Page 5 of Matched By Mistake
“I do,” Misha agreed. “So this is a clear like-to-like category. But if you look further down, here is where the magic of k!smet comes into play. Maggie has checked that she is spontaneous and isn’t much of a planner. Jericho, on the other hand, is prepared for every eventuality. So k!smet sees that this might be an area where opposites attract.”
Maggie looked over at Jericho. “What do you think?”
“That I didn’t plan for this and I’m rolling with it,” he said.
“And?” Maggie asked.
“Well, hell, Maggie darlin’, I am already working out a plan for asking you to dinner and trying to figure out what kind of place would suit you.”
She raised her eyebrows atMaggie darlin’but she wasn’t upset by the endearment, though the way it rolled off his tongue, she had a feeling that he’d had a lot of “darlin’s” in his dating life. “Dinner would be great. Sheen?”
“Of course,” he said.
“Wow. I think you can see that k!smet has stumbled onto a match that might end in love,” Misha said. “I think we’ll leave the interview here. Thank you, everyone, for coming to this demonstration today. Help me wish Maggie and Jericho the best.”
There was a round of applause and cheers from the crowd as Jericho offered her his hand as they hopped off the high stools they’d been seated on. That heat from him sent a tingle of sensual awareness up her arm and straight to her center. She was hyperaware of the warmth of his touch and how close he was. He smelled good, too. Spicy and exotic, and she almost closed her eyes and leaned closer to him before she caught herself.
She admitted to herself that she was having fun with this but she knew that once her family caught wind of it—especially her father, who never seemed to approve of anything she did—there were going to be issues. They stepped backstage and she turned to Jericho.
“Were you serious about dinner?” she asked.
“Weren’t you?”
“Are you one of those guys?” she asked.
“No. I’m one of a kind,” he returned.
She couldn’t help the smile that danced around her lips. He was flirty and fun but she suspected that, like her, he was playing a part. Being what he thought she wanted him to be.
“I can see that,” she said, reaching up and running her forefinger along the edge of his jaw. His pupils dilated and his body stiffened under her touch.
Interesting that he was just as affected by her as she was by him. They had chemistry, which wasn’t a bad thing. If nothing else, they could hook up and maybe he’d be what she needed to break her long dating dry spell.
“I like you, Maggie,” he said. His voice was rough and the words low, brushing over her senses like a warm breeze on a cold day.
“That’s good because we’re going to have to at least try to make this look real for Misha’s and your brother’s sake.”
“Oh, I think I can deliver on real,” he said, putting his arm around her waist and pulling her closer. She put her hand on his chest and felt the heat of him through the fabric of his shirt. Other than his arm at her waist and her hand on his chest, they weren’t touching but she felt as if he was pressed to her body. In her mind, she was already wrapping herself around him, kissing him deeply and proving to herself and to him that she could be real, too.
But only in her mind. “Jericho.”
He nodded, dropping his arm. “Sorry. I’m also a see-what-I-want-and-take-it kind of guy.”
“Noted. I’m not saying no. It was more a ‘not right now,’” she said to clarify to him. Her body was at war with her common sense—her brain saying to keep her distance and protect herself from her own bad judgment, and her body saying fuck that. He was hot, he wanted her and it had been too long since she’d slept with anyone.
“Good to know,” he said.
Misha waved them over to do an interview with the press and local television showRoyal Tonight. Maggie nodded but turned away to fix her lipstick, needing a minute to herself. It was one thing to think of hooking up with him but something else entirely to do it. And though she’d checkedspontaneouson the profile, she knew she wasn’t. She was cautious and overthought everything—including agreeing to do this.
Touching Maggie might not have been his smartest idea but he had no regrets. He was happy with the match and, given the fact that his sister and brother had both texted him, he was pretty sure that this time with Maggie might be all he had. He ignored the family group chat for now.
Misha looked shell-shocked but impressed Jericho with her professionalism. Her smile had only faltered once and she just kept on talking, like matching up rivals was the best thing her app could have done.
To be honest, Jericho still wasn’t sure if it was a good or bad thing. His body was likehell, yesbut his mind was throwing up all kinds of objections. Not the least was the fact that the Del Rio clan hadn’t been trustworthy in all the time they’d been feuding. True, he himself had very few interactions with them, but genuinely was he knew this was going to be a hard sell to his family and he suspected hers as well.
Maggie joined them.
“Given your families’ histories together, do you think that this match is simply hijinks, or something that is written in the stars?” Mandee Meriweather fromRoyal Tonightasked.
