-ass man and didn’t let his dick make decisions for him. Sure, it could influence him but this wasn’t something that could be decided simply because he wanted her under him.
It had to be something they both wanted because as much as they were pretending they could coax an agreement out of their families, he knew this was going to be a hard sell to his parents and an uphill battle in public.
“I do. I’m not going to lie and pretend that I think this is actually going to lead to anything permanent between us. But I know I’d regret it if I didn’t at least give it a try.”
He smiled and leaned forward, putting his forearms on the table and reaching for her hand. He took hers in his, felt that electric jolt of awareness go through him. “Same. But I’m not going to rule out permanent just yet.”
“Are you looking for that? I think you should know I will not ever agree to marry again,” she said. “I can’t walk around for months with a ring on my finger and then... I just can’t.”
She pulled her hand from his and twisted her fingers together. It was almost as if she’d pulled on a heavy coat and wrapped it around not only her body but her senses. She’d shut down completely.
“Forever doesn’t have to mean a long engagement. If I did decide to marry you, Maggie Del Rio, we’d get it done in private and quickly.”
“Promise?” she asked.
“Yes.”
She chewed her lower lip and nodded. “Okay. So I’m meeting with my family in the morning. Do you know anyone who’d be unbiased we could ask to mediate? Then we can set up something with our families.”
Mentally he went through his acquaintances. “Jack Chowdhry. He’s well respected and a member of the board of the Texas Cattleman’s Club. I think both of our families know of him but he’s not connected to either.”
“That’s a great suggestion. Do you know him well enough to reach out to him? My brother might know him.”
“I do but it might be good if your brother does as well so that it seems both families have agreed to it.”
“Okay. I’m going to text Preston now. I want him onboard before I talk to my parents,” she said.
“Then I guess that’s my cue to leave. I’ll be in touch tomorrow after I talk to my family,” he said as he stood up. He carried his plate to the sink and turned to see that Maggie was standing behind him.
“Yes?”
“Uh...” She walked closer to him and put her hand in the center of his chest the way she had earlier in the day and then went up on her tiptoes and brushed her lips against his.
Immediately his blood felt like it was running hotter and heavier in his veins and he wanted to go slow, but as he opened his mouth against hers and deepened the kiss, he realized how impossible that would be.
She was a fire in his veins and someone he’d wanted for too long. He put one arm around her waist and pulled her into his body, felt the brush of her breasts against his chest and her fingers spread out against his chest as she tipped her head to the side and allowed him to deepen the kiss.
After a long moment had passed, she stepped back, licking her slightly swollen lips. “Just wanted to make sure the chemistry was real.”
