The Matchmaker Bride (The Bride Series) (4 page)

The way his body filled out his suit told her he had a sculptured body and that made her dissolve like warm butter in a pan. God, he was stunning. But she had to remember to focus because he was, after all
,  for
a client. Not for her.

“So, um…let me get this straight…you don’t smoke, you drink only on occasion, you don’t have children but you would like to one day, you prefer a monogamous relationship, you listen more than you talk…” She paused and slowly met his gaze as he continued to stare into her eyes. She noticed he had the most delicious facial features.
Dark thick eyelashes, chiselled cheeks.

Stop it, Sophie! Focus on business. Use your head, not your heart.

Who was she kidding? Oh, she just knew she was not cut out for this line of business. Heck, she didn’t believe
she’d
ever find her perfect soul mate, why should she believe everyone else in the world could?

“You have the most beautiful eyes, I’ve ever seen,” he said in a deep voice that slid off his tongue like honey, ignoring everything she had said.

This is so wrong. I should not be here. My
client
should be here.

“Thank you,” she replied, trying to sound professional. This situation was getting more awkward for her and she barely knew what to do. She really could not afford to screw up this matchmaking. Her heart thundered in her chest, and she felt heat rush to her cheeks like a blaze. She took the pages up and shuffled them in order and shuffled them again, hoping he wouldn’t notice her habit of being overly organized.

She already loved his physical stats: Height: six feet four inches. Color of his eyes: midnight blue. He left his ethnic, religious and political outlook blank and spoke very little of his relationship history or his income.

“I see you like things in order,” he said observing her.

“I…um…”

“No, it’s okay. I like that in a woman.”

“Now about your background?”
She flushed, trying to keep the conversation strictly on business. Why did she feel so awkward when getting close to someone?
Especially a guy.
A hot one at that!

“What about it?” he said dreamily.

“You don’t mention your past relationships.”

“Does it matter?”

“Well, yes.”

“Why?”

“Because.”

“Because?
That’s your rationale for prying into the past which is dead and gone?” He grinned and continued to hold her gaze.

Sophie felt her heart pound in her throat. She drew in a deep breath as she glanced at the blueness of the lake and returned her attention to Carlos.

“You know, Carlos, sometimes the past predicts the future. I need to get a complete profile for our client. She likes what she sees so far based on the photo you supplied and the few specs on your profile. The next stage would be to provide a more complete profile. After all, even convenient or temporary matches can become more permanent later. That had happened quite a few times at the agency. You mentioned that you wanted to read a profile first before you see the picture which was unusual since most men go for visuals first. ”

“Well, I thought you’d
  know
by now that I’m not most men.” His mouth curved into an adorable smile.

“Well, as I was saying it would be nice to know about your past since the past often predicts the future.”

“Now who told you that?”

“Well, it’s common knowledge.”

“
Which is not always accurate by the way.
People have been wrong. Most importantly people can change.”

“So does that mean you have something in your past relationship that is less than…”

“I’ve never laid a hand on a woman, ever. Never will. I’ve been betrayed but you may already know that if you’ve done your research thoroughly enough.”

For a moment they locked gaze and they found themselves inches from each other.

“What about your love life?
Anyone in the picture?”

Sophie flushed.

“Um…I don’t know if that’s any of
your
…”

“Business?”
He held back his head and laughed heartily. “You’ve got to be kidding me, right? What ever happened to small talk and a little self-disclosure to build a bond with your client in such a sensitive situation?”

What
could she say to that?

“I’m so
sorry,
it just came out kind of…”

“Rude?”

“Ouch. Now that’s not fair. I was just a little…”

“Nervous?”

“Would you stop finishing my sentences for
me.
” She really didn’t mind him finishing her sentences especially because every time she looked into his delicious dark eyes, her mind drew a blank. No other man has ever had that kind of effect on her. Besides the way he finished it for her as he waited for her to answer didn’t really seem rude at all.

“Would you stop pausing for several minutes before finishing a
sentence.
You seem unsure of yourself or afraid of being upfront. Besides, we have so little time and you keep hesitating, I just thought I’d do you the honours. Besides, it’s easy to know what you’re thinking.”

“Oh, is it? “

Her BlackBerry buzzed and she reached to answer it but stopped. It was
Stone’s  Matchmaking
Services. Her boss was calling to ask her how it was going with Sandy’s match. She said she would call around this time knowing it was Sophie’s first matchmaking assignment on her own. Prior she’d been paired up with more senior consultants.

“Aren’t you going to answer that?” he said softly as if he could read her mind and knew she was avoiding the caller on purpose.

“No, not right now.
We need to finish business,” she said as she bit down on her lip. Heat rushed to her cheeks again.

“Yes, you’re right. Who was he?”

“What?” she sounded more alarmed than she meant to.

“The creep that broke your heart,” he said, holding her gaze. His tone was more serious though he kept his voice low. There seemed to be a concern in his expression.
A genuine sense of compassion.
The sun glowed on his handsome features as it became later in the afternoon.

No guy had ever made her feel this way before.

Who
was
Carlos really? Why of all times did she have to have feelings for somebody else’s soul mate?

Sophie swallowed hard as she thought about what she would say to Carlos.

“Well, I’d rather not get into that now. Besides, the past is dead and gone right?”

He grinned at her response.

“Well, he’s stupid for letting a nice girl like you go.”

Sophie felt flustered inside. She’d never been paid such a high compliment before. Not like that.

She smiled appreciatively.

“Are you always this charming?” she asked turning to meet his gaze.

“When there is a need for it,” he said as he softly bushed his fingers against her cheek.

Sophie shivered inside with delight.

“You need a man who appreciates the honest woman you are. Who will protect you at all cost and appreciate the honour of fathering your children,” he said softly.

They both drew closer together as the waves in the background from the lake made a soothing sound. Birds chirped in the background. This seemed like such a perfect day. Only it wasn’t. She was with the most charming man she’d ever met—but he was for someone else.

Oh, what had she gotten herself into? How could fate be so cruel? It was like taking a child to
Disneyland  but
not allowing him to go on any rides. Or being presented with a delicious cake but not being able to take one bite. Suddenly an image splashed in her mind of him touching her, holding her and passionately making love to her.

She pulled away from him and shook her head as she gathered her files to walk away.

“Where are you going?” he said.

“I…I think we’re finished for now Mr.
Bradley .”

“So soon?
And please…call me Carlos. I think we’re on first name basis now.”

“Carlos,” she said not looking at him, she felt her cheeks burn as if someone put a torch to it. She had to get out there fast before she screwed everything up.

“Did you gather all the information you needed? Or shall we meet again?”

Sophie closed her eyes and shook her head. Her heart pounded in her chest. This match really needed to come through for their client. She really needed this to work. It was her first official assignment as a matchmaker at Stone’s.

“Are you trying to be nice to me or blackmail me into continuing with this interview process to which you are not being very cooperative?”

“I’m not? Oh, and here I was thinking I was being charming and showing you my good side.”

“Your true side.”

“Yes, that, too.”
He smiled.

“You know you look beautiful when you’re angry.”

“I’m not…”

“Don’t you dare say you’re not
beautiful.
”

“I was going to say that I’m not angry,” she said rolling her eyes.

“Would you like to see a picture of Lady…
Ms
Sandy
Dextworth
now?”

“No.”

“No?”

“I’m no longer interested in Ms.
Dextworth
,” he said, leaning closer into Sophie. The aroma of his aftershave was irresistible.

“But…” Sophie’s stomach plunged to the ground. She felt as if she were going to pass out. Everything with this matchmaking was a go until she met Carlos to get more information on him. What had she done? Had she really screwed this up beyond repair?