squeezed her pocketbook until the knobs on the coin purse bit into her palm. She tried to calm her racing heart, but this hallway was much too short for that.
When Rielle gave a soft knock, there was no more time. ‘Good luck,’ the woman whispered.
Erin nodded, unable to voice her thanks. Trying to be composed and worldly, she walked into the room. Two people were waiting: Nina, looking like everything Erin didn’t feel, and a solid, dark-haired man whose back was turned to her.
Erin stopped on a dime. He had presence all right. She could feel it all the way from across the room. The knot in her belly drifted lower, where it began to collect heat. Before she even saw his face, she knew he was sexy.
‘Hello,’ she said softly, happy when her voice didn’t waver.
The man stiffened. Slowly, he turned away from their hostess to look at her. Erin’s breath went short when his dark gaze connected with hers.
And then she couldn’t breathe at all.
Her stomach dropped, and dread filled her. Oh, no. No, this couldn’t be happening. This was some sick joke. Her family had found out what she was doing and had sent him in. She was so busted.
‘Come in, Erin,’ Nina said in her husky voice. ‘Erin Foster, this is Colton King.’
Erin knew. The man had been her teenage dream. Her fantasy – and the crush had lasted well past adolescence.
‘Erin?’ he said sharply.
Her knees wobbled and she caught the back of a chair. He was going to give her away. He’d tell Dustin, who’d tell their parents. If he hadn’t already –
She swallowed hard. ‘Colt,’ she managed to get out.
His attention swung from her to Nina and then back again. ‘What is this?’ he asked. ‘What’s going on?’
Erin focused on the carpeting. If she was lucky, maybe a big hole would open and swallow her up. It was the only way she could see to get out of this mess. She should have given Nina a list of men she couldn’t see. No-goes. This one would have been smack dab atop the list.
‘This is the woman I spoke to you about,’ Nina said patiently.
‘Jesus,’ he muttered underneath his breath.
That made Erin’s gaze lift. So maybe he hadn’t known? If she begged, would he put this in the vault and promise never to talk about it? Ever?
She didn’t think so. His jaw had gone tight, and a muscle at his temple was flittering. He had a tan as if he’d recently been some place warm, but underneath it she saw a definite pallor.
This was not good.
‘As I explained, we’re reevaluating the process we use to pair people. When we keyed in the new parameters, you two were a match for each other’s wants and preferences.’ Nina reached up to toy with an earring. ‘A perfect match, in fact.’
What? Erin’s heart raced so hard it hurt. Her ribcage was just too tight to contain it. If he wasn’t here to yell at her, then…‘You’re my date?’
The squeak in her voice made her cringe. It made her sound young and unsophisticated, but it couldn’t be helped. She looked at him, wide-eyed. Wanting filled her until she felt she might burst.
Colton’s mouth set in a flat line as he glared at Nina, but when he turned to look at her…his expression softened. He looked almost defeated. ‘What are you doing here, Erin?’
What was he doing here? ‘Getting matched up?’
The look he turned on the Luxxor executive was lethal.
Nina held up her hands. ‘Erin’s one of our clients too.’
That didn’t make things any better.
He planted one hand on his hip and rubbed his brow with the other. His jacket swung open with the motion, showing that he’d kept himself in shape.
Really good shape. Erin’s mouth got wet.
Oh, she wanted it to be true. She wanted to see him, to get a chance for at least one date where he saw her as a woman, not as Dustin’s little sister.
Only he looked as surprised as she felt, but a lot less happy.
‘A client,’ he repeated, this time with his look boring into her. The words came out in rapid-fire shots, but she didn’t know what they meant.
Erin stood rooted to the spot, feeling helpless. Was he that put off by her? Was he that loyal to her parents?
A perfect match.
Nina had said that, and she had heard it.
She’d heard almost nothing else.
With a low curse, Colton turned away. Lacing his fingers behind his neck, he walked over to the window to look out at the DC evening skyline. This late into fall, darkness was coming earlier and earlier. The colours of traffic lights glinted, along with the halos of streetlights all in a row.
‘Is there a problem?’ Nina asked.
As tense as Erin felt, the woman seemed calm and composed. Did she not feel the raw emotion snapping around the room, bouncing off the walls and even the furniture?
‘We know each other,’ Colton bit out, his voice like ice.
‘Would you like to cancel?’ The woman wasn’t rattled in the slightest. She turned to Erin. ‘I could find someone else for you.’
‘No!’ He crossed the room as if he was approaching the bench, argument in hand. Squaring off across from Nina, he jabbed a finger against her desk. ‘You aren’t going to set her up with anyone else.’
‘Else?’ Nina repeated.
Erin’s weight rocked forward to the tips of her toes.
For just a split second, Colt looked uncharacteristically off-kilter. ‘I mean, you aren’t going to set her up with anyone.’
‘Well, since I already have –’ Nina leaned forward and braced both hands on her desk ‘– I wish you a good evening together.’
Erin was standing on the brink of a major precipice. She could tilt into happiness like she’d never known or be in for a world of hurt. If he told her family, she’d get a long lecture from her father about the dangers of going out with strangers. Her brother would go into protective overdrive, and her mother would talk about the nice men from the Capitol Hill Club. But if he agreed?
‘Don’t send me to Daddy,’ she whispered. ‘Please.’
A stern expression settled on his face, but she didn’t waver. She lifted her chin and met his dark gaze. She savoured the opportunity to just look at him. He was so handsome, and it had been so long. She knew he was a busy, important man now. He didn’t drop by her parents’ house any
